Netgear FE108 Installation Guide - Page 36

Installation Guide for the Model FE104 and Model FE108 Fast Ethernet Hubs Fast Ethernet Cabling In a Fast Ethernet network, certain rules and regulations must be followed. This section discusses the following aspects of cabling: • Cable guidelines • Cable lengths within a network • Category 5 specifications • Crossover and straight-through twisted pair cables • Patch panels • Near end crosstalk Cable Guidelines Fast Ethernet uses UTP cable, as specified in the IEEE 802.3u standard for 100BASE-T. The specification recommends Category 5 UTP cable consisting of either 2-pair or 4-pair twisted insulated copper conductors bound in a single plastic sheath. Category 5 cable is certified up to 100 MHz bandwidth. 100BASE-TX operation uses one pair of wires for transmission and the other pair for receiving and for collision detection. When installing Category 5 UTP cabling, use the following guidelines to ensure that your cables perform to the following specifications: • Certification. Make sure that your Category 5 UTP cable has completed the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Electronic Testing Laboratories (ETL) certification process. • Termination method. To minimize crosstalk noise, maintain the twist ratio of the cable up to the point of termination; untwist at any RJ-45 connector or patch panel should not exceed 0.5 inch (1.5 cm). C-2 Fast Ethernet and Cabling Guidelines