Cheap CAT 6 cables- are they any good

Forums › Home Theatre (incl HTPC) › Cheap CAT 6 cables- are they any good

Chipparooney

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

Topic # 128639 17-Aug-2013 18:22

Hi all

I am wiring a new house with Ethernet cables( all to be cat6)

- some will be for IR remotes
- some for hdmi extension ( for long distances of 30m back to hub with hdmi pigtail converters)
- some just for data

I have seen 25m pre terminated cables in rapallo for about $50-60 and I've seen them on trade me for $12-20

What are the issues with the cheaper ones- anyone had any bad experiences ?

Cheers

1 | 2

6431 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 366

Trusted

Subscriber

Reply # 880225 17-Aug-2013 18:28

One person supports this post

Hi, do not install permanent wiring using stranded cables which is normally what pre terminated fly/patch leads are. You need to use solid core cable (normally in a box or reel) any major brand is fine but under no circumstances use CCA cable, which is copper clad aluminum which will cause issues with normal IDC terminations, and is illegal in all countries that legislate the data industry (Oz for example).

Also cat6 is around 60c/m, plus connectors/patch panels etc.

Cyril

InstallerUFB

818 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 213

Reply # 880226 17-Aug-2013 18:29

Preterminated cables would likle be patch cables ie strandard cable with mouled on plugs - not suitable for fixed instalation unless you intened not to remove the plugs & not have a permanent finish

For permanent instalation you should always use solid core cable that can be terminated as required at either end

Chipparooney

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 880230 17-Aug-2013 18:36

Thank you for both responses

I understand for the HDMI conversion, the patch cables need to be exactly the same length, hence using pre terminated cables - ?

cyril7

6431 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 366

Trusted

Subscriber

Reply # 880231 17-Aug-2013 18:38

One person supports this post

Hi, the TDMS data is sent on one cable, the ancillary data (which is non related to the video data) is sent on the other cable and the skew between these can be quite considerable before issues occur (we are talking 10s if not thousands of meters here)

Cyril

Chipparooney

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 880233 17-Aug-2013 18:44

If I wasn't worried about these cables terminating in a wall plate- I.e they would come straight out of the wall and into either the hdmi converter or the ir transmitter before going into the TV- would that be ok? - or are there other reasons not to use the stranded cables?

Thanks

cyril7

6431 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 366

Trusted

Subscriber

Reply # 880236 17-Aug-2013 18:50

One person supports this post

In NZ its not a regulated industry, but in many countries its illegal to install stranded cables as permanent cabling inside structures.

I really recommend that if you want to do the job properly then use solid core cables, terminated on proper faceplates etc, ie follow normal structured cabling methodology, but at the end of the day its up to you.

Just one final point, stranded cables have a higher attenuation/m compared to solid, typically 1.25 is the guide.

Cyril

Chipparooney

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 880238 17-Aug-2013 18:51

Thank you Cyril.

tukapa1

362 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 43

Reply # 880451 18-Aug-2013 10:35

This should do the trick - good price.

richms

21711 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4501

Trusted

Subscriber

Reply # 880497 18-Aug-2013 12:06

Cheap trademe pre terminated cables are absolute crap, same as the dollar store ones but longer. A friend got heaps from the wholesaler and was selling them on trademe for a while, high out of bag failure rate (5% or so we estimated) and many ongoing failures that were often solved by recrimping the plug somewhat.

Cutting and reusing the wire was not possible for other thigns, as it was some muckky brown crap that wouldnt solder and would break, outer insulation was very hard and would crack open exposing the inside wires with just a bit of flexing. Apparantly some of them have most of the strands being some crap metal and one of copper since that is all that is actually required under the cat-5e spec.

These were all the ones with the molded strain relief with the soft plastic that extended up over the tag for the RJ45 looking like this one - http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/cables-adaptors/networking/auction-627708254.htm - no idea if that guy gets them from the same importer but they look the same.

Stick with dynamix cables from pbtech or somewhere similar, since they seem to last the distance just fine.

Richard rich.ms

Chipparooney

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 880548 18-Aug-2013 13:30

Thanks guys

If I installed solid cat6 cable in the wall for the purposes of sending hdmi signal- would you terminate the cat 6 into a wall plate with a rj45 keystone, which in turn would link into another patch lead, before going into the hdmi repeater and then into the tv?

Or just terminate the cat 6 into a jack so it comes right through the wall continuously and straight into the hdmi repeater

Is there any preference between the two- or is it just down to what look you're after ( although all of it would be behind the TV ad not seen)

Cheers

Zeon

3429 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 419

Trusted

Reply # 880555 18-Aug-2013 14:01

Chipparooney: Thanks guys

If I installed solid cat6 cable in the wall for the purposes of sending hdmi signal- would you terminate the cat 6 into a wall plate with a rj45 keystone, which in turn would link into another patch lead, before going into the hdmi repeater and then into the tv?

Or just terminate the cat 6 into a jack so it comes right through the wall continuously and straight into the hdmi repeater

Is there any preference between the two- or is it just down to what look you're after ( although all of it would be behind the TV ad not seen)

Cheers

I would always, always put a faceplate on. What happens if you accidentally pull the cable and it cracks in the wall (yet another reason to use solid core).

kiwirock

624 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 124

Reply # 880570 18-Aug-2013 14:58

One person supports this post

richms: Cheap trademe pre terminated cables are absolute crap, same as the dollar store ones but longer. A friend got heaps from the wholesaler and was selling them on trademe for a while, high out of bag failure rate (5% or so we estimated) and many ongoing failures that were often solved by recrimping the plug somewhat.

Cutting and reusing the wire was not possible for other thigns, as it was some muckky brown crap that wouldnt solder and would break, outer insulation was very hard and would crack open exposing the inside wires with just a bit of flexing. Apparantly some of them have most of the strands being some crap metal and one of copper since that is all that is actually required under the cat-5e spec.

These were all the ones with the molded strain relief with the soft plastic that extended up over the tag for the RJ45 looking like this one - http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/cables-adaptors/networking/auction-627708254.htm - no idea if that guy gets them from the same importer but they look the same.

Stick with dynamix cables from pbtech or somewhere similar, since they seem to last the distance just fine.

I vouch for this also.

I've also used cheap rolls of cat5e before on Trade me to find them completely useless. Generally they are a thinner gauge wire the el cheapo cable.

I installed 200 metres once to find it was all competely rubbish even though it was all branded cat5e and certified.

Put it this way, my cat3 phone cable roll provided 100Mbps where cheap cat5e rubbish couldn't. So you get what you pay for is the old saying.

kiwirock

624 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 124

Reply # 880572 18-Aug-2013 15:03

Chipparooney: Thanks guys

If I installed solid cat6 cable in the wall for the purposes of sending hdmi signal- would you terminate the cat 6 into a wall plate with a rj45 keystone, which in turn would link into another patch lead, before going into the hdmi repeater and then into the tv?

Or just terminate the cat 6 into a jack so it comes right through the wall continuously and straight into the hdmi repeater

Is there any preference between the two- or is it just down to what look you're after ( although all of it would be behind the TV ad not seen)

Cheers

I like doing things tidy so I'd put a face plate on the wall with solid inside and use a stranded patch lead to the equipment.

In saying that, my server has solid to the Ethernet card so I have less points of failure.

If you make your own leads with Rj45 plugs, make sure they are for the cable you're using, ie: stranded or solid. Some do both. Stranded stab the cable in the middle whereas solid ones straddle the core.

cyril7

6431 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 366

Trusted

Subscriber

Reply # 880603 18-Aug-2013 16:31

Yep everyone above has said it all.

Cheers
Cyril

richms

21711 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4501

Trusted

Subscriber

Reply # 880654 18-Aug-2013 18:11

If it is going to a fixed piece of equipment like a wall mounted cat5 to hdmi repeater or a mounted wifi accesspoint then by all means put a solid core plug straight onto the cat5, but if it is a free floating item then use a jack and a short patch cable. Crimping plugs when you only have a short amount of slack and are in a tight environment or up a ladder is no fun tho, whereas a punchdown is somewhat easier.

Pre-terminated 30cm ones are only a few dollars and are a great sanity saver as crimping is a bit of a pain in the arse

Richard rich.ms

1 | 2