Do Cat8 cables make a difference?

Views: 47     Author: Site Editor     Publish Time: 2022-04-27      Origin: Site

Overview of eight types of network cables

The network cable has developed from CAT3, CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6, CAT6A, and CAT7 to the current CAT8. With the upgrade of network cable performance, the bandwidth is getting higher and higher, and the “speed” is getting faster and faster.

At present, the performance standard of the latest CAT8 can support the transmission of up to 40Gb/s, the transmission rate is 4 times that of the 10Gb/s super network cable, and the theoretical transmission speed can reach 5120Mb/s, which means that the 5G file can be transmitted in 1 second.  Can complete the transfer. Although the transmission speed of Category 8 network cable is as high as 40Gb/s, its maximum transmission distance is only 30 meters, so it is generally used to connect servers, switches, patch panels, and other equipment in short-distance data centers.

The standard of eight types of network cables

The relevant standards of CAT8 were officially released by the Communications Industry Association (TIA) committee in 2018, as follows:

Compliant with the IEEE 802.3bq 25G/40GBASE-T standard, which specifies the minimum transmission rate of CAT8, which can support 25 Gbps and 40 Gbps network cabling.

Compliant with ANSI/TIA-568.2-D-2018 specifies CAT8 channels and permanent links and includes limits for resistance unbalance, TCL, and ELTCTL.

Compliant with ANSI/TIA-1152-A, which specifies measurement and accuracy requirements for CAT8 field testers.

According to the channel level, in the ISO/IEC-11801 standard, CAT8 is divided into Class I and Class II. The Class I CAT8 shielding type is U/FTP and F/UTP, which is backward compatible with CAT5e, CAT6, CAT6A RJ45 connector interface; when Class II CAT8 shielding type is F/FTP or S/FTP, it is backward compatible with the non-RJ45 connector interface.

Typical structure of eight types of network cables

Structure 1: Wire pair shielding + aluminum foil overall shielding + sheath;

Structure 2: Wire pair shielding + braided overall shielding + sheath;

Structure three: wire pair shielding + aluminum foil overall shielding + braided overall shielding + sheath.

The difference between eight types of network cables and other network cables

Category 3 cable (CAT3): The transmission frequency is 16MHz, often used for voice transmission, and the maximum transmission rate is 10Mb/s.

Category 5e (CAT5e): The transmission frequency is 100MHz, mainly used for 100M and Gigabit Ethernet.

Category Six (CAT6): The transmission frequency is 250MHz, mainly used for Gigabit Ethernet. Category 6 twisted pair is different from Category 5 super twisted pair in appearance and structure. Category 6 twisted pair adds an insulating cross frame, and the four pairs of twisted pairs are placed on the four sides of the cross frame in the groove. Compared with Category 5e, Category 6 cable is more suitable for Gigabit Ethernet.

The Category 8 cable solution is designed to support Ethernet at transmission rates up to 40 Gbps (40GBASE-T) within 30 meters and is mainly used in the data center, the connection between devices. In terms of appearance, the Category 8 cable is more authoritative, and its diameter is about 1.5 times thicker than Category 6 cable. The disadvantage of this is that it is not easy to wire.

Advantages and disadvantages of eight types of network cables

For the same 10 Gigabit network, what are the advantages of Category 8 cables compared to our optical cables?

1, copper cabling and installation costs are lower.

2, assuming Category 8 is widely deployed, the switches and server connections that support it will be much less expensive than fiber optic cables.

In addition, the eight-line 25/40GBASE-T standard supports an auto-negotiation mechanism, which also provides convenience for data center operators. Category 8 cables can meet the needs of the public for efficient transmission and stable signals. With the public’s increasing demand for transmission performance, Category 8 network cables will gradually become the main equipment wiring for short-distance transmission.

Conclusion 

Based on the above analysis, we can conclude that the eight network cables also have a shortboard; the maximum transmission distance can only reach 30 meters. Therefore, the eight types of network cables are mainly suitable for short-distance high-speed bandwidth environments, such as the connection of data center servers, switches, patch panels, and other equipment. The eight types of network cables are indeed overkilled for ordinary users with low network requirements, but if you are a friend who pursues the ultimate network experience, it is still worth trying.