CAT8 home network cabling
Denbigh
security and AV.
An "expert" has recommended future-proofing the installation by using
CAT8 cable instead of CAT5. Obviously it is more expensive, but he
tells me that it will provide the greater bandwidth that I might need
if I ever want to transmit digital TV signals around the house.
Does anyone have any experience with CAT8, or offer any comments
regarding its value?
Neil Cherry
I think you are being misled. Since the Cat7 standard isn't finished
and there is some talk of Cat8 how can they install cabling that
follows a nonexistent spec?
1
> An "expert" has recommended future-proofing the installation by using
> CAT8 cable instead of CAT5. Obviously it is more expensive, but he
> tells me that it will provide the greater bandwidth that I might need
> if I ever want to transmit digital TV signals around the house.
Doesn't sound like "expert" advice to me. Sounds more like someone trying
to rip you off, or your "expert" is just extra paranoid and uneducated
about how much bandwith it takes to complete a given task. Cat5e will be
plenty for a long long time. MOST houses still dont have any sort of
structured wiring, so manufacturers are looking for ways to send hi-def
data over low-speed lines. High-speed connections really won't be needed
in homes any time soon (10+ years). Even going with Cat6 today is a bit
of a waste, but just barely.
Aaron_TekRecycle.com
told the cost is not much more then copper. Then if he says he does not have
the equipment to do it ask him why as this is the what everyone is doing ...
hehehe
then tell him you really want to do it up and run K9... since dogs are
better then cats and 9 is higher then 8!
anyway...
seriously, CAT6 is great and the cost should be darn near CAT5e if not the
same. Have several runs to each room if you want to be safe. BUT... if I
were doing it in my house to run TV signals, I would run cables for the TV
(Svideo or Component) so you would not need a fancy (expensive) signal
converter to go from CATx to Svideo and such. The cables are cheaper then
the conversion equipment.
All in all... go find a REAL expert, not the guy(s) that are telling you
about the CAT8.
"1" <nomail@for_me.com> wrote in message
news:pan.2003.06.17.14.23.46.44477@for_me.com...
Denbigh
So the conclusion is that CAT5 is bandwidth "safe" for 10 years.
Having looked around, there is not much information on CAT8 cable. Do
you think that the "must have CAT8 cable" message being touted by Home
Network planners like Laird King (http://www.lairdking.co.uk/cat8.htm)
is scaremongering?
Leaving bandwidth aside, would CAT8 cable have better performance than
CAT5 if it was laid close to power cables?
Jake Dempsey
residential applications, and for making twist ties for bread bags.
There are at least two different grades of Cat5e cable. There is a
minimally compliant Cat5e and a version with extra headroom. I would
suggest going with the latter since the minimally compliant is really
just Cat5 with a new name. Cat6 is going through the same process. It
has a minimally compliant grade and one with extra headroom. If you go
cat6 or for lack of a better explaination Cat6e you will be just fine
for quite a while. The way things are going, it could be that within
the next ten years you will have faster sppeds over wireless
anyhow.(not to mention you will be able to heat a tv dinner just by
holding it above your head). Cat7 has been discussed, but will require
all new plugs and connectors, each wire is individually shielded, and
then each pair, then they are divided in the center from each other
with an overall shield covering the whole lot. This may fly in Europe
where they are a little more worried about frying brain cells, but
over in America, I see little chance since we don't much care about
that stuff. The only advantage you would have with the propsed cat7
specs is that with all the shields, it would do better when ran near
power, but for the love of pete, if you are gonna blow that much
money, run fiber, you won't have any issues at all unless the neighbor
kids are using it for a rope swing.
-Jake
denbi...@boltblue.com (Denbigh) wrote in message news:<e1d9088.03061...@posting.google.com>...
Mark Thomas
> you think that the "must have CAT8 cable" message being touted by Home
> Network planners like Laird King (http://www.lairdking.co.uk/cat8.htm)
> is scaremongering?
I think it's intentional confusion. Notice he doesn't actually say
"Cat8 cable"--he says "Category 8 networks" and compares it to Cat5
cable. He is not talking about EIA/TIA formal specifications; he has
his own definition for the term.
Denbigh
> I think you are being misled. Since the Cat7 standard isn't finished
> and there is some talk of Cat8 how can they install cabling that
> follows a nonexistent spec?
Well... Kerpen in Germany seem to offer CAT8 cable called ELine 1200
(see http://www.kerpenkabel.de/KERPEN/kspec/nav/el.htm). Maybe they
are "bending" their definition of CAT8.
Neil Cherry
>Thanks for your comments.
>
>So the conclusion is that CAT5 is bandwidth "safe" for 10 years.
>Having looked around, there is not much information on CAT8 cable. Do
>you think that the "must have CAT8 cable" message being touted by Home
>Network planners like Laird King (http://www.lairdking.co.uk/cat8.htm)
>is scaremongering?
I'm always suspicious of anyone making claim with a non-existant
standard.
I'd go with the Cat6 stuff as it is defined so at least you have
something to work with. As others have stated 10M is on the wane, 100M
is the standard de jour. I can see need for GigE as any time you
exceed 100M with your data to need the next size up.
--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry nch...@comcast.net
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ncherry/ (Text only)
http://linuxha.sourceforge.net/ (SourceForge)
http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II)
Bruce Robin
not official, specification. IMHO, anything over Cat6 in a residential
environment is overkill at this point and I think it's fair to say that
Cat5/e will be plenty for most people.
As pointed out by someone earlier, wireless is likely to be the standard in
short order. I agree with that notion not because wireless would be a
_better_ solution but because its ease of installation will make it
acceptable to the masses, most of whom still have loop wired "Cat0" cabling.
The reason wireless ethernet has caught on so well is not because of
portability but because people hate dealing with wires.
"Denbigh" <denbi...@boltblue.com> wrote in message
news:e1d9088.03061...@posting.google.com...
L. M. Rappaport
wrote (with possible editing):
No experience with Cat8 nor do I expect I ever will. Reason: Cat 5 is
used everywhere. Where more bandwidth is needed, the logical
progression is fiber which provides almost infinite bandwidth. Fiber
is cheap, but terminations are ungodly expensive. You need to spend
close to US$ 1000 for the tools to terminate it properly, and that
doesn't count the training to use them. That said, there are folks
saying that new tools are currently being developed which will cut the
cost dramatically. When you think about it, fiber is a far better
replacement then any kind of copper.
I think category 8 would be a waste of money. If you really want to
"future-proof" your house, run piping (thin wall or pvc) in vertical
runs from each room to the basement and/or attic, and perhaps a few
from basement to attic, leave a pull string in them and then seal the
ends (fire protection).
My .02
--
Larry
ra...@lmr.com
Mark Jaspher Ramile
Mayayana
| you would be surprised what the future holds