NETGEAR NETGEAR user manual Appendix B Cabling Guidelines, Fast Ethernet Cable Guidelines

Appendix B

Cabling Guidelines

This appendix provides specifications for cables used with a NETGEAR NETGEAR 7300S Series Layer 3 Managed Switch.

Fast Ethernet Cable Guidelines

Fast Ethernet uses UTP cable, as specified in the IEEE 802.3u standard for 100BASE-TX.The specification requires Category 5 UTP cable consisting of either two-pair or four-pair twisted insulated copper conductors bound in a single plastic sheath. Category 5 cable is certified up to 100 MHz bandwidth. 100BASE-TX operation uses one pair of wires for transmission and the other pair for receiving and for collision detection.

When installing Category 5 UTP cabling, use the following guidelines to ensure that your cables perform to the following specifications:

Certification

Make sure that your Category 5 UTP cable has completed the Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL) or Electronic Testing Laboratories (ETL) certification process.

Termination method

To minimize cross-talk noise, maintain the twist ratio of the cable up to the point of termination; untwist at any RJ-45 plug or patch panel should not exceed 0.5 inch (1.5 cm).

Cabling Guidelines B-1

202-10088-01, March 2005