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CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 8:06 pm
by perfectbite
I know CAT V(5) is phone lines, Today at Home Depot
I saw tools marked CAT III, in Home Depot!? What is with the CATs? How many CATs are there? <p>Gary Larson had a cartoon where the wagon train is circled and the Indians are firing flaming arrows at the wagons and one cowpoke says to the other "Can they do that?"<p>Can Home Depot do the CAT thing with a straight face? For a store that can carry bolts in different lengths with washers but no nuts for that size bolts (a while ago granted), I'm leery of their adoption of classifications.

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 9:14 pm
by jrob709
i know cat 5 is used for computer networking and i'm pretty sure cat 3 is your everyday standard telephone line.<p>if i'm wrong somebody please tell me.<p>there isn't a home depot close to where i live and i've never actually gone out looking for cat lines.

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 4:03 am
by jwax

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 4:41 am
by jwax
Good question about CAT III, though!
I'm searching for it too!

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 6:52 am
by rshayes
Try doing google searches for "category 3 wiring" and "category 5 wiring". This will probably tell you more than you really wanted to know.<p>Category 3 wiring is two unshielded twisted pairs rated to 16 MHz. It can be used for voice and possibly 10BaseT Ethernet. Faster Ethernet connections (100BaseT and faster) require either Category 5, Category 5e, or Category 6. These are four unshielded twisted pairs in a cable with specified frequency and crosstalk characteristics.

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 5:55 pm
by Bob Haller
cat 5 bought in a 500 foot roll is pretty cheap. better to just run it, that leaves you extra cables for possible future use :) <p>Overr the years I have done that and put some stuff on remote controls.<p>extra wires never hurt a thing....

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 1:13 pm
by jwax
perfectbite- Turns out Home Despot wasn't making things up after all, at least according to Fluke-
"CATS Explained"- http://www.fluke.com/download/library/1263690_w.pdf<p> :D

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 3:34 pm
by perfectbite
Thank you. It seems there are two separate categories of CATS. One for wiring, CAT III, CAT V and CAT Ve/VI and one for electrical testers CATs I through IV. No wonder I'm confused! It's the bloody jargon I tell ya!

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 5:52 am
by jollyrgr
The CAT for cable is CATegory. There are many versions or LEVELS of the cable, the number part. As others have said the CAT III is now being used for phone connections but had been used for computer connections (namely things like serial terminals) in the past. <p>The category of cable, though, is related mainly to the length it can be run from a network Ethernet switch to a client device such as a network card (NIC). It is the level of signal with low or no errors that can be run over a certain distance. Some examples:<p>CAT5 100M
CAT5e 350M
As well as some "unapproved" versions:
CAT6 and CAT6e 550M (or better)
CAT7 700M to 1000M
The CAT6e and CAT7 cables are not ratified by the industry (IEEE) and while you might find cable that is rated at this level, it is not a true reflection of the standards. CAT6 if I recall correctly has been ratified for about two years now.<p>This rating also takes into account the "standard" for the impediance (100 Ohms for Ethernet) and the maximum frequency (100MHz for Ethernet) the cable can handle. If, for example you want to use a 100Mbps connection between your computer and the switch you should go with CAT5e. The number of twists in the pairs, the material used for the insulation, and so on change the behavior of the cable.<p>If that is not confusing enough read on. There are different ratings for the different levels of CAT cable. For instance there are several different versions of the CAT5e cable standard. They have a number associated with them but I cannot recall the standard or their exact meaning. The ratings are like 1061 and 1071 and are an AT&/Lucent standard if I recall. (Someone feel free to correct me or expand on this.) But the higher quality cable can provide 1 Gbps to the desktop. (Not a typo; ONE GIGbps to the desktop using COPPER wiring!) Among these are the different materials for the jacket; PLENUM or RISER types. The RISER type must be run in a sealed wall or conduit. PLENUM type cable can be run in the cold air returns of a heating and cooling system. The difference? The material used in the RISER cable is cheaper but gives off toxic fumes when burned. The PLENUM cable is made of material that does not give off toxic smoke as it burns. Thus it does not introduce fumes into the cold air return to be circulated during a fire.<p>But as to your question and statement about CAT5. CAT5 and above cabling standards are overkill for analog phone service. But the reason you see this cable used for phones is for flexibility. The builder or home DIY person can buy ONE type of cable and run this for both phones and computers. Using CAT III for an Ethernet connection for your cable modem or DSL is asking for poor performance. Stick with the CAT5e and you won't have any problems. You can use it for your computer and the phones will perform just fine. The Home Depots and other similar stores are only providing what customers are asking for. They do not normally carry the high end cable (and 99% of the customers would not purchase the expensive stuff anyway). But they did not set a standard. They just sell a product that is more or less rated correctly. I bought my cable from a home improvement store. If it were for work I would be buying something like Lucent AVAYA type cable.<p>[ August 17, 2004: Message edited by: Jolly Roger ]</p>

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 12:52 pm
by Joseph
For those interested, the best potential deals on network cable up to cat6e may be Cat5eCableguy.com.<p>[ August 17, 2004: Message edited by: Joseph ]</p>

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 5:54 pm
by lanceh5
I see that Cat5eCableguy.com. have TRT® CAT5E Shielded Cable. It seems to me shielded cable would be better??<p>I am in the process of building a new house and will "home run" the phone, tv, local area network, and video. Shielded cat 5e should work best for the phone and lan.

Re: CATs and Home Depot.

Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 4:03 am
by Joseph
Can't say I am good with network cabling, but cat6 may also be an option. Decisions...is faster cat6 better than shielded cat5? I tend to think the shielding is not as helpful as the cat# since the twisting of the wires should provide common-mode rejection of external interference. Now, EMPs from power surges from such sources as lightning strikes could be a different matter. I have recently obtained some cat6e to replace some cat5e, and the 6 is 50% thicker than the 5. There are some unusual variables involved with my situation. For example, I needed to cover 150ft to make the network connection; the other specifics of my situation are irrelevant in your case as well. I also used one of the scraps the Cat5eCableguy.com sells to rerun my phone connection. I had very bad phone lines before, so I am not sure how much the cat6 cable really helped in the increase of my dialup speed from 30kb/s to 50kb/s. Some more specific experiences might help in your case, lh. This thread has indeed already been very informative.<p>[ August 30, 2004: Message edited by: Joseph ]</p>