Cat6 Patch Cord Cable, Black, UTP, 4 Feet, ETL-Verified and UL Listed

Applications

• 10BASE-T (10 Mbps Ethernet)
• 100BASE-TX (100 Mbps Fast Ethernet)
• 1000BASE-T/1000BASE-TX (1000 Mbps = 1 Gigabit Ethernet)
• 10GBASE-T (10 Gigabit Ethernet)
• ATM
• Video
• Power-over-Ethernet (PoE)

Buyer Information

As professional engineers at AIR802®, we try our best to provide informative information. The ANSI/TIA organizations maintain the 568.C-2 standards. These standards or specifications define the minimum performance requirements of wired intrastructure products such as patch cables, patch panels, keystone jacks and horizontal cabling including Cat5e, Cat6, etc. Buyers such as installers or end-users primary concern should be insuring that any patch cords purchased meet these requirements. Quality not cost are critical in patch cable performance. 

Many including those in the technology business who utilize these products in their daily tasks assume that there are little differences between patch cords. How terribly wrong these unsuspecting buyers are. Visually one can’t look at a patch cord and assume it meets the minimum requirements. One can’t even determine this through basic Fluke equipment tests.

You might wonder what effect a patch cord not meeting the minimum requirements will have in your network. It will result in packet retransmissions and slower data throughput. Overall performance is compromised. It can also be visually seen by using a un-compliant patch cord in a IP video surveillance camera application versus a compliant patch cord. The difference is blurry versus clear. 

How then you may ask is it possible to know that you are buying a compliant patch cord?  There are two verifying agencies. They are Intertek’s ETL-Verified or the Verified UL progam. Of the two, the ETL-Veification program is the most common. If there is one thing that is critical, it is to look for the ETL-Verified mark on any patch cord, cable or product used in your network. It is not easy to get a patch cord through these verification processes. 

AIR802 has discovered that there are hundreds of different companies selling patch cords using various false and misleading tactics. Some of these are using claims of certification through an internal tester, such as a basic Fluke test device, which definitely does not assure compliance of the standards. Others make claims that demonstrate that they are clueless, for example "fully compliant with UL Code 444 and National Electrical Code TIA-568-C.2 fire and safety standards". An educated seller or buyer should know that the National Electrical Code has nothing to do with the 568-C.2 standards. Another site had "Each cable is lab tested (includes report) for true CAT6 component performance". Well anyone can create a report but if it were truly verifiable they could have submitted it to the verification organizations. Others simply list 568-C.2 without any other comment. Some say meet 568-C.2 standards. Again if true they could submit this to the verification organizations. Some even boldly place UL Listed and ETL-Verifed on their web sites. However when checking with these organizations no approvals exist for these companies!  The Communications Cable & Connectivity Association selected samples from 379 manufacturers, including 120 major manufacturers and 85% of the samples failed to pass the requirements.     ". "ThTT**The Communications Cable & Connectivity Association  

Another important purchasing decision point should be to check to see if UL Listing exists. The UL Listed mark assures that the product meets safety standards. Use of non-UL Listed patch cords places installers at risk of being sued in the event of a fire hazard. Other legal concerns such as fraud accusations, negligence or simply failure to meet building codes can result in criminal or civil issues.The Communications Cable & Connectivity Association  One can assure compliance to both UL safety and verified performance by visiting the web sites of these agencies. AIR802 make this easy by placing the logo of each agency at the bottom of each of our web pages. Simply clicking on the logo will take you to their web site where you may enter the company name to verify conformance.

By choosing UL Listed and ETL-Verified patch cords you will be providing value and assuring a wise choice to all involved.