Structured cabling glossary

A

Alien crosstalk — Interference between two separate cables running side by side, rather than between pairs inside one cable. It is the reason high-category cable in dense trays is often shielded. Network cables

AWG — American Wire Gauge — the conductor size convention. Our range states conductor diameter in millimetres (0.40–0.58 mm) rather than AWG, so convert if your customer quotes in AWG. Factory

B

Braid — A woven copper screen over a cable. On our coaxial range the number of strands is part of the part number — 64 and 96 strands for SYV-75-3, 96 and 128 for SYV-75-5. Coaxial range

C

CAT5E — A 100 MHz copper cable class, conventionally used for 100 Mbps Ethernet. Still common in refurbishment where outlets and patch panels are already CAT5E rated. Network cables

CAT6 — A 250 MHz copper cable class with a PE cross filler, used for 1 Gbps. The most common choice for new commercial fit-outs. Network cables

CAT6A — A 500 MHz cable class used for 10 Gbps over a full 100 m channel. Usually shielded in practice, because alien crosstalk between adjacent cables becomes the limit. Patch cords

CAT7 — An ISO/IEC Class F cable, always shielded (our version is SSTP with foil, braid and an LSZH jacket). Its connector interface is not the same as a standard RJ45 patch panel. Network cables

CAT8 — A 1000 MHz cable class for short 25G/40G rack links (typically up to 30 m). Not a replacement for CAT6A in horizontal cabling. Patch cords

Channel — The end-to-end path: patch cord, outlet, horizontal cable, patch panel, patch cord. The electrical limits published on this site apply to the channel, which is why cords should come from the same production as the cable. Test limits

Conductor resistance — The DC resistance of the copper, stated per 100 m at 20 °C. Our CAT5E and patch cord limit is ≤ 9.38 Ω/100 m. Test limits

Cross filler — A PE cross-shaped separator between the four pairs of a CAT6 or higher cable, holding the pair geometry so the higher frequencies stay testable. Network cables

D

Drain wire — A bare conductor running along a foil shield, used to bond the foil to earth at the termination. A foil without a bonded drain is an antenna, not a shield. Shielded cable

F

FTP / F-UTP — Foiled twisted pair: one overall aluminium foil around the four pairs, with a drain wire. A moderate shield for moderate interference. Network cables

H

HDPE — High-density polyethylene, the insulation compound on our network, multi-pair and control cable. The specification states the insulation wall (0.9–1.36 mm depending on family). Process

I

Impedance — The characteristic impedance of the cable, 100 ± 15 Ω for our data cables and 75 Ω for the coaxial range. A mismatch at a connector shows up as reflection, not as a broken link. Test limits

L

LSZH — Low smoke zero halogen. A jacket compound with no halogens that produces less smoke and no corrosive gas in a fire. Every network cable family here has an LSZH variant, marked -LSZH in the part number. LSZH vs PVC

M

Mutual capacitance — Capacitance between the two conductors of a pair, quoted per 100 m. Our limits are ≤ 5.6 nF/100 m for network cable and ≤ 6.6 nF/100 m for the multi-pair range. Test limits

P

Patch cord — A short factory-terminated assembly used at both ends of a channel. Buying cords from the cable manufacturer keeps the channel specification with one supplier. Patch cords

PE / PVC jacket — PE (polyethylene) is used on outdoor constructions for water and UV resistance; PVC is the standard indoor jacket and is not fire-rated for escape routes. Network cables

Permanent link — The installed part of a channel — outlet, horizontal cable, patch panel — tested without the cords. A channel test includes the cords. Office LAN

PoE — Power over Ethernet: DC power carried on the data pairs. Higher power budgets favour larger conductors, so check the cable's conductor size when a camera or access point draws significant power. CCTV

R

RVV / RVVP — Flexible multi-core cable with bare copper conductors and PE insulation, used for camera power and control. The RVVP version adds foil and braid shielding for routes beside power cable. Control cable

S

SFTP / S-FTP — Double shielded: foil around each pair plus an overall braid. More coverage than FTP, at the cost of weight, stiffness and a bonding requirement at every termination. Network cables

SSTP — Screened shielded twisted pair — a screen around the whole cable. Our CAT7 is built this way with an LSZH jacket. Shielding explained

SYV — The Chinese designation for a 75 Ω video coaxial cable. SYV-75-3 and SYV-75-5 are the two sizes in our range, differentiated by braid strand count. Coaxial

U

UTP — Unshielded twisted pair — four twisted pairs and a jacket, no screen. The right choice in a clean electromagnetic environment, and easier to terminate than any shielded construction. Network cables

W

Waterproof paper — A water-blocking layer inside our outdoor constructions (part numbers containing ODPE), wrapped under the PE jacket. Outdoor cable