Enterprise Design Guide - Public - CommScope

Network Cable Performance Criteria
Two critical factors in measuring data cable performance are insertion loss (also called
attenuation) and bandwidth.
Insertion loss is the loss of power as a signal travels along a cable and controls its operating
distance; insertion loss is expressed in decibels (dB) per a unit of distance. Lower numbers are
better.
Bandwidth is the information-carrying capacity of a cable; it’s expressed in MHz for twisted
pair and MHz•km for fiber. Higher numbers are better.
Broadly stated, the strength of a signal decreases over distance. Other factors, such as poor
connections or splices, or even bends and kinks in cables, can also lead to loss of signal.
TIA/EIA 568 standards state the maximum operating distance as 90 meters (295 feet) for
horizontal links (using either fiber or twisted pair) and 300 meters (984 feet) between horizontal
and intermediate crossconnects using multimode fiber links.
Network speeds increase constantly. A few years ago, a typical system would have a 100
Mb/s backbone connecting 10 Mb/s horizontal subsystems. 10 gigabit backbones now
support 1 Gb/s to the desktop, while 100 Gb/s backbones with 10 Gb/s to the desktop are
on the horizon.
The chart below shows where twisted pair and fiber cables fit into the matrix of network
speed and distance. Category 6A twisted pair supports 10 Gb/s systems within TIA/EIA
recommendations for horizontal channels up to 100 meters (328 feet), while Category 6 and
5e twisted pair supports 1 Gb/s desktop connections.
In the past, the TIA/EIA operating standard mentioned only 62.5 µm fiber; the standard now
supports higher bandwidth 50 µm fibers permitting faster network traffic over longer distances
(see pages 27 through 29 for comparisons), and 50 µm laser-optimized fiber has become the
standard multimode fiber chosen for new builds.
10 Gb/s
1 Gb/s
100 Mb/s
10 Mb/s
1 Mb/s
10 Gb/s
1 Gb/s
100 Mb/s
10 Mb/s
1 Mb/s
campus operating range
collapsed backbone operating range
horizontal operating range
all fibers measured at 850 m
100m 300m 500m 1000m 2000m
50m
150m
OM4
50 µm fiber
OM3
50 µm fiber
OM2+
50 µm fiber
OM1
62.5 µm fiber
Category 6A
twisted pair
Category 5e/6
twisted pair
OM4
50 µm fiber
OM3
50 µm fiber
OM2+
50 µm fiber
OM1
62.5 µm fiber
Cat 6a
twisted www.commscope.com pair
23
Cat 5e & 6
twisted pair