trueCABLE Cat6 Plenum Shielded (CMP), 1000ft, Black, 23AWG Solid Bare Copper, 550MHz, PoE++ (4PPoE), ETL Listed, Overall Foil Shield (FTP), Bulk Ethernet Cable

If you are looking for quality fire retardant CAT6 shielded CMP indoor cable at a reasonable price, then you just found it.I install Wi-Fi networks and camera systems and this particular cable is meant for an inside installation where the cable runs through the HVAC space known as the plenum. Fire retardant qualities plus low toxicity smoke are an absolute must. When I made my choice, I went by the following criteria:• The cable must be solid copper. Stranded copper should not be used past 75 feet. I will make frequent use of PoE (Power Over Ethernet); solid copper is the recommended way to go.• The cable must be CAT6 shielded since the network I will be installing will require 10G Ethernet with up to 100-foot runs between 10G switch ports and a server that also supports 10G over copper. This cable will further run within a couple of feet of fluorescent light fixtures above the ceiling tile, so shielding was a good idea. Fluorescent light fixtures=bad for Ethernet data signal integrity.• The cable must be properly documented so I can select the proper connector to use with it. Far too many cables are sold today without any documentation, leading to extreme frustration for folks trying to terminate it.• The cable must meet all EIA/TIA specifications and absolutely must be CMP rated so it does not easily catch fire, promote the spread of a fire, and any resultant smoke must be low toxicity.For the most part, this is the kind of cable that is best terminated to a keystone jack or patch panel (shielded variety in both cases). A RJ45 connector most certainly can be attached, but as with any thick cable with a spline, there will be more work involved. I had to put a RJ45 connector on one end in my case. trueCABLE has fortunately published the specifications on the cable and I selected the Platinum Tools ezEX44 RJ45 shielded connector with external ground. When selecting a connector, what you really NEED to know are the OD or outside diameter of the cable jacket and the OD of the conductor insulation, which basically means the copper conductor diameter PLUS accounting for the insulation around the conductor. It is NOT enough that a connector says “CAT6/A compatible”, nor is it enough that a particular connector says it will work with “23 AWG” conductors. Each cable manufacturer will have different ODs for the cable and conductors. In this case, the cable OD is 7.00mm and the OD of the conductor insulation is 1.08mm. Many connectors on the market will work with a cable OD of 7.00mm, but the conductor OD of 1.08mm is on the larger side. The connector I selected has the added advantage that it is pull-through in design and does not use load bars, plus the conductors stagger 4 high and 4 low to minimize near and far end cross talk, which is critical for high bandwidth applications.The cable is stout and there is little doubt of the quality. The jacket is thick and the interior of the cable has a “spline” which separates the pairs to minimize cross talk. The spline further helps with keeping the cable from kinking while running it. There is a rip cord inside the cable, but I did not make use of that. You should use a cable jacket stripper when terminating cable to RJ45 connectors. I took pictures of the inside of the cable and some of the termination steps I go through.The tools you see in the pictures and I made use of are:1. Crimp tool2. External ground crimp tool3. Adjustable cable jacket strip tool4. Flush cutter5. Screw driver shaft to help remove kinks from the conductors for insertion into the RJ45 connector6. Lineman’s pliers to ovalize the end of the cable prior to insertion into the RJ45 connector. This is a very important step!I had no serious difficulty with termination to my selected RJ45 connectors.This cable goes the extra mile with a 550MHz rating. This means the conductors are twisted far tighter than the typical Cat6 cable (Cat6 need only reach 250MHz to achieve specification). I call this great insurance!I strongly recommend this cable if a plenum air space install is in your future.

High quality cable. The insulation on the conductors is big. Too big to go in any RJ45 plug that I have. It works fine on a 110 punch down block or keystone jack.The biggest problem with this cable is that I had an unbelievably difficult time stripping the cable without cutting the shield foil. In fact I never got it to work. I don't usually have that problem with shielded cable.

Hard to beat the quality and durability of True Cable for 10Gig network. I've purchased over 30 spools of True Cable and every spool has been 100% error free. Everything ships nice and tight (tangle free), well packaged (spools are in tact), and ready to simply put on wire caddy and run.

Being in the IT field, I was very worried about cable ratings and implementation for a project. I called TrueCable and spoke with a rep about the usage and cable runs. To be best prepared, I went above and beyond to use the shielded Plenum CAT6 spool. It is thicker than normal CAT6 because of the shielding but that just provides extra protection and a stronger connection. Keep in mind, the 23 AWG will require CAT6 connectors or punch downs that support the 23 AWG cable. Normal CAT6 connectors will not work so make sure you get some that will be compatible.

A little stiff but easy to install. Much better data transfer rate than standard cat 6e cable

When we started stretching cable last 200 ft area was damage in some parts

Good quality cable that was delivered in timely manner.We are very satisfied.

this cable worked fantastic, easy to install and tested within the specs!!