Networking Cables

Network cables for offices, comms rooms and data centres — RJ-45 patch leads in every category in current use, from Cat5e through to Cat8, in the colours and lengths structured cabling actually needs.

Which category to specify

Cat5e carries Gigabit Ethernet reliably and is still the sensible choice for adding desk drops to an existing Cat5e installation, where mixing categories buys you nothing. Cat6 is the working default for new office cabling: it handles Gigabit comfortably and 10 Gigabit over shorter runs. Cat6a is the one to specify if you want 10 Gigabit across a full 100 m channel, which is why it dominates new data centre and campus work. Cat7 and Cat8 exist for shielded and short-reach high-frequency applications — worth the money in a rack, rarely worth it to a desk.

Shielding is about the environment, not the speed

Most of the range is U/UTP unshielded, which is correct for the majority of office runs. Choose F/UTP for overall foil screening where cable trays run alongside mains, and S/FTP — braid plus individual pair foils — for plant rooms, industrial floors and anywhere with motors, drives or fluorescent ballasts nearby. Shielded cable only delivers its benefit if the screen is bonded properly at the patch panel, so specify the panel and the cable together.

Colour-code before you cable

Patch leads come in a full colour range, and deciding what each colour means — VLAN, floor, voice against data, or anything else — before the first lead goes in saves a great deal of time at the second fault. Lengths run from 0.25 m stack leads to 25 m and beyond, and ordering the right length matters more than most people expect: slack has to live somewhere, and a comms room full of coiled 5 m leads is a comms room that is hard to work in.

Brands

Microconnect, StarTech.com, ProXtend, Cables Direct and Ubiquiti Networks, alongside cabling from the major hardware manufacturers.

Cabling a floor means ordering the same line in hundreds. Trade pricing and business accounts are available for UK organisations, and bulk orders are welcome — request a quote with your part numbers and quantities.