Ultimate Guide to Plenum Cable Types and Specifications

A plenum ethernet cable is a CMP-rated cable that is designed for usage in the plenum spaces of the buildings; the CMP here stands for Communications Multipurpose Plenum. All generations of the cables come in the plenum variant, for instance: Cat5e Plenum cable, Cat6 Plenum cable, and Cat6a Plenum cable.

Before diving deep into plenum cable types and specifications, let us first explain what a plenum space is.

What are plenum spaces?

Plenum spaces are that part of the buildings that are designed to facilitate air conditioning and air circulation systems by providing pathways for either conditioned/heated or return airflows at greater than atmospheric pressure. These spaces lie in between floors of the buildings.

Now, a question may pop up in your mind: why do you need to install a plenum-rated cable in the plenum spaces?

Owing to constant air circulations, oxygen is present in huge quantities in these areas, thus making them vulnerable to fire hazards. Due to the relatively higher ratio of oxygen, these spaces can catch blaze easily. And this is where a plenum-rated cable comes in handy.

Plenum Cables

As explained earlier, a plenum cable is a type of cable that comes with a CMP-rated jacket. When it comes to ethernet cables, a CMP rating is the highest level of jacket rating. Cables with this rating are fire resistant and also halt fire progression. As these cables are made of supreme-quality PVC (polyvinyl chloride) material, they emit no smoke and dangerous particles when exposed to fire. Thanks to their thick coatings, the plenum cables provide top-notch protection against crosstalk and electromagnetic interference.

Due to their supreme quality jackets, you can use plenum cables in riser and outdoor spaces too. As they use supreme-quality PVC material, they cost relatively more than riser and PVC ethernet cables.

Following are the types and specifications of the plenum cables:

Cat5e Plenum Cable

A Cat5e Plenum cable comes with data transfer rates of 1Gbps and 100Mbps over lengths of 50 meters and 100 meters, respectively. This cable comes with bandwidth capacities of 100MHz and provides top-notch protection against crosstalk and EMI.

Cat6 Plenum Cable

A Cat6 Plenum cable comes with data transfer rates of 10Gbps and 1Gbps over distances of 50 meters and 100 meters, respectively. Although the TIA/EIA requirements for bandwidth capabilities stand at 350MHz, here at New York Cables, our Cat6 Plenum cable comes with a bandwidth capacity of 550MHz, which means they can maintain signal strength at relatively long distances.

Cat6a Plenum Cable

A Cat6a Plenum cable maintains a data transfer rate of 10Gbps over a length of 100 meters. The TIA/EIA requirements for bandwidth capacity for Cat6a ethernet cable is 550MHz; here at New York Cables, our Cat6a Plenum cable comes with a bandwidth capacity of 750MHz. Thanks to its thick coating, this cable provides excellent protection against EMI and crosstalk.

If you want to buy plenum ethernet cables, look no further as we have got you covered. Being an industry leader in the networking arena, we manufacture top-quality cables. All of our products not only meet industry standards, but they also surpass them with a wide margin. Plus, we offer free shipping across the USA on orders above $299.99. So, buy ethernet cables from New York Cables and enjoy seamless connectivity.