What CCA Wire Can Do To Your Network

The market today is littered with cheap imitations and hand-me-downs impersonating new products. Now and then, we become prey to these tricks which fool the industry. And the most frustrating part of it is that the retailers and dealers pass these imitations as the original products. A unique plot which we are going to discuss here is the one implemented in the Ethernet patch cable category (cat5e/cat6 patch cable).

CCA cable is an acronym for Copper Clad Aluminum cables. The conductors in CCA wire are constructed using aluminum and then coated in copper. This process is significantly cheaper for the manufacturer, which means higher profits. Thus, it brings about a high amount of commercial benefit to the suppliers over their counterparts who sell the actual copper equivalents. But as with all kinds of business propositions, one party is always harmed. Let us look at the implication of CCA cables on the users and you as the buyer. What problems will it create for the person who is trying to set up a network, be it for personal or commercial use?

The IEC and CENELEC, which lays down the various standards for cable used in different types of networks, also inhibit the use of a CCA wire in twisted pair network cable. Thus any CCA wire, it goes under the banner of such an organization, will be rejected straight away. 3P is an organization that provides third-party testing for cable used concerning industrial standards also shuns the use of CCA wire in twisted pair network cable. CCA cables can never suffice for their copper counterparts. Manufacturers and suppliers who are supplying CCA as CAT5e and CAT6 network cables must examine the fact if they are doing business per the sales of goods act.

CCA wire will never come close to original cabling, and this is mainly because of the problems listed below:

• Aluminum and Steel have a much higher resistance than that of the copper. The use of CCA wire in Cat5e patch cables and CAT6 patch cables can lead to large amounts of data loss and can eventually lead to slow data speeds.
• The attenuation qualities of CCA will be significantly higher than a standard copper-based CAT5e or a CAT6 patch cable, which can, in turn, result in more packet loss and data retransmission. This effect is particularly prevalent on longer cable runs on or near the 100-meter maximum. All this combined will again lead to a far slower connection for the users of CCA wire-based networks.
• Although substantial evidence cannot be given, as of yet, due to lack of tests, the attenuation property of CCA wires provides various implications in the manufacturing of CAT5e and CAT6 patch cables. This attenuation property is prevalent in the case of devices such as IP CCTV, where the power is continuously juiced through the network cables throughout the year for every single minute. Theoretically, in such conditions, the radiant heat can build up faster than the environment can dissipate it. Radiant heat buildup can lead to some severe consequences for electronic devices.
• Aluminum has a lower tensile strength than copper. Therefore, when a CCA wire is used to manufacture a CAT5e or a CAT 6 patch cable, it can lead to some confusing and annoying situations. Due to its low tensile strength, CCA wires can easily break off due to pulling or shearing forces. CCA wire bend radius is significantly worse than it's the full copper counterpart. If an installer is not knowledgeable about the fact that the CAT 5e or CAT6 patch cable in question is made up of CCA wire, it might be a highly time-consuming process to trace the test failure.

Although many importers are already supplying a large number of these CCA wire patch leads (CAT5e/Cat6), there is no documented evidence that they will not show the problems mentioned above in the future. Experts believe that these problems are going to become more and more evident as the organizations start to upgrade their networks to Gigabit or perhaps implement PoE.

So, you, as a customer, should acknowledge these problems. Not everything is created equal. You must take the initiative to inquire into the quality of the CAT5e or CAT6 patch cables that you buy. Remember that if it is cheap, it does not mean it will be better. Stay away from shady schemes you might find over the internet or the newspapers. Always purchase from an authentic, long-trusted, reliable buyer.