Structured Data Cabling

Platinum’s data cabling team are a leading structured cabling installer. Working throughout the UK. All works are guaranteed to industry standards.

Labour costs for installation of Category 5e and Category 6 systems can be considered identical. It is therefore the difference in materials to consider. Currently the material cost differential for a 55 metre run of cable component cost (including data cable, module and patch panel) makes Cat6 £2.55 more to install than Cat5e. The inference therefore is for new installations to seriously consider the higher performance cable.

With Cat6A there are more difficult considerations. The additional screening on Cat 6A causes complications with respect to bend radius of the cable and fill ratio in duct & channel. This will have cost implications on containment design & provision. Termination is also on keystone jacks in both patch panel and module and can take 50%-100% longer. Materials are approximately double the cost of Cat 5 enhanced – so it can be seen that this system will be minimum 50% more.

Category 5e data cabling

Category 5e data cabling
Cat5e data cable
Supports 10 Mbps, 100Mbps, 1Gbps data transfer (up to 100 MHz).

Maximum cable distance 100 metres. Category 5e cable utilises only 4 wires in the cable.

+ cost, smaller cable, can be split with cable economiser.

– does not support 10Gbps, alien crosstalk.

Supports 10 Mbps, 100Mbps, 1Gbps data transfer (up to 250 MHz).

Category 6 data cabling

Cat6 data cable
Maximum cable distance 100 metres. Cat 6 will also support 10 gigabit per sec up to 55 metres. Category 6 cable utilises all 8 wires in the cable.

+ve higher spec and performance than Cat5e, limited 10Gbps connectivity.

-ve stricter containment requirements, larger cable & more expensive than Cat5e.

Fibre Optic Cabling

Our Fibre optic cabling team have experience in all types of optical data cabling. Whether multi mode or single mode full installation or just terminating and testing. We employ the best technique for terminating – fibre optic fusion splicing to minimise loss.

Multi Mode Fibre optic cabling

OM1 – older specification -1Gb up to 300 metres

OM2 – not generally used for modern installations – 1Gb up to 600 metres

OM3 – 10Gb up to 300 metres ; 40Gb to 100Gb up to 100 metres

OM4 – 10Gb up to 550 metres ; 100Gb up to 150 metres

Single Mode Fibre optic cabling

+ far greater distance than multi-mode- up to 10Km -Ve media converters more expensive

OS1 more generally indoor use (less restriction on bend radius) 10Gb up to 2Km
OS2 long hauls 10Gb ~ 80Km with suitable transceiver or several 1000 Km with light amplifiers

Both MM & SM come in 2 types: loose tube fibre generally external usage -protection from moisture ingress; tight buffered is more flexible eg indoor use