The Top 7 Things You Should NEVER Do With Ethernet Cable - 2024 Recommendations

[@DustinLRodriguez]

Keep these videos up. These are great even for those who have been in the industry for years as a reminder.

[@trueCABLE]

Will do! And thanks!

[@Pyridox]

Thank you so much, the videos are very informative and helpful.

[@trueCABLE]

We love to see this feedback, thank you!

[@Notmehimorthem]

I love this stuff, informative, knowledgeable, clear

[@trueCABLE]

We love to hear that! We will make sure to keep this content coming. Anything specific you would like to see?

[@JasonsLabVideos]

These videos just keep getting better and better !

[@trueCABLE]

Thanks Jason! We are really trying.

[@DavidM2002]

The one problem I've found with factory made patch cables is finding lengths between 1 foot and 2 feet. Inevitably, I need several that are just over 1 foot so I have to use 2 foot and end up with a lot of cable hanging out and flopping around. I'm just a home network user so I just made my own ( extremely carefully ) and am happy with the results. No big data volumes. No critical functions at risk.

[@trueCABLE]

Hello David! Sometimes, you don't have a choice and have to custom-make a patch cord. It does happen. When a high-quality factory-made replacement should become available, I would switch them out, however. I just added 18" patch cords to our wish list database, and I will also add 24". I have been in the same boat you have. I noticed that I started having fewer issues when I started making less use of 1U patch managers and started switching to 2U patch managers. They are more practical with our 3-foot patch cords. Just food for thought.

[@kalijasin]

Excellent advice.

[@trueCABLE]

Thank you!

[@sfgwl]

I'm installing Swann POE cameras using Cat5e UTP plenum or CMG through 1/2” EMT and not planning on true pulling but rather gentle 10 foot stick by 10 foot stick slowly but surely and utilizing some rigid LB 90⁰ conduit bodies in some areas and radius bends in other locations. The included Swann Ethernet cables were tightly wound in best described as 0⁰ folds and I've actually tested one that is mostly still in it's original factory packaging method tightly wound up and appears to be functioning properly. Is Power over Ethernet security camera technology more tolerant of severe folds in the Ethernet run? Is Cat 5e CM/CMG more tolerant than Cat 5e CMP for the 90⁰ non-radius angles?

[@trueCABLE]

Hello! When it comes to Ethernet bend radius, what makes a cable more tolerant than another is the actual physical construction of the cable. Stranded copper patch cords are going to be more resilient than solid copper. Thinner cabling will take a sharper bend. It does not matter if PoE is being used or not, nor the Category of the cable. Sharp turns should be avoided due to long term cable life concerns and possible alien cross-talk concerns (ANEXT). Although a sharp turn may not drastically and negatively affect cable performance immediately, it may become the source of jacket cracks (and thus cable jacket failure) over time. Of additional concern is ANEXT. ANEXT does not necessarily present itself immediately. As you add more cable runs (in a bundle, for example), sharp turns reduce the cable jacket ability to prevent cable to cable interference. For all these reasons it is recommended to obey the Ethernet bend radius guidelines, which generically state 4X the OD of the cable itself. You would measure the OD, multiply by 4. That gives you the bend radius. Multiple the radius by 2 to get the bend diameter (essentially a circle). Once you visualize what the circle size is, that will help you avoid turning the cable any sharper.

[@bkilpatr100]

I just terminated my 23AWG CAT6 network cables with 24AWG CAT5e/6 connectors. I didn't have any fitment issues, but now I'm wondering if I'll only get CAT5e performance?

[@trueCABLE]

Hello! Ok, if you are referring to 8P8C modular plugs (aka RJ45s) then DO NOT WORRY. 8P8C plugs don't actually have a Category being just a piece of plastic with 8 golden contacts inside. Termination items like keystone jacks, monolithic patch panels (punch down), and field termination plugs DO have a Category rating, however.

[@bkilpatr100]

@@trueCABLE That's a relief! Thank you so much! I spent the last week and a half making about 60 patch cables of different lengths. I looked at the bottle of connectors this morning and realized that they were rated for 24 AWG. It was a little disheartening. Lol! Thank you for all the great info!

[@trueCABLE]

@@bkilpatr100 No problem, and you are welcome. Little known fact: When it comes to 8P8C connectors the conductor INSULATION diameter (that being the copper + plastic coating) is what is important. Not so much the copper gauge. The vast majority of plugs that are labeled "24AWG" will, in fact, work with 23AWG or 24AWG, but what really matters is the thickness of the conductor with the insulation. If anything, you achieve an even tighter and better fit!

[@travisigrobinson]

Realized I've made Soo many mistakes 😂. I will be working on my installation with much more care and thought. Thank you

[@trueCABLE]

Hello! Yeah, I had been "installing" for years and then started getting formal education and training and Certifications around structured cabling systems. I came to the same conclusion that you do...OMG...so many errors in the past. It happens!

[@BathProductReviews]

Regarding bringing outdoor cable over 50ft inside rule> I need to run about 50 feet from my router across the attic and then through an exterior wall and then another 15 feet outside run across top of an outdoor beam to a camera I want to mount in my driveway. Are you saying this is a problem for my single family home?

[@trueCABLE]

Hello! No problems. You are in a residential situation. If this was a commercially zoned business, you might have a code inspector angry with you and force you to remove it. That all said, the NEC/NFPA 70 specifically makes an exception for single and duplex residential dwellings by stating that you may use outdoor rated inside without restriction if the cable jacket OD is 0.25" or less. Our Cat6 Outdoor UV (unshielded) Ethernet meets that requirement (we designed it specifically to do so).

[@Clxudzr]

How would you know if your Ethernet cable is a out door cable?

[@trueCABLE]

Hello! Normally you will find printing on the cable jacket that starts with CM followed by another letter. CMP = plenum (indoor only). CMR = riser (indoor only). CM = Communications General (indoor only). CMX = Outdoor use. You want to see "CMX" printed on the jacket. If you don't see a CMX rating, then look for "UV Protection" or "Burial". Direct Burial is CMX rated, and the jacket is UV protected as well. Any UV protected cable will be outdoor rated, too. I hope that helps!

[@velocityacoustics]

When are you expecting to be selling patch cables?

[@trueCABLE]

Hello! Not for six months at least. The project keeps getting pushed back in favor of other accessories first. We will be introducing patch panels in about 90 days. Tool-less shielded and unshielded. Patch cables are on the list though!

[@Clxudzr]

Should I run my cable through my window?

[@trueCABLE]

Hello! You can do that; just be sure to use outdoor cable since part of the jacket will be exposed to outdoor conditions. The window itself poses no issue.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

So... I'd be right in estimating 85-90 feet for a run that runs along 55 to 60 feet of walls and has 7 or 8 turns? Also, I assume I shouldn't use Categ. 6 cable to carry actual electrical current? Nor VHF radio frequency from my vintage computer?

[@trueCABLE]

Hello again! Assuming 60 feet, and 8 turns (adding 1/2 foot for every turn to be safe) this works out to be 64 feet. Now, also be sure to include 2 feet at the outlet end for termination and another 5 feet minimum for service slack & termination at the patch panel/switch end. The total ends up being 71 feet. Hope that helps!

[@pibbles-a-plenty1105]

Toss the baloney. Just say it: Insulation displacement connectors are delicate, fragile, easily damaged by abusive installation and insertion/removal. It ain't that complicated, it's common sense for people with brains.