Question 1

What is the difference in pricing between Cat 5e, Cat 6 and Cat 6A cable?"

Accepted Answer

Cat 6 cable is approximately 35% higher than Cat 5e and Cat 6A cable is 40% higher than Cat 6.

Question 2

What is the maximum length allow for a twisted pair network cable?

Accepted Answer

The maximum length allowed is 100m (328 ft). This include 90m of solid core cable which runs from patch panel to faceplate and 5m of standed patch cord at both ends which connect from patch panel to network switch and faceplate to desktop computer.

Question 3

How much it cost to install a Data Point?

Accepted Answer

Standard surface cabling with PVC casing base on UTP CAT6 cable.
* 1 Data Point : S$300.00
* 2 Data Point : S$230.00 each
* 3 Data Point : S$230.00 each
* 4 Data Point : S$150.00 each

Question 4

For office setup, should I go for UTP or F/UTP?"

Accepted Answer

UTP - Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable is sufficient for home/office use.  FTP - Shielded Twisted Pair Cable is used to prevent EMI - electromagnetic interference which can be found in factory with large electronic equipment.

Question 5

Can the cabling system works without a Patch Panel?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can skip the patch panel and crimp the cable to a standard RJ45 Plug and connect to the Network Switch. This will help to save some cost. However there are a few points to consider if you intend to skip the patch panel.
1. Installation cables are constructed with solid core copper. Doing field crimping to a RJ45 Plug has a higher failure rate and time consuming.
2. Solid core cables are stiff which would be inconvenient to use with a switch. Too much bending when tiding the cables neatly may cause more trouble in the future.
3. If you change a switch location, the cable may not be long enough to connect to the switch.
4. If you are laying the cable for future needs and you are not pluging into the switch due to limited switch port, it will be dangling and messy.

Question 6

Can I use CAT5e Plug with CAT6 Cable?

Accepted Answer

Yes you can but take note, the diameter of the CAT6 cable cannot be too thick and the copper guage must be around 23AWG to 24AWG. If not you will have problem inserting the cable into the CAT5e Plug. Another thing to take note is that if you are certifying a CAT6 network cabling system with a Cable Analyser, you may not pass some of the CAT6 perimeter test.