Stranded or Solid?

Rajsaww

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What difference does this make if I am laying new network cable down in the house.
Going for Cat5e utp cable and just wanted to know if it would make any speed difference getting solid core and if solid core is harder to lay ( if bend radius is bigger?)

Thanks
:)


Sorry wrong forum! thought i was in networks.
Just to give it a media spin if admin doesn't see it/move it this is for streaming 1080p :)
 
No. If it meets the specs then it'll work.
 
Connectors are specified for solid or stranded, the main thing is to make sure connector and cable match.
By the way, I'm getting the house rewired and fitting Cat6a to evry room except the bathroom - no way is a video phone going in there! :rotfl:
For Cat6a Nexan looks the best choice.
 
I've read lots of threads on here about cat6, and it appears not to have any advantage:
1) cat5e can run gigabit
2) the run length in houses isn't going to warrant cat 6
3) cat 6 needs special install to be cat 6 e.g. velcro
4) Unless you are using very high end bits, e.g. NAS box worht a couple of grand, you aren't going to notice the difference.
5) NMT have 10/100 mbs so for me personally its not worth it.


:)
 
You just run it through the same as any other cable. I don't know where you got the velcro bit.
I am allowing for the next twenty years and it also allows for HDMI to be routed through as well.
 
Dunno, read it on here somewhere in my mammoth reading, Something about not using cable ties, and needing velcro. Its the bend radius that makes it hard for myself as I have some tricky rafters to negotiate.
 
General rule is don't crush the cable and use a minimum bend radius of 30mm.
Securing with a cable tie is fine, the velcro stuff is really for when you'll be changing the cabling so you can still keep it all neat after a change. It's used in our server/comms room at work.
If in doubt more than one cable tie just pulled finger tight (i.e. between thumb and fore finger).
 
If you are going to lay the cable and leave it then use either and as mentioned above match the connector to the cable.

If however you are going to more and handle the cable then definitely use stranded, because solid core will crack and break over time. This is why patch cables are made using stranded cable.
 
Solid for permanent installs - (cheaper, performs a bit better over longer distances, most punch down socketry is designed for solid.)

Stranded (AKA "patch") for patching, (desktop drops, patch bays, anywhere cable may gets moved frequently.)

Nothing "wrong" with using cat6 cable, but if you don't do a cat6 "quality" job of the install, it may not achieve cat6 certification. In any case, for a DIY SOHO job, you'll probably not be using the kind of testing equipment that can determine whether you've achieved a cat6 cert, (the test gear costs hundreds.)

Even then, it may still work to cat 6, probably cat5. I've got plenty of cat5 run around my (college) campus which is too long to achieve a cat5 cert (> 100m) but it still works. It's not as if the electrical pulses reach the 100m mark then refuse to travel any further. It's just that you'll be "outside spec" ( I guess, a bit like overclocking a PC, or "chipping" the engine in your car.)

In terms of speed, it makes no difference for ethernet - ethernet either works of it doesn't, it doesn't "slow down" (say) 10% because of cable type. However with a poor cable install, you can end up with corrupt packets which would require retransmission, thence hitting your throughput. However, if your are getting corruption because of a poor cable run, it's better to go find the fault and fix it. Nearly always it's due to poor termination somewhere.

You mention "this is for streaming 1080p." Using what protocol? Ethernet, HDMI, Analogue?
 
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Mickevh is right - use solid for the 'fixed' cabling, only use stranded for patch cables. I don't see how you could knock down a stranded cable on an RJ45 outlet.

Cat5E is more than adequate for gigabit. Cat6A is an uplift to the Cat6 standard to support 10gig ethernet at 100 metres, so is probably overkill in doestic use.

When you terminate the cables onto the RJ45 outelts, strip as little of the outer sheath as you can, and try and retain the twist to the pairs of wires as close to the outlet as possible.
 
Its going to run from a NAS box to a Network Media Tank, so will be carrying data I guess?

Also I have read that for this use, it should be crimped and straight into the media player, not terminated in a box and then patched cable to player. Is there a technical reason for this?
 
...I don't see how you could knock down a stranded cable on an RJ45 outlet.

@cerb - I've never done it, (at least not knowingly!) but I believe there are "special" IDC sockets that can handle stranded cable. I did once read of a "fudge" whereby one gets the soldering iron out, bond together the strands at the conductor ends, then punches the soldery bit into the IDC knives. But that sounds like a uber-bodge to me, I'd have to be pretty desparate to try it.

Cheers, M.
 
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Its going to run from a NAS box to a Network Media Tank, so will be carrying data I guess?

Probably ethernet then, (which was my reason for asking,) in which case it doesn't matter to the cabling that it's 1080p video you're carrying encapsulated within ethernet, (ethernet and the cabling won't know or care what the content is, to them it's all just "data.") . In terms whether your infrastructure can handle it, it's then down to which flavour (data rate) of ethernet you choose. 100mbps (AKA "Fast" ethenet) should be OK unless you LAN is really busy, 1000mbps (gigabit) should be fine, but 10mbps probably won't cut (but you'll be hard pushed to buy 10mbps these days.)

The data rate of your video stream is more relevant than the fact that it's "1080p." For example, a Blu ray RIP might needs 40-50mbps of throughput to stream without breaking up, whereas an Internet flash video (which could still be 1080p) might be compressed to a "low" bitrate such at 1-2mbps (I've seen a demo of such.)

Also I have read that for this use, it should be crimped and straight into the media player, not terminated in a box and then patched cable to player. Is there a technical reason for this?

Nah, doesn't make any differences. Sounds a but urban myth'y to me. It's much "neater" to terminate permanent cable runs onto sockets and/or patch panels, then run patch leads from sockets to the equipment. If you've got poor terminations and/or dirty contacts it's more likely to prevent the link coming up at all rather than make it run more slowly.

There are arguments for minimising the number "connectors" in the pathway between devices (each plug/socket is an opportunity for dirt, mechanical movement etc.) but again, if you had problems with (say) a dirty contact, it's more likely that the link won't come up at all rather than work slowly at (say) 90% capacity. With digital networks, if you did get issues with a dodgy connection, the impact tends to be pretty dramatic rather than a gradual deterioration.

I just wouldn't get paranoid about it: Do a good job of installing and terminating you cables, avoid super-cheap materials and I'm sure you'll be fine.
 
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I think I will definitely need 100mbs, but I think that is dictated by the switch/NAS as it has to be able to simultaneously stream 1080p to twodifferent TV/NMT set ups and 1080p to a PS3/TV set up.

The only down side is the NMT only doe 10/100, where as the PS3 does 1000 I believe?

Does this mean I will require a NAS capable of doing this e.g. Synology 409+ and a very good switch?
 
The datalink rate is on each "hop" in a switched ethernet type network is determined by the two devices either end of any given hop and depends on the capabilities of those devices. The cabling affects this , because of course it has to be man enough for the job, but principally you're right, it's the switches & hosts that deetermine ho fast the link is going to run.

Of course, if they are completely incompatible, they will refuse to talk at all - try connecting a gigabit only NIC to a 100mbps only switch and nothing happens. Fortunately a lot of devices, especially switches, offer mutliple standards (e.g. 10/100 or 10/100/1000) and the communicating peers will netgotiate with each other to use the best option available. Do check the spec sheets when you are buying though, even professional have been known to make mistakes and buy the wrong spec switch, (ahem.)

So yes, if your NMT "only" does 10/100 then 100mbps is the fastest it will provide data over it's network link to your switch, and thence to everywhere else. It's a bit like the road network: The M25 near me may have 70mph speeds, but the 20mph zone in front of my house is going to constrain how fast I can leave my home, no matter how fast the motorway is running.

(BTW these are all idealised numbers - real world there are other factors that also affect performance, such as the capabilities of the disk drives, motherboard, NIC, operating system, blah, blah.)

So the more you expect you server to "do" (ie the more simultaneous data stream you want to drag from it) then the more horsepower it's going to need. At this point I'll bow out of discusssions about what kind of server would best suit your need as I don't deal with NAS's & the like so could only talk about them in the most general terms.

Good luck.
 
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Thanks for the advice :)

With regards the m25 analogy, can a switch have a 1000mbs deal with the PS3 and at the same time a 100mbs on a different port to a NMT? Or is its function constrained by the least fastest connection?
 
Each port on the switch can negotiate it's link rate independently of the others, so no problem mixing different speed devices on the same switch, we do it all the time. Like a road junction, each exit can have it's own speed.
 
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