ethernet cable questions

[iOnTech]

Hi, All

I am upgrading a B&B and i have questions about cat6a POE delivery. I am going to install cat6a U/UTP for 4 access points. They are ubiquiti wifi 6 LR and they use 48v POE. I am pretty sure i will need to run some of the cabling on the outside of the building so i was going to purchase UV protected cable.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MJH7IM0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A24J5XI5TU8T5O&psc=1

the rating on this cable shows its rated to 30v not 48v that the AP needs. what would happen if i run this cable ?
do i need to find cable thats rated to 48v POE or will any cat6a run that voltage ?

i am unsure what brands i should look for and what to expect to pay for 1000ft rolls. What brands do you prefer and what is reasonable price?
there is such a price difference.
I hope i do not need to buy the 1000 dollar rolls to use POE safely.
what brands to avoid ?

 

[Sky-Knight]

First, I'm going to say something that might catch you off guard...

NEVER use LR WAPs. Let me repeat that... NEVER USE LR WAPS! There are uses, but it does you no good to have a radio that can reach half a mile down the road when the mobile device that's in your hand cannot talk back. All LRs do is create unidirectional connectivity problems... so beware. If you've already got them, be ready to turn their power levels down.

As for your wire question, you need to determine the gauge. CAT6 is 22-24AWG wire, CAT6A is 16-20. The voltage doesn't matter much, what matters is the amp draw across it. But with 20guage wire being somewhere between 1.5 and 11amps... and that WAP pulling a max power consumption of 16.5W / 48V = .34amps... well below even the smallest of certified CAT6A cable. This stuff lists an AWG of 23.... which indicates it's actually CAT6, and not 6a. That stuff will max out somewhere between .7 and 4.7a, which again is still twice the required amperage. But this changes if you put more on the line. So design accordingly.

So... yeah that stuff will work. Though I'm not a fan of spools, I prefer boxes.

 

[SAFCasper]

If the cable meets specification CAT5e is rated up to 125v. Not sure on CAT6/CAT6a but I can only assume it's the same or higher.

802.3af (PoE) and 802.3at (PoE+) which are the 2 most common standards are rated up to 57v and both support CAT5e or above.

So you should have no issue assuming the cable is genuinely up to spec and solid-core copper, not stranded or CCA.

 

[iOnTech]

First, I'm going to say something that might catch you off guard...

NEVER use LR WAPs. Let me repeat that... NEVER USE LR WAPS! There are uses, but it does you no good to have a radio that can reach half a mile down the road when the mobile device that's in your hand cannot talk back. All LRs do is create unidirectional connectivity problems... so beware. If you've already got them, be ready to turn their power levels down.

As for your wire question, you need to determine the gauge. CAT6 is 22-24AWG wire, CAT6A is 16-20. The voltage doesn't matter much, what matters is the amp draw across it. But with 20guage wire being somewhere between 1.5 and 11amps... and that WAP pulling a max power consumption of 16.5W / 48V = .34amps... well below even the smallest of certified CAT6A cable. This stuff lists an AWG of 23.... which indicates it's actually CAT6, and not 6a. That stuff will max out somewhere between .7 and 4.7a, which again is still twice the required amperage. But this changes if you put more on the line. So design accordingly.

So... yeah that stuff will work. Though I'm not a fan of spools, I prefer boxes.

thanks for replies.
i have only found cat6a 23awg but your saying its 16-20 awg ? i thought they just twisted the pairs more and the wire gauge was about the same as cat6. 16-20 gauge is a big wire.

also what brands of cable would you suggest?

 

[Markverhyden]

The cable you are looking for is called direct burial. And yes, Cat5e will work just as well as Cat6. No need to look at anything thicker, they've already taken that into account. Prices? Last time I bought some it was about $250 for 500" Just checked and they had it from Home Depot for just under $300. Just be aware that this stuff is gel filled and is much stiffer. I budget 10 minutes per termination because that gel is such a pita. Brand. I prefer to get as much as I can locally. Certain brands will command much higher prices at a distributor unless you have a volume buying agreement with them. I use ADI in my area. Their prices runs from 200'ish to over 700 for 1k roll.

Syston Cable Technology Cat 5E Outside Burial/Aerial 1000 ft. Black 24-4 Gel Filled Twisted Pair Cable 1792-SP-BK-1000 - The Home Depot

Syston Cat5E Outside Plant cable is professionally designed for high-speed transmission up to 350-MHz. The primary benefit of this cable is that it can be used indoor, outdoor burial and aerial lashing.

www.homedepot.com

 

[iOnTech]

The cable you are looking for is called direct burial. And yes, Cat5e will work just as well as Cat6. No need to look at anything thicker, they've already taken that into account. Prices? Last time I bought some it was about $250 for 500" Just checked and they had it from Home Depot for just under $300. Just be aware that this stuff is gel filled and is much stiffer. I budget 10 minutes per termination because that gel is such a pita. Brand. I prefer to get as much as I can locally. Certain brands will command much higher prices at a distributor unless you have a volume buying agreement with them. I use ADI in my area. Their prices runs from 200'ish to over 700 for 1k roll.

Syston Cable Technology Cat 5E Outside Burial/Aerial 1000 ft. Black 24-4 Gel Filled Twisted Pair Cable 1792-SP-BK-1000 - The Home Depot

Syston Cat5E Outside Plant cable is professionally designed for high-speed transmission up to 350-MHz. The primary benefit of this cable is that it can be used indoor, outdoor burial and aerial lashing.

www.homedepot.com

I have used direct burial before. this cable is NOT going into the ground at all. It is a really old building and i may have to run cable on the wood siding outside because i dont think they will allow me to fish cable thru walls. So i dont want UV rays eating the jacket.

I have installed coax for decades and ive seen to many times the jacket cracking and letting water inside the cable when the wrong cable jacket is used, such as white coax outside.

 

[Sky-Knight]

thanks for replies.
i have only found cat6a 23awg but your saying its 16-20 awg ? i thought they just twisted the pairs more and the wire gauge was about the same as cat6. 16-20 gauge is a big wire.

also what brands of cable would you suggest?

The ranges I found were via a quick google and aren't really indicative of wire quality, but as I said they do change how much power can be sent over it, especially at long distance.

I usually use General Cable. As for the cable type... I can't say because I don't know what environment you're in. What I can say is out here in AZ I use direct burial cable on the exterior if I can, because the sealant helps it last longer. NOTHING withstands the direct sunlight here very long. Though it's surprising how long RG6 can last when painted sometimes.

 

[Markverhyden]

I have installed coax for decades and ive seen to many times the jacket cracking and letting water inside the cable when the wrong cable jacket is used, such as white coax outside.

In a previous life I was a product manager for a company that manufactured PE based coatings for pipelines of all types, which includes above ground and below ground.

Just like your white coated coax experience I've seen it recently with grey jacketed, most likely PVC, Cat 5 cable the LEC used to bring in phone lines from an outside NID. There's a reason why almost all outdoor cable, including direct burial, is black. Carbon black is the most popular and by far the cheapest UV inhibitor available for any type of coating. We made coatings that were other colors, like white, but the costs was 5+ times that of black. Another item I almost forgot. Many manufacturers use PVC for an outer jacket which is not as good as PE when it comes to UV resistance.

While I've not seen any studies every direct burial cable I've bought also clearly stated it was suitable for outdoor use. Besides it's cheaper to make one type of product to cover multiple applications rather than a product for each application. I'm sure you can find a non-gel filled cable with high carbon black content but I'd bet the UV characteristics are the same as direct burial and wouldn't be surprised if it costs more.

 

[SAFCasper]

thanks for replies.
i have only found cat6a 23awg but your saying its 16-20 awg ? i thought they just twisted the pairs more and the wire gauge was about the same as cat6. 16-20 gauge is a big wire.

also what brands of cable would you suggest?

CAT6 specification says 23awg so that's what the vast majority of CAT6 comes in. However it's technically a minimum spec so 22awg can still be certified as CAT6. It costs more to make for little benefit so it's more of a specialist product. Not seen anything larger than 22awg but I've never specifically searched for it either.

We always use GigaBase for internal cabling. Working through a stock of Ubiquiti ToughCable for outdoor but that only comes in CAT5e.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

We do a lot of Ubiquiti installs, and for outdooor projects (campgrounds, marinas, exterior of <whatever>...we stock up on spools of Ubiquitis own "Tough Cable".

UISP Cable Pro - Ubiquiti Store

Industrial-grade Ethernet cable that protects your network from elemental and electrostatic damage.

store.ui.com

They also have a "Carrier Grade" cable which is beefier, I use this for when mounting bigger airFiber radios on towers for example. But for APs and airMax's....the "pro" is more than fine.

It's a bit of a bitch to terminate. Not all crimpers work well on it...but once it's done..it's forever cable.

 

[Markverhyden]

We do a lot of Ubiquiti installs, and for outdooor projects (campgrounds, marinas, exterior of <whatever>...we stock up on spools of Ubiquitis own "Tough Cable".

UISP Cable Pro - Ubiquiti Store

Industrial-grade Ethernet cable that protects your network from elemental and electrostatic damage.

store.ui.com

They also have a "Carrier Grade" cable which is beefier, I use this for when mounting bigger airFiber radios on towers for example. But for APs and airMax's....the "pro" is more than fine.

It's a bit of a bitch to terminate. Not all crimpers work well on it...but once it's done..it's forever cable.

That's a really good price for 5e STP.