Subscriber Discussion

Where To Find The Best Deals On Cat 5e?

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Jul 03, 2017

Hi

We come from a IT VAR background and have branched in the Security arena mostly video surveillance and access control for now. Intrusion and fire are next. 

We don't see the point of using more than Cat5 in our surveillance system even for a 20 MP camera. Cat5 can do GigEthernet with no problem and I have yet to see any camera we have installed pushing anything close to 50 Mb/s... So we use Cat 5. We're looking for sources for Copper Cat 5 not the CCA that many distributors unload at the unsuspected. The boxes do not always say wether they're CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum) or solid copper core, i.e. copper all. We don't want CCA.

Online sources are of great interest. We're of course are looking for great prices. We see no point using great brands such as Belen, Mohawk or Amp... unless they're in the bargain bins ... Cat 5e since regular Cat5 doesn't seem to be manufactured anymore....

Your replies will be much appreciated. 

JH
Jay Hobdy
Jul 03, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Do you have any local distributors? Your best bet is to buy from them since they are bringing the cable in by pallets. You can save on shipping.

 

 

MM
Michael Miller
Jul 03, 2017

Keep in mind 60w and 90-100w POE is right around the corner.  The low cost CAT5e might not be able to handle this much power as new devices get released and you want to use them.

 

(2)
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Jon Dillabaugh
Jul 03, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

Why buy cheap cable when good cable that pulls easy will end up costing much less? If you factor in the labor cost and aggravation savings that easy to pull cable gives you then I'm sure you will find that $75 box of cable ends up costing you much more.

We use Windy City Wire / Smartwire due to their ease of pull, custom put ups (if needed), and they have shipping locations near by. Their RackPack system works great. If there is something better, I would love to know about it.

(1)
UI
Undisclosed Integrator #2
Jul 03, 2017

Thanks Jon for the referral to them.  Never looked into them before but they make some pretty useful items - the racktrack and megapack are interesting.

Avatar
Armando Perez
Jul 04, 2017
Hoosier Security and Security Owners Group • IPVMU Certified

I whole heartedly agree here. We use nothing but windy city wire at a significant cost increase to the cheap cable we used to use.

SD
Shannon Davis
Jul 03, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I used to think the same thing. Why spend the extra $$ when CAT5E will handle the bandwidth. The more cables you get into a bundle the hotter the cables will potentially get. There are specifications now on how many cables you can put into a bundle based on the wattage each cable is using. Also we quit using the cheap cable as we end up spending way more on the extra labor involved running and terminating the cable than the difference for a quality cable. You don't have to buy the most expensive cable but for sure don't buy the cheapest either. In the long run you and the customer will be much better off. A lot of time it depends on what the customer spec's as well. We have some customers that still spec CAT5E but we have convinced them to let us install CAT6.

(3)
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Brian Rhodes
Jul 03, 2017
IPVMU Certified

In general, why is copper preferable to CCA?  

Our Network Cabling for Video Surveillance Guide offers a few reasons:

Some of the commonly cited reasons include:

1. The conductor are more brittle and prone to break during pulling.

2. CCA has higher resistance than copper, which results in more aggressive voltage drops and increased heat, a potentially big problem when using PoE.

3. CCA oxidizes when exposed, resulting in decreased efficiency and degraded performance.

4. CCA generally has higher attenuation which can increase flaws in video streaming.

Like several have mentioned, CCA is often the least expensive option, but lowest performing of all types, so many actively chose to not use it in commercial applications.

But what are some other reasons why?  I'll update our resources based on the feedback. Thanks!

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Jul 03, 2017

Hi

I reject the CCA option. I am not however so sure about the need for Cat 6 in a surveillance system especially considering the currents and voltages involved. Cat 6 is indeed better than Cat 5e in many metrics none of those seem to be relevant to IP Video in my experience. The smarter codecs and better power management have seen to that. It is rare for a 5 camera to exceed 20 mb/s in y experience.

I do understand there has to be a limit when carrying power on Cat 5 or Cat 6 for that matter but that is seldom the case for most cameras perhaps not a heated PTZ but ...

 I  have been in the Structured Cabling Industry for years and believe that the Cat 5e to Cat 6 game is part performance but mostly a matter of creating demand thus a market. Cat 5e, for example  can support Gig Ethernet and up to 60 watts of power at 48 VDC. If I have to carry 10 Gig Ethernet, I would use fiber and not copper... Yes, I know that Cat 6, 6A and Cat 7 can carry 10 GigE up to 100 meters.. non-PoE 10 GigE ports  tend to consume quite a bit of power on their own simply achieving that kind of throughput: up to 6 watts per port , that is not a POE, it is the consumption of the switch pr port to provide 10 GigE! Fiber on the other end is a LED with much less than 1 watt to achieve the same distance and much more while being able to be ramped up to 40 GigE .. I doubt 10 GigE will ever be needed for video surveillance so I am sticking to Cat 5e in my install, thus looking for sources of decent quality Cat 5e.. I am not looking for cheap but I am looking for truly inexpensive and quality Cat 5e cables.

MM
Michael Miller
Jul 03, 2017

We deploy 10GB backbones and 10GB server connections for most of our enterprise projects.   We are also deploying 60w POE cameras.  With analytics in PTZ and multi-imager cameras, you are going to see this more and more. 

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