To be 'safe' from alien crosstalk and interference should we install Cat 6a

[chris.hickling@connectix.co.ukHDBaseT Member]

Hi

I see from all of the info that yes, unshielded Cat 5e cable is the basic recommendation, however, if providing cabling infrastructure into a new or renovated property wouldn’t it be more beneficial to install shielded Cat 6a cable ? Yes it is 20 cents a foot (47p/m) more expensive but surely with its higher frequency and protection from alien crosstalk with the shielding it better protects the client from EMI ssues that maybe are not forseen and future technology changes. The cost of re-cabling at a later date would be vastly more expensive than 20 cents a foot and the cost compared to the whole ‘solution’ is not significant…anyone like to agree or disagree please ?

 

 

[Daniel ShwartzbergHDBaseT Alliance]

Hi Chris,

It’s a great question! As you correctly state, HDBaseT is designed to work on unshielded Cat5e cabling, and in fact that is the cable used when products are sent to our test facility for certified testing. Of course, using a higher grade cable (such as 6a) brings benefits in terms of signal immunity and crosstalk reduction, which really come into play when bundling HDBaseT links together. If using 5e in a bundle, we have a number of recommendations that apply to the first 20 meters from the Transmitter, such as not pinstriping/combing the cables, not pulling cable ties tightly, etc. When moving to higher grade cables, these recommendations are relaxed.

From my experience of talking with the installer community, most are pulling Cat6a (or even Cat 7). This is exactly for the reason you stated – that they prefer the additional margins in their installation which come at a negligable on-cost for the better cable.

Like you, I would be happy to hear more comments from participants in this forum…

Daniel

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