CAT6 CMP Plenum Cable 1000ft - Shielded, 23AWG Solid Copper

This is the Cat6 for plenum ceilings where the cable tray shares the space with something noisy. Hospitals are the classic case: the ceiling above imaging suites and labs is a return-air plenum, so the cable has to be CMP rated, and the equipment below it throws enough interference that plain UTP drops packets. This cable covers both. An overall aluminum foil with a tinned copper drain wire blocks EMI and RFI, and the FEP-insulated conductors and low-smoke, flame-retardant jacket earn the CMP rating and the UL Listing.

The 23 AWG solid copper conductors are a size up from Cat5e, which is where Cat6 gets its lower loss and its headroom for 2.5G and 5G links. It comes on a 1000 ft wooden spool with footage markings on the jacket.

Features

• F/UTP overall foil shield with tinned copper drain wire. It blocks EMI and RFI from imaging equipment, lighting, motors, and power distribution, and keeps the cable's own signal from radiating out.
• CMP plenum rated, UL Listed. Approved for ceiling and floor plenums, and for every other indoor space too, since CMP is the highest rating in the family.
• 23 AWG solid bare copper. Heavier than Cat5e's 24 AWG, for lower resistance over a full 100 m channel and less voltage drop on PoE runs. No copper-clad aluminum.
• Gigabit and multi-gig rated. It runs 10/100/1000 Mbps, 2.5G, and 5G links over a full channel, and 10GBase-T over short runs.
• FEP insulation with a pair separator. Fluoropolymer insulation is what lets the cable pass the plenum flame and smoke tests, and a cross-shaped spline holds the four pairs apart along the whole run for consistent crosstalk performance.
• Low-smoke FR-PVC jacket. It resists flame spread and gives off little smoke if it burns.
• Sequential footage markings. You can see what's left on the spool and cut runs to length without a tape.
• 1000 ft wooden spool. Standard TIA-568 pair colors inside.
• Seven jacket colors. For color-coding by floor, VLAN, or system.

Where It Fits

It suits plenum ceilings in hospitals, clinics, and labs, plenum spaces in manufacturing and industrial buildings, data centers and equipment rooms with return-air ceilings, Wi-Fi 6 access point and PoE camera drops above suspended ceilings near electrical gear, and any commercial building where the spec calls for Cat6, plenum cable, and shielding at once.

Good to Know

A shield only works when it's grounded. Terminate this cable on shielded Cat6 jacks and patch panels, ground the drain wire at one end, normally the patch panel, and use shielded patch cords and switch ports so the shield is continuous end to end. Plenum-rated cable is for plenum spaces, not for the inside of HVAC ducts; the NEC doesn't allow communications cable inside ducts built to carry air. FEP-insulated shielded 23 AWG cable is stiff, so respect the bend radius, about four times the cable diameter. Cat6 carries 10G over short distances only; for 10G on a full channel, use Cat6A. Solid conductors are for permanent runs; terminate on jacks and patch panels, not crimped plugs. If the ceiling isn't a plenum, the shielded CMR version of this cable does the same job for less.

Specifications