atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring cat 3 or cat 6

Nogden, TIA/EIA568-B states that there should be a minimum of two communication outlets at each location with one being a minimum of CAT3 and the other being a CAT5e or higher or a multimode fiber. They still recommended though that both runs be at least CAT5e. We are now at 568-C and the recommendation is for both jacks to be a minimum of CAT5e or better and one of them can be a multimode fiber. My gripe with the years of experience thing is that everyone is different and we end up in the same boat where one guy does it one way and the other does it another way.

My gripe with the years of experience thing is that everyone is different and we end up in the same boat where one guy does it one way and the other does it another way.

And I have no problem with that as long as it is done professionally and meets the requirements of the current service it is providing. I see no reason to try and future proof as that is an impossible waste of money. Just look at those specs that want a 25 year warranty on a CAT6 installation. That's an example of the intellegence at work here. It will be in the dumpster on the way to China in 10.

-Hal

And so the old BELL SYSTEM way was the only way and a good way at that! :toothy: :toothy:

"With this being said, there is nothing wrong with running CAT1 or CAT6 for voice".

Ed, doesn't the FCC mandate a minimum of Cat3?

Future-proofing was mentioned - the only way to future-proof a building of any type is to pipe the whole thing. Sadly, many of the customers I deal with are more hung up on Cat6 and don't give a crap about conduit, which is sad - in 10 or 20 years, they will probably have obsolete/insufficient cable and no way, short of tearing the whole building apart, to replace it.

Just curious - what is the maximum data transmission speed one can get out of cat3 cable?

Jack

And so the old BELL SYSTEM way was the only way and a good way at that!

If we could just maintain the workmanship standards of those practices. It would be a major improvement over the abortions we have today that are created by the new generation of so called professionals who's diapers need changing.

-Hal

Just curious - what is the maximum data transmission speed one can get out of cat3 cable?

I believe 10Mb. 10baseT

-Hal

Just curious - what is the maximum data transmission speed one can get out of cat3 cable?

10base-t (10 Mbps) as Hal mentioned. However, there is also an archaic 100base-T4 standard that is 100 megs over four pair of category 3. Sorry, I'm a computer geek :shhh: but I'm slowly learning!

-Nelson

We usually use 3 cat3's for each drop. That way we are way ahead of the game with cat9.

johhz, would that be 'a cat of nine tails'.

I have a different take on this. When the question is about "phone service", the follow-up question is what type of "phone service". Let's take the CISCO 7940 IP Phone at my desk. The connection is 100BASE-TX from a powered Cisco Switch. From the phone, a cable runs into the back of my PC. If it was Category 3 cable between the switch and the phone, I would be in a world of trouble.

So yes, the IP Phone is not bandwidth intensive but the phone acts like a repeater sending the 100BASE-TX connection to my PC.

If you can guarantee that the "phone service" will never be IP, then go ahead an run the Category 3. If there is any doubt what so ever from the end user, do not run Category 3. Run Category 5e as a minimum. I would normally say Category 5 because that is all 100BASE-TX requires but officially it was obsoleted in April 2001 with ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B. Now with ANSI/TIA-568-C it is still out of the standard but you can still find the cable around. If IP over 1000BASE-TX does take off, Category 5e would be a wise investment.