atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Not all cable is created equal

Greetings,
With all the cable out there today, whenever I do a job I certify it.
What I found was if I use Remee cat 5e made in the states the runs certify at Cat 6 or just under out around 220 feet. Another mfr Syston barely certified 5e at 104 feet. My price on both boxes was around $20 difference. $134 for Syston cat 5e plenum and $154 for the plenum 5e Remee.

We had cable that wouldn't certify better then Cat4 years ago. It was from a reputable manufacturer and they came out and investigated. Turns out they had a problem in the factory and the cable was wrapped too tightly or pulled too tightly, but in any event it was hosed.

With cable manufactured overseas I imagine there's very little - if any - quality control.

In my situation, the manufacturer replaced all the cable, but not the labor to pull it out and reinstall it. How did you do as far as getting your money back?

Sam

Fortunately I only guarenteed Cat 5e speed, so I was o.k.. I did tell my vendor that the Syston cable was sub par. I told my other vendor I will continue to buy Remee from him. Remee is manufactured in upstate N.Y. I would highly recommend you give it a try. No I don't have a stake in it, just a recommendation.

Never heard of either brand. I've settled on Hitachi Cable. Last few boxes were made in New Hampshire.

Thanks I will look into that brand as well as I believe Olympia is manufactured in the US.

An electronics retailer that I sometimes visit here in the metro Boston area sells Remee cabling. I can't say that I've purchased any, but, he has shelves of pull boxes, spools and reels.

I never heard of either brand. I personally use ICC cable products as their prices are good and they offer a limited Lifetime warranty on all of their products and if you take their training they will warranty the labor too.

I'll use Berk-Tek or General Cable when the client requires it.

Remmee, General Cable, Commscope, Nordx/CDT, Superior/Essex, Berk-Tek and Hitachi/Manchester are made in USA. Some of ICC's products are made in USA, but most are not.

Any brand must have a hologram label on the package certifying UL or other approved testing agencies' acceptance of the product. You won't find these on most offshore cable. That's your first sign. If it's not listed, it's not legal to install.

Some Commscope cabling is made in China. A few years ago, I discovered that riser rated product was no longer made domestically. That along with the fact that Commscope's 4-pair CAT3 cable is now CAT5 cable that fails certification testing.

A lot of cable manufacturers are using the ETL mark instead of UL mark as it is faster and cheaper to get. I personally feel the ETL is not on the same level as the UL even though they claim to be.