What is structured wiring?

What is Cat5 cable

One of the new technical terms to describe the cabling necessary to allow integration of audio, video, data and voice throughout the home.

Beware of contractors that will advertise "cat5 wiring" who are simply using a single cat5 to connect all locations. This type of wiring, although it may be "cat5" will not enable the features of true structured wiring. True structured wiring requires multiple cables and the knowledge to terminate and interconnect these wires to produce the desired results.

Structured wiring incorporates two category 5 cables and two RG6 cables in each room of the home. One category 5 is for telephone and one for computer networking. The RG6 is used to distribute video in both directions, in or out of the room. All wiring is routed back to a hub panel, where connections are made to each room.

Additional wiring can be used to provide audio and infrared capability in each room. This cabling consisting of a 4/16 or 4/14 cable to carry audio to wall speakers in each room and a category 3 cable to provide infrared to change CDs or radio stations and volume.

This combination of wires enables any combination of technology to be routed in or out of any room in the house. Having all wires labeled and available in a hub, makes changing the configuration very easy and convenient.

To complete the recipe of wires, add one category 3 to a location for a motion sensor and an RG59 with 22/4 shielded cable for cameras.

This makes it possible to program an automation system to control lighting, heating, A/C and security.

• Whenever you enter a room, the light will go on if it is after sunset, and shut off 10 minutes after you leave.
• Children can be monitored on any TV in the house.
• CD music or radio tuner can be listened to in any room with volume control and selection capability from any room.
• Pick up any telephone to:

• Change the thermostat setting
• Answer or unlock the door
• Shut off any individual light or all the lights in the house
• Open or close the blinds

• Announce the presence and light the way for a visitor as they enter the driveway
• Automatically turn the heat down when no one is in the house and raise it back when you arrive
• Call ahead and turn the heat up or down
• Unlock your door from the office for a contractor
• Be paged when a child returns home from school
• Automatically record activity around the house when the alarm is armed
• Announce the delivery of mail
• Access files on any computer from any other computer in the house
• Connect to the internet from any room in the house
• Listen to different music in each room
• Shut off all of the lights in the house with one button
• Give the house a lived in look when not at home

10BaseT Ethernet:
  The most popular method of connecting computers
  to each other in the home and office.  Data
  travels at 10 Mega-bits per second (and there
  are 8 bits per byte, so 10Mb = 1.25 Mega Bytes/s).
  The RJ-45 Plug at each end is like a phone jack, 
  but wider.  The wire used is (generally) Cat-3 or
  Cat-5.  If you are running a 10BaseT network,
  Cat-3 wire is cheaper and works fine.  If you
  have 100BaseT ethernet cards installed, Cat-5 wire
  is better.  These wires have pairs of wires
  twisted together to reduce inductance, resistance,
  etc.

Straight-through:
  CRIMP 1 on both ends.
  Used to hook computers to Hubs.

Cross-Over:
  CRIMP 1  on one end and CRIMP 2 on the other.
  Used to hook one hub into another hub.
  Also used to directly connect two computers.

Tool:
  You need a crimping tool which is made for 
  crimping RJ-45 jacks.  Usually, you can find
  one that can does RJ-11 and RJ-22 as well.  
  RJ-11 is the jack size for your telephone.
  RJ-22 is the phone to headset wire.
  RJ-45 = 8 wires (10 wide, only 8 used)
  RJ-11 = 6 wire jack (with only 4 used)
  RJ-22 = 4 wire jack

Cat3 is okay for 10BaseT 
  adequate for networks with up to several dozen computers sharing a DSL line
  This wire is cheaper that cat5 wire

Title:    HowTo WireCAT5

Description

Here are the steps to wire CAT5 Patch Cables – for most installations use Standard Patch Cable A.

Steps

1)      Strip the cable jacket back about 3/4 of an inch from the end of the cable

2)      Sort the pairs so they fit into the connector in the order shown on the diagrams below

3)      Insert the pairs into the connector

4)      Crimp the pins with a crimp tool

5)      Repeat for other end and test cable

*Use stranded wire for category 5 patch cable
**DO NOT UNTWIST ANY PAIR MORE THAN 1/2 INCH

Standard Patch Cable A
EIA/TIA 568A Color Scheme

    

Here is an excerpt from csp.com:
CAT3:
Intended for older network traffic and phone systems where the frequency performance is less important. Commonly, CAT3 cable is used in older 10BaseT and Token Ring network infrastructures, and for telephone premise wiring.

CAT5e:
More stringent specifications than CAT5. CAT5e has a higher rating, 350Mhz vs 100Mhz for CAT 5...it also provides better performance. Cable manufacturers have improved the cabling, connectors and patch cords of regular CAT5 to provide an improved attentuation-to-crosstalk ratio (ACR), and to meet or exceed all the parameters of the CAT5e standards approved by the Electronic Industries Association/Telecommunications Industry Association (EIA/Telecommunications Industry Association) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Other links
www.datalinkcabling.com

www.southway.net

www.Southwaycabling.com

www.fortbend.net