atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring 24 VS 23 Gauge

OK

so whats the deal with the cat 6 wire some of its 24 gauge and some is 23 gauge are cat 6 patch panels and Jacks universal that they accept both

just something I was thinking about


JD

Not sure what the deal is. May just be the company making them. Some believe that with the 24AWG you get a better frequency therefore faster data transfers. As for the patch panels and jacks I have noticed much difference. I have punched down cat6a on a regular cat6 jack and still have had the same results speed wise when certified. As far as I know it's all the same. Just based on preference if you're doing a completely CAT6A install to do it all the same. Although 6A is a pain and I wouldn't recommend it being used at all, especially in the winter lol.

23 gauge has slightly more surface area and is the standard for CAT6A. Some manufactures say their 24 gauge is just as good because of pure copper and it maybe, but the standard is still 23 gauge.

I've purchased Systimax 6A patch cords. They contain 24 gauge conductors. Installed 6A cabling typically uses 23 gauge conductors.

Without Googling it, I had assumed that the larger wire was for POE.

POE? No. Wouldn't make any material difference. I'm sure the reason the manufacturers use 23 or 24 Ga is because they can get the cable to meet specs given their other design parameters.

-Hal

I thought that at one point I read about POE in regards to larger gauge wire. Did a bit of googling now.
https://www.cablinginstall.com/cable/copper/article/16478754/coppercabling-awg-explained
and this;
https://www.cablinginstall.com/cabl...poe-considerations-what-you-need-to-know

"The reduced heat generation of higher category cables is inferred mostly from the more stringent attenuation requirements of higher category cabling, causing cable manufacturers to increase conductor size. For example, a typical category 5e cable is constructed with 24 AWG conductors, while typical category 6A has 23 AWG conductors."

The articles are a bit older, but I haven't really kept up with cabling standards lately

What the hell are they talking about??

The difference in resistance between 24 and 23 Ga is so small that it makes virtually no difference in I2R losses carrying the normally encountered current used by POE devices. You are talking about .026 vs .020 ohms per foot for copper wire. That's 26 vs 20 ohms per THOUSAND feet.

-Hal