atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring cat7 Help!

If I am not mistaken doesn't Cat 7 call for completely different connectors that are nothing like the 8P8C jacks we use now

this is what BlackBox has listed as a CAT 7 Jack

And that, my friends, is where I and the cabling business part company. This is insane. Go to friggin' fiber or give it up!

Then again, either way I want to see IP phones and TDM share it. Hello CAT3.

-Hal

Let me try this again in a slightly different way.

THE SPEC FOR CAT 7 HAS NOT BEEN FINALIZED.

This means that not only have the cable specifications and requirements not been established, but the final connector has not been established either.

It might be an 8P8C ("RJ45") type, but most probably it will not.

The design I've seen most often as the "most likely to be Cat 7" has been for 4 pair 23 AWG, each pair shielded with an overall braid.

The connector might be a "box" split in fourths, resembling a fiber connector, with each pair occupying one quadrant.

If you put these connectors in you're going to have to spend a BIG PILE OF $$$$ to get a patch cord that will interface with current equipment. If you install Class F (future Cat 7 maybe) cable with 8P8C connectors, you'll probably only have to change them later. And how are you going to test them now?

But if your Valued Customer insists on this, then by all means - go for it. Sell him the cable, the connectors, the patch cords, the install, the testing and what ever else he wants.

Take the money and walk away whistling.

Sam

I wish I can but I have to sell'm Phone system later on and that is what I'm going to deal with. At least he doesn't want IP phones even we are going to Install BCM400 because two other locations already have BCM50. I think he will go for B2B T1s in between locations.

What application(s) is your customer using/doing/running that a certified CAT-6 or 6E installation won't meet his needs :confused:

Its a Medical facility. Nothing is required Class F cabling. He can easilly get CAT5E and be happy forever but I'm not in position to urgue. I already tried to convince'm but no luck. As of right now I have no choice.

I would wonder like sam, how exactly are you to test this when the specs are not finalized?

In that case... looks like you're going with one of two options.

1. Install the Class F and make sure you buy enough extra jacks/cable/etc. to service this site in the future and as Sam said "Take the money and walk away whistling."

2. Pass on the job and refer the customer to someone else.

Good Luck

Depending on the type of medical facility, the bandwidth requirements may be very real. If they are doing anything with electronic imaging, they'll want at least 1Gb now, and possibly 10Gb down the road. If the client thinks they'll need 10Gb in the near future, you can either argue with them or provide a scalable solution.

If you can run 10Gb over Cat6a, why use Class F? They're already talking about an ammendment to Class F to prepare for speeds beyond 10Gb, so you're not necessarily any more future proof with Class F over Cat6a, especially if you run Cat6a F/UTP, or FTP.

I would suggest running Cat6a and OM3 fiber, with the fiber left unterminated. In the next few years we may see 40Gb ethernet over copper and 100Gb ethernet over fiber. With the copper/fiber dual runs it will be the cost and availability of the active equipment that will dictate what they use 5 or ten years down the road. Give them the option of either UTP or F/UTP for the Cat6a. With Cat6a UTP and OM3 Fiber, I'm betting you can do it cheaper than with Class F, and they will be better prepared for 100Gb. At least that's what I'm getting from my crystal ball at the moment.

Clinton, that sounds like a very good, logical solution for the situation.

Vad, is there any bend in this POV. or is the customers mind made up?