Cheap cat6

[BillyH]

What's the difference between cheap cat6 and more expensive cable? I have seen some 305m boxes for about £35 and some for more than£100. Is there really that much difference in quality/performance?

 

[AdieB]

Yes there is a difference. The best price for cat 6 cable that I buy is £60 this is a good quality cable and is low smoke zero halogen. This price range will pass the required cable tests, Attenuation, Return Loss, Next, Elfext, Psnext and Pselfext. I have had cheaper cable imported from abroad but had problems with the Next and Return loss tests, so if you are certifying the cable then look for the £60 price range.
AdieB

 

[shagbite]

a couple of years ago, the company i was working for supplied us with some copper clad aluminium cat 5 cable. the lad who came to test it, had attenuation readings that were off the chart. we left the site at about 5:30, just as the company owner and his fat sidekick turned up with a batch of brand new copper cable. they had to spend half the night replacing the cr*p that we'd put in, hahahahaha. needless to say, they're now in administration. still operating under another name though. to**ers.

 

[kingeri]

The last lot of cheap cat6 I used was crap. The pairs weren't even twisted together. Attenuation was carp and seems there were actually breaks in it. You get what you pay for!