Subscriber Discussion

CAT6A Cable Plant Incompatible With Cat5e Patch Cables

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Jon Dillabaugh
Nov 14, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

Has anyone else ran into issues with a CAT6A cable plant being incompatible with CAT5e patch cables? We have a client with a new building. Electricians installed cable plant during build out. Everything is Hubbell CAT6A wire, patch panels, wall jacks, etc. 

The cable plant was certified with a Fluke Versiv for 6A and passed. 

Our issue stemmed from using CAT5e patch cables from the installed wall jacks to our cameras. We were unable to pass PoE power or maintain a link from their HPE switch.

I had no issues plugging the camera into my laptop and PoE adapter directly, but when the camera was patched into the wall jack and my laptop was patched in at the rack/patch panel, my laptop would not show a link.

I ran a CAT5e cable through the building (on the ground) to directly connect the camera to the switch and had zero issues.

In the end, we had to replace our CAT5e patch cables with CAT6 cables and it’s working well so far.

Our client had the same issue with their PoE powered IP phones using CAT5e patch cables.

Very strange to me.

 

MM
Michael Miller
Nov 14, 2017

Did you try test the run with the CAT5 cables on both end?  

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Jon Dillabaugh
Nov 14, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

Actually, we did on the first five or six cameras, but we didn’t have access to the rear of the building while they were epoxying floors, so the really problematic camera was installed much later.

We did have some issues with a few of the cameras up front, but not to the extent of the rear ones.

The client asked that we use their CAT6 patch cables to make the rack look better with all matching cables, so everything  ended up with CAT6 patches in the rack, but all but one camera still has a CAT5e patch at the camera end. Unless they develop issues, I plan on leaving it that way.

U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 14, 2017

May be Cat6 run does not follow 

568A or 568B

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Jon Dillabaugh
Nov 14, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

Yes they followed 568B as do we. I’ve only see 568A a few times ever in my 20+ years doing networking. 

(1)
U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 14, 2017

Great,

but did you personally confirm its 568B?  

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Jon Dillabaugh
Nov 14, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

Yes

U
Undisclosed #1
Nov 14, 2017

Can you do TDR test?

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Jon Dillabaugh
Nov 14, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

I don’t personally have anything other than a basic wire map tester. In all my years, I can count on one hand how many networks needed more than a simple continuity wire map to solve an issue. 

That said, the electrician certified their circuit to 6A with their Fluke Versiv tester. 

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Brian Karas
Nov 14, 2017
IPVM

If that were true, it would be unlikely to pass the cert tests he mentioned. Or, they for some reason used a completely random color map, but as long as it was consistent and did not split pairs, it would likely still pass cert, and not affect things.

MM
Michael Miller
Nov 14, 2017

We did a project with a CAT6A plant and from what I remember we used CAT6 patch cables on either end without issues.   I know one thing there was no way we could use the CAT6A patch cables at the camera end as they would barely fit in the camera. 

(1)
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Jon Dillabaugh
Nov 14, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

Yeah there is zero chance a 6A patch cable would fit inside the back box. I’m sure the bend radius of the 6A patch would be much bigger than the Hik bullet back box we used. 

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Brian Karas
Nov 14, 2017
IPVM

Wild guess, but something on the Cat6 terminations/outlets is just slightly off in regards to the Cat5e patch cables. I would first look closely at the width of the pins on the Cat6 outlets and see if they might be too wide to seat fully in the slots on the RJ45's on the Cat5e patch cable.

(1)
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Jon Dillabaugh
Nov 14, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

Their IT dept somewhat agrees with your assertion that CAT6/6A 8P8C connectors “fit tighter”. I think that shouldn’t be the case, but something isn’t right. 

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