Specifications

40 | Appendix D: Cabling Guidelines
Smart Switch Software Manual
Figure D-3: Category 5 UTP Cable with Male RJ-45 Plug at Each End
Note: Note: Flat “silver satin” telephone cable may have the same RJ-45
plug. However, using telephone cable results in excessive collisions,
causing the attached port to be partitioned or disconnected from the
network.
Using 1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet over Category 5 Cable
When using the new 1000BASE-T standard, the limitations of cable installations and the
steps necessary to ensure optimum performance must be considered. The most important
components in your cabling system are patch panel connections, twists of the pairs at
connector transition points, the jacket around the twisted-pair cable, bundling of multiple pairs
on horizontal runs and punch down blocks. All of these factors affect the performance of
1000BASE-T technology if not correctly implemented. The following sections are designed to
act as a guide to correct cabling for 1000BASE-T.
Cabling
The 1000BASE-T product is designed to operate over Category 5 cabling. To further enhance
the operation, the cabling standards have been amended. The latest standard is Category
5e, which defines a higher level of link performance than is available with Category 5 cable.
If installing new cable, we recommend using Category 5e cable, since it costs about the
same as Category 5 cable. If using the existing cable, be sure to have the cable plant tested
by a professional who can verify that it meets or exceeds either ANSI/EIA/TIA-568-A:1995 or
ISO/IEC 11801:1995 Category 5 specifications.