*
Hey any data guys,
Lately I have been hearing about CAT5e. What is the difference in it and regular CAT5.
C
*
Hey any data guys,
Lately I have been hearing about CAT5e. What is the difference in it and regular CAT5.
C
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Replies
*
Hey it is me again ,
I have been slowly trying to rough in the beginnings of a computer network in my home. Does anyone know anything about what they call firewire?
C
*C, Not an expert mind you but I just ran a network in my own new home. I believe Cat5e is "enhanced"? Better transmission capability? Not sure on all the numerical data... If by firewire you mean the style thats jacketed for open plenum (i.e. in areas above drop ceilings and such?) I think thats what I remember reading about it? Once again, I'm no expert... I just used standard Cat5e. Bought it by the 1,000 foot roll for about $45. Used two rolls for my whole house. Set up my central hub in my den.Mike
*Ok with out getting technical here Cat5 and Cat5E are both tested up to 100 Mhz. The specs for 5E are a little better for some aspects. There are a number of tests that the cable must pass to meet the specs. Cat 6 is tested up to 250 Mhz. Go to this site to get the complete info. It may take a while to find what you are looking for but it is there somewhere. http://www.cabletesting.com/where. Firewire was developed by Apple and is a very wide bandwidth cable. Up to 400 mhz. Look at this link for complete info. http://www.dvcentral.org/Firewire.html
*My electrician threw out all his CAT 5 and is installing only CAT 6 now.
*Help me out here. Why install cat 5 or 6? What is the purpose of networking a house? Trying not to be technically illiterate, but is this for home automation or what? I built my current house 3 yrs. ago and I wired for CATV, 5 ch. Surround sound in the bonus room, and used regular 2 pair phone wire. What did I miss? We just finished a house for a customer and he had us wire for ethernet connections and hub, but I couldn't see the point unless he was just trying to keep up with the Joneses.Confused,JohnJohn
*John, I think the theory is that you want to wire for the best available while the walls are open, 'cause it won't be as easy later and if you plan on staying in the house a while, sooner or later you'll want something better than that old Atari game.
*Well,I think that Cat 3 UTP for voice/fax and Cat 5 UTP for network are adequate for a residence. Because you need two cables (you shouldn't run voice and data in the same cable), using different cable types make it easier to keep track of the wiring. I feel that Cat 3 is all you'll ever need for voice. That's what runs from your network interface to the central office, or to a multiplexer if you're in the sticks in most instances. There are some new developments where private phone companies are providing fiber to the home. In these instances, or if you really want to future-proof the installation, run 1" smurf tube (ENT) to every LAN outlet location, and put in a box that's designed for FO cable (those boxes are big, and expensive). That'll handle fiber optic cable to the desktop; smaller diameter conduit, and the bends may be too sharp. And I think that Cat 3 is adequate for voice lines.Cat 6? Bah, humbug! Even Cat 5 has to be installed very carefully (pulling force to be kept low, NO wire staples or tight cable ties, no sharp bends), or it's performance degrades significantly. Unless the cable installers are well-trained and meticulous, the Cat 6 cable doesn't offer any advantage over Cat 5.Can anyone enlighten me as to the applications in a home LAN that would actually max out a 100 MHz network? I suppose a home office with someone doing graphics-rich work (professional CAD) might need the speed...I think some of the move to Cat 5 for voice cabling and beyond Cat 5 for LAN wiring is fueled by a "keep up with the joneses" attitude. I mean, it doesn't hurt--it's just the cost for the higher-performance cable--but I think most homeowners don't realize that there's no point in paying for the high-performance wire unless it is installed right and performance (speed, bandwidth, NEXT, etc) tested after installation and termination.Cliff
*The theory is (the way I look at it) based on the broader use of the home as a workplace, the increase in the technology and affordability of faxes, telephone systems and the move toward a fully integrated home is that the plain old tele. wire just won't handle the load of this equipment as efficiently. Cat five wire has theoretically, an improved ability to carry signals faster, and cleaner than older tele. wire, plus the ability to carry four seperate signals from four seperate devices at the sime time i.e. phone 1, phone 2, fax and internet all at the same time.As far as I know it is the standard for modern, data and voice signal transportation. Also the standard wiring medium for small and large area networks.C
*For what its worth, I just used Cat5 over Cat3 as the cost was not much more and almost all the literature I could find stated Cat5 or better was the way to go.I just did my house to be able to share files among different machines and print to a central printer. Plus I can run a few cameras here and there and add some home automation as it suits me.Did all the work myself and maybe spent $500-700 on materials. No big deal really, just did it while the "studs were showing".Mike
*Right on Mike,I would like to get to that point, I am not an expert, and thanks to all who replied, esp. with the sites. I am in a remodel situation so it is a little more difficult for me. I hope that I don't negate the advantages of the cat5 due to the less than perfect installation situation (referring to Cliff's post). I am as carefull as I can be.Where are you getting cable that cheap? As a diy'er,I do shop a lot at Lowes' their price is double that for a 1000 foot roll. I have'nt checked the price at a more contractor oriented supply.Just curious if both are in a signal form why would'nt you want to run data and voice in the same cable besides the obvious ease in keeping track of the routing?Thanks again for the replies.c
*4-pair (8 wire) Cat5e runs about $95 per 1000' spool through most internet home automation companies.The previos install tips were right...usually a 40 pound pull limit and min bend radius of 1/4".Good for voice, data, home automation, home security, etc.
*C, Home Depot had some right when I did my job for around $45 per 1,000 foot roll. This was about a year ago. Check online as I've seen it for still around $50-60 per roll but shipping it might not be all that cheap. I hadn't heard that about not running both data and voice in the same cable but it doesn't matter in my case anyway as I ran mulitple lines to each port and mulitple ports in each room. If you use the standard Cat5 interface jack, it takes up all the wires anyway as you should terminate all the wires even if not using them all.Mike
*Why? Why install CATV or the latest spec'd cable?It's an attempt to second-guess the technology of the future. Those who built houses years ago thought they had installed enough electrical outlets. And not long ago most houses had only one phone (with a cord!). Where's your collection of 8-track tapes? :)The best advice suggested so far is to install some conduit in difficult places (floor to floor, for example). Install the most recent economical CATxx for the phone and for your computer room if you have one (that's probably CATVe as of 01-01-2002).No doubt, regardless of what you install today, you will need an upgrade sooner than you expect. I'm not being pessimistic; I'm being realistic.
*Voice requires two conductors....no special installation. If CAT V (or the latest and greatest (CATVe or CATVI)?) is installed so as to carry computer data signals, it will also carry voice without any interference. There is no reason to separate voice from the computer data lines.If two conductors are running parallel to each other, a change in the current in one conductor creates a magnetic field which will induce a change in the current in the other conductor. The faster the current changes, the stronger the induced current in the other conductor. Digital signals change from off to on very quickly, so crosstalk is a major problem. If the pairs of wire are twisted (as in CAT V), then the wires are not parallel (they're closer to being perpindicular) to each other thus minimizing crosstalk.The current from a voice signal changes slowly and smoothly (even a high-pitched squeaky voice will cycle in at least 1/20000 second, whereas digital computer data switches from off to on much faster (measured in 1/1000000000 seconds (nanoseconds).
*Ted, Ah ha...so thats why they are twisted?! Very informative. I'm ashamed to say I didn't know that.Thanks.Mike
*Thanks Mongo, I am definitely within those limits.C
*I certainly don't have a clue as to what type of cable to install whenever I get around to installing it. I go with the conduit. I originally used 1/2" but quickly lost interest after trying to pull more than one cable TV cable. I now use 3/4". I've pulled all kinds of low voltage stuff thru it. Just have it wind up in a utility room or someplace like that to route the cable where it has to go. In my commercial stuff we screw a one gang plaster ring to a stud and then have the conduit 90 into the drop ceiling above. Beats fishing cable thru insulation.The Wood Doc
*Hello--I can't give you a source for my recommendation to keep voice and data in separate cables. Just something I picked up along the way, from what I felt was a reliable source.Does anyone have direct experience running voice and data in the same Cat 5 cable? Any problems?On the cheap Home Depot Cat 5, was it from a major manufacturer? If it was no-name, made in China stuff, I'll bet it doesn't come close to meeting Cat 5 performance specs. Or maybe it was good quality and you were just lucky.And a question for those who have installed Cat 5:how did you fasten it to the framing? If you used T-25 wire staples, the cable was crimped enough to drop the performance to way less than Cat 5. I use T-59 staples for both Cat 5 UTP and coax when I want high performance. The T-59 staple has a plastic insert with a semi-circular opening for the cable, so there's essentially no chance of deforming the cable. They're about ten times more expensive than the T-25 staples (still cheap, tho).I'll probably go the Cat 5 for phones eventually, because Cat 3 will be special order! But I use 66 blocks--an insulation displacement system--to terminate the voice cables. A large home may have 15-20 or more stations run to a key system (PBX) unit, and there's no better way than 66 blocks to keep all those little wires under control! The Cat 3 punches down a lot easier on the 66 blocks. I use 110 blocks for Cat 5 wiring, but like the 66 system better. Oh, well--progress.Cliff
*HD sells 1000 foot rolls of 4 pr. Cat 5e for $43.95 per roll. It is a name brand but please don't make me go dig up the box. Cat 3 is about $3 cheaper per 1000 ft and the standard Cat 5 is the same price as Cat 5e. The plenum rated Cat 5e is about $180.00 per 1000 ft.Southeast PA
*Hi, For what it's worth here was my solution. I am in the process of building and I wanted to "future proof" my home as much as possible as long as the studs are showing. I am doing all this stuff myself so I figure I am saving money in the long run. Go to (smarthome.com). They have what is called superwire and it comes in several variations. I got the Granddaddy! of course. It comes prewraped and containes 2 CAT5 cables, 2RG6 (coax)cables, and 2 fiber optic!!! cables. I know I do not need the F.O. yet but maybe tomorrow. I am running every room homerun style to a multimedia box in the basement. You can get all that type of stuff at home depot, like coax splitters, phone line splitters,etc.Jason
*Cliff, we run Cat5 siamese cable for voice and data in our comercial aplications. One of the pair is voice and the other is data. it seems to be the standard in our buildings. All of it is phlenum rated, pulled in wire tray and dropped down power poles or in greenfield if in a wall.We just do the grunt work. I'll have to ask one of our telecom guys why they keep voice and data seperate.I am running 1 inch smurf in my new house for the very reasons you and others have mentioned. It will at least give me the option of doing a pull in/ pull out if things progress beyond CAT5 and I absolutley must upgrade.Dave
*Hey Jason, that's smart I will look into getting some for my project.Thanks for the site, I have seen the stuf on tv.C
*If you are using multipurpose wire to each outlet then you can also use a simple system like Leviton's Quickport, which configures the faceplate for between one and six LV outlets per plate. You just pop in and wire the appropriate connection (F-81, RJ-45, phone, cable, network, even speakers).Jeff
*Right Jeff,I have used the Leviton stuff, and really liked it. It has a nicer look than some equipment esp. in residential work.C
*Some believe that video, voice and data will all be delivered to the home via packetized digital media (internet protocol over ethernet). Lets say that happens and you want to watch The Matrix in HDTV. HDTV is a 20Mbit/second stream, but the video provider doesn't want to tie up his equipment for 163 minutes (the running time) so he pushes the download speed up( to 100Mbit/sec, the max for fast ethernet) and gets it done in 33 minutes(this would be buffered at the home). Probably still too slow for the provider, but Gigabit (1000Mbit/sec) ethernet can also be deployed over Cat 5 reducing the download time by another factor of 10 (just over 3 minutes).Thats one scenario anyway.Gregg Bailey
*Wow, Gregg you are out of my leauge. I will have to read some more and catch up with you.c
*Well, it *is* my day job!Check out the following for some theories on ethernet to the home.http://www.wwp.com/solutions/white_papers.jspThe company that pays my salary has a vested interest in the outcome of the 'data,voice and video' distribution wars so take the white papers with a grain or two of salt.-Gregg
*There is minimal difference in price in our area between CAT3 and CAT5. The CAT5 is available in many colors. One of the reasons for using the better cable is cross talk. It allows multiple lines (up to 4) per cable. If you "home run" it's very easy to add lines. And people are doing it all the time. Phil D
*Gregg - Nice points, I have run into the same discussion with my bosses.Isn't it amazing what you can do with the same 26 gauge wires that have been running our phone service for decades?
*Cliff,You are the MAN!What is LAN? I'm so computer-dumb, I don't even know what all the fuss is about networking...is that where two computers in one house are talking to each other? Who would do that?Unless it just allows more than one computer to share transmission lines, I just don't get it.MD
*Mad - LAN is computereeze for Local Area Network. Local area networks these days are almost all CAT5 or better wiring or optical fiber (still pretty rare)that interconnects computers running Ethernet (there used to be other protocols, but they pretty much lost out to Ethernet). The standard configuration is called a "star" topology which is the configuration mentioned above where all wires "home run" to a central location. (We used to use coaxial cable daisy chained between computers but if there was one bad connection the whole network was dead and was really difficult to troubleshoot). Each computer in this configuration has to have an Ethernet network interface card which is connected through a network interface cord (sometimes called a "pigtail") which has RJ-45 modular plugs on each end (sort of a larger version of the little plug that hooks into your non-cellular telephone). The modular wall jack that this plugs into then uses the CAT5 (or better) twisted pair wires to go to an ethernet hub or switch which connects all of the branches of the network together. (You can't just twist the ends of the wires together and make it work). If you are connecting local area networks together, this is commonly done with a router. The router keeps the local network traffic from crossing over into the other networks unless the message is specifically addressed to go outside. If you connect a local area network into a Wide Area Network such as the ATT cable Internet service or a high speed Internet connection, the service provider would likely have a router to feed you with only the messages addressed to you from the Wide Area Network and you would just need some type of high speed modem (named from their function to "modulate" and "demodulate" the signal) to connect to the specific type of service the provider uses.
*Another point - I think it has been a while since someone mentioned this. It is important that the connection between the twisted pair and the modular wall jack be done correctly to get the maximum speed from the network. If there is a bad connection, the network may still work but at a slower speed. In an Ethernet network, the information is sent in "packets" of bytes of around 500 to 2000 bytes in each packet (if I remember correctly). These packets are then combined in your computer to become the file that was downloaded or the Web image you are seeing. A bad connection may cause some of these packets to "bounce back up the wire" and interfere with the next incoming packet. The packets are numbered, so the computer knows to ask to have a bad packet resent. In such a situation, some of the packets will still get through but the constant asking and resending of packets will slow down the operation of the connection. The degraded performance may not be obvious to the person sitting and waiting for the downloading of a file to finish.
*Just to add a bit to Casey, this performance is a measurable quantity, that is, the lines can be tested after the installation is complete to determine if the designed speeds have been achieved.
*Good information Casey. Very helpful.MD
*But you didn't answer Mad Dog's question, I think.LAN is used so that you can share a printer, or share the super-fast cable modem between several computers in the house (give the kids an old, slow computer bought for <$100 and each of them can have their own - works great until the software starts going all punky with age).Seems like crazy overkill until you see it working in a house with lots of school-age kids, or two parents with home offices. You can afford to spend more on the stuff that you can share.
*Kerr - right you are, I guess I gave the what but not the why...One other little bit of terminology I should have included. The Ethernet wiring using twisted pairs is often referred to as 10BaseT - the "10" being for 10 megabit speed and the "T" being for twisted pair - or 100BaseT - for 100 megabits. A bit of minutia for those of you who want to calculate how long it takes to download your favotie joke file - the 10 megabit and 100 megabit rates are raw data rates. The usable information transfer rate is less because some of the bits are used to indicate the beginning and end of packets and for error checking and other data management stuff. If I remember correctly, the usable data on a 10 megebit network is at maximum about 70% to 80% of raw data rate while for the 100 megabit line it is around 50% - and these are the maximum possible, problems with poor connections, etc., will reduce the data transfer below these figures.
*FolksI recently installed CATV, cat5, cat3, and speaker wiring in my renovation.Leviton has a nice, and free, "installation manual for structured wiring" I'd recommend it.You can download it from their website but it's a biggie. I phoned them and it arrived 2 days later.Craig
*A bit more minutia:ethernet encapsulates data by adding 14 bytes of header. The header contains the source address, the destination address and the type code. Additionally there is a 4 byte checksum appended to the end of the packet. The smallest allowable packet is 64 bytes so some 28% of the packet is non-data, prepended and appended 'junk'. The standard maximim packet is around 1528 bytes so in this case only about 1% of the packet is non-data. So the raw data rates or net throughput that CaseyR quotes can be highly variable depending on the packet mix although I would be surprised if the 100Mbit line was not significantly better than 50%.my two bits-gregg
*The purpose of CAT5e was to support Gigabit over copper, but because of design improvements in the hardware you can run Gigabit Full Duplex over regular CAT5, which gives an effective throuput of 2000 mbit. I buy CAT5 in bulk from ADI (www.adilink.com) they have distributors throughout the country, their prices are better then HD and they have everything. I have run voice and data through the same cable but wouldn't recommend it as Gigabit over copper requires all 4 pairs. Please make sure you are using CAT5 110 blocks for termination. I get called in on jobs where the customer ran there own cable to DATA blocks designed for UNIX terminals which run over 9600 baud serial lines, it won't work. You can use 66 blocks with CAT5 for voice with no problem. Whatever you do, don't use staples on your CAT5 or CATV, you have to use a plastic clip with a nail on the side. You have to remember this stuff is not a conductor as much as it's an antenna.
*I'mm coming into this thread a late, because I just got a cable modem. I have wired a few remodels, and would like to know (from Tim Kline?)how to test the lines for proper speed/performance ?
*Chris....They sell line testers....I had a friend give my one this summer....Other than that...I know only enough to wing it.near the stream,aj
*I haven't done networking for a while and the half life of information, as well as my memory, is amazingly short. The lower cost line testers generally test only for continuity and shorts of the wires. They don't test for problems with dropped packets. The institution I worked for had a portable computer set up with loopback test software which compared the number of packets received with the number sent. We didn't actually use it very often, only when we suspected there was a real problem. Of course, this was back in the days when CAT3 was the latest and greatest... Hopefully, someone can fill you in on the latest.Since you don't have control of anything from your cable modem to the ISP, I assume you are talking about checking between the modem and your computer. If you used good modular jacks and things seem OK, I don't know that I would bother doing a thorough check. You could try downloading a file and seeing how fast it went, but if it was slow you wouldn't have a way of knowing if the problem was Internet congestion or problems with your wiring.
*Chris,To get a good cable tester, plan on spending about $5k. Fluke makes a couple of real nice ones. If you drop the dough, get one that has upgrade-able software. Then when Cat7, 8, and 9 come out, you'll be ready!Also, there are companies that rent these testers by the day and week.Cliff
*Cliff,$5,000? Yipe. How much are the junky ones?
*Mad Dog,The cheapest cable testers only tell you if the wires are terminated to the right pin on the jacks. These run $150-300. Examples: Mod-Tap SLT-3, Ideal Pathfinder, Siemon STM-8.The next step up adds a time domain reflectomoter (TDR), which allows you to, from one end of the cable, find cable length or distance to a short or open. The Fluke 620 is an example and runs about $600. Also the Microscanner Pro at $500.The sophisticated units like the Fluke DSP-41 (at $6,000) do comprehensive performance testing. There are other units by Fluke, and by other manufacturers that range from $2500 and up. These do everything but walk the dog.See Specialized.net or Jensen for all the specs.Cliff
*For inquiring minds, here's one reason why the devices Cliff mentioned cost so much:When an electromagnetic wave encounters a change in density, part of the wave is reflected. For example, if you shine a flashlight into water, part of the beam goes into the water, and part is reflected. The TDR devices send a pulse down a cable. At the end of the cable, there is a change in density (from copper conductor to air or a connection or device which has some resistence), so part of the signal is reflected. By measuring the time between sending the pulse and receiving the reflection, the TDR can determine the length of the cable. Better yet, if there's a weak spot in the middle of the cable, that change in density will also cause a reflection to be sent back, and the TDR can tell you how far down the cable the weak spot (or perhaps a break) is located.An electrical pulse will "travel" through copper at close to the speed of light, so it takes approximately 0.0000001 seconds (100 nanoseconds or 100 billionths of a second) for a signal to travel the length of a 50 foot cable and back. The TDR must measure that time interval to within a nanosecond or so. The TDR must also handle capacitance problems in various types of cable, and be able to distinguish between multiple echos of various strengths in cables that might have several density changes.Considering all of that, it's clear why you can't buy one at Radio Shack for $12.95 (yet).One other comment: the data signal sent through a cable will also send back reflections (echos) when the cable has changes in density (resistance). These reflections can garble a data signal. Thus the restrictions about stapling, bending, and sloppy connections.
*Ted,Thanks. A simple explanation I can understand about a subject I've often wondered about.Which leads me to ponder: Why didn't I just ask on Breaktime?!Rich Beckman
*Something about the speed of light: you can't speed it up, but you CAN speed it down (as Ted pointed out).In the last coupla years they have been able to get closer to absolute zero than ever before (50 billionths of a degree above absolute zero is the latest), and at that temperature light traveled at around 37 miles per hour.So, if you really want to keep your modem baud rates up, make sure that no portions of your line are being cooled to less than 1 degree above absolute!
*Thanks for the reply(s). I don't think $5k is in tyhe budget,so I'll just try to be careful at installation. The tip about keeping the wires from cooling to absolute zero is good one! Ithink taht I can handle.-Chris
*kerr, thanks for that absolute zero info. i must have been sleeping that day in physics. i never knew light's speed was affected by temperature.jason kass, personally, i think that you are getting hosed by smarthome on that structured cable. i have a hard time comparing the cable you describe because i haven't priced any fiber lately, but if you compare another of their bundles, such as 500' of 2 Cat 5e and 2 RG-6 Quad (same as yours minus the fiber) you come up with a product that costs $0.73 per foot including the shipping. Here in PA we pay about $45 per 1000' of Cat 5e or $0.045 per foot and about $70 per 500' of RG-6 Quad Shield or $0.14 per foot. This adds up to $0.37 per foot to get the same bundle as Smarthome. This is half the price. Or you are paying twice as much for the PVC jacket they use to wrap the wire and its convenience of being in one bundle. A couple thousand feet of this stuff in a home could be a significant expense. I hope that they send instructions with this stuff because fiber doesn't like hard bends at all. I really like Smarthome as a whole, I just think their prices are high.http://www.smarthome.com/8682.html
*Isn't space supposed to be zero ? Wouldn't that mean that light is traveling through space slower than 'the speed of light' ?
*Luka,I'm just guessing here, but I'll bet that light slows down when passing through a medium that is that cold. Since space is a vacuum, light is unaffected.Rich Beckman
*I agree with Rich. Light doesn't have a temperature, nor does "space". I think Luka means that objects left in outer space become very cold. They do, but they will still be "struck" by light and other electromagnetic waves which will heat them to some extent. I believe the experiment Kerr was referring to involved cooling Sodium gas to near absolute zero and passing laser light through that gas.Lowering the temperature of a copper conductor will decrease its resistance, but I don't think that will change the speed at which the electric energy propagates down the wire. For a given current, the electrons will actually flow more slowly through a wire which has lower resistance (water travels through a fat hose more slowly than a skinny one, right?). Electrons actually travel very slowly through a wire (typically several inches per hour) in DC current. In AC current they move back and forth a tiny bit. Electrical energy travels close to the speed of light. Think of it this way: push an electron into one end of a wire, and an electron will pop out the other end of the wire almost immediately. But the electrons themselves moved only a tiny amount.
*Space is not absolute zero, just close. The average temperature for the whole universe is 3 degrees.The stars are pretty hot, but there's lots more space than stars so this is where "they" estimate it.The phenomenon I mentioned with light speed was observed when the temperature was really, really close to absolute. I think that Ted is right, that it was thru some medium that they measured 37mph. The author did not elaborate, but did imply that this was the coldest that anything has ever been (except, I guess, before the big bang).
*>We just finished a house for a customer and he had us wire for ethernet connections and hub, but I couldn't see the point unless he was just trying to keep up with the Joneses.I'm late to this show, but a practical reason we did this was to put the cable model in the utility closet, and use the ethernet lines to let us hook an internet-ready computer into any of the rooms at any time, and to allow us to move the computers from one room to another as there's a need. And we have done some moving, so the convenience is tremendous.Just as a curiosity, if anyone wants to test the speed of their connection (not just the cat5 or phone wire), here's a few ways to do it: http://speedtest.net/ http://bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/index.html http://computingcentral.msn.com/internet/speedtest.asp
*If light is in the visible spectrum, iti doeshave temperature - color temperature measured in Kelvin (3,000 deg. K, etc.).Here's the latest stuff - arresting light to a stop under carefully controlled laboratory conditions (1,000,000,000 times colder than space - so you can't compare behavior).Jeff
*Firewire is a name for the interface IEEE 1394. It is similar to USB, EIDE and SCSI. It is a protocol that your computer can use to "talk" to other equipment like digital cameras and external drives,printers, scanners and the like. Not a networking product.
*C.CAT5 is not a bad investment. There is a continuos move towards making all sorts of consumer electronics toys interconnectable. You may not want a PC in every room, but there may be other devices coming that you do, like security devices, thermostats, digital TVs etc. CAT5 is the lowest common denominator technology that vendors gravitate towards for interconnectivity. Yes it is also most commonly used for Ethernet, now available at Gigabit speeds. Firewire or IEEE1394 is a great interconnectivity tool too, but it has not been really implemented as a network tool. It is essentially a hopped up serial port with better electronics. Some manufacturers, Apple notably, have made rudimentary networking solutions with it. This will increase over time. Where IEEE1394 excels is in interconnecting devices like camcorders, hard drives DVD players etc. A version of this spec will likely show up on the back of most digital television sets. So back to my opening point, interconnecting consumer electronics devices. Why prewire for CAT5 when IEEE1394 is the future? IEEE1394 is limited to short distances, however a new specification has just been verified that will support longer distances - over CAT5 wires! This has been developed specifically to work in the smart home environment. It will probably take a while for devices to hit the market, but the CAT5 can work for Ethernet and phone today and be reused later. Here is a tip. Make two runs to each box. connect one run to the box's connector and leave the other one dark or unused. The connected run, should go to a central location with enough space that you could potentially put a file server there in the future. This may sound like an office, but it is an emerging trend - why not wire now? The disconnected runs should daisy chain from box to box. The idea is that you can use these for potential point to point connections between rooms in the future. You could put two boxes at each location if you wanted to splurge, or you could just convert when needed.Finally, make sure there is a box centrally located in the house and one near the back door. These are both great locations to set up a wireless port for the house and yard. That way when the whole thing is obsoleted by wireless next month, you can connect the two worlds! Have fun.
*To clarify, the temperature of light is simply the temperature an object would have if it emitted that frequency (color) of light.
*Ted, if I remember correctly, the object that is used as reference is tungsten.3000K tungsten would be 'this' color:o)
*kerr, I'm not sure what you mean by a "reference". Maybe you're referring to photographers talking about the color temperature of various light sources (like xenon flash vs. tungsten). Technically, tungsten alone doesn't have a particular color temperature associated with it because the color of light it emits depends on its temperature. A normal light bulb tungsten filament is designed to reach about 2500 degrees Kelvin when 120VAC is applied to it, so it emits light having a "temperature" of 2500K. If you apply a lower voltage to that same light bulb, it's emits light at a lower frequency (less energy) and so that light will have a lower color temperature. Incidentally, the "clear blue sky" has a color temperature of roughly 15000 K.It's actually even more complicated than this because a heated object emits a range of light frequencies (colors) of varying intensities, but we'll save that for another thread.Does anyone else here have trouble explaining to loved ones how they got involved in a discussion of color temperatures in the middle of a phone-wire thread on a Fine Home Building site?
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Hey any data guys,
Lately I have been hearing about CAT5e. What is the difference in it and regular CAT5.
C