Answer: CAT5e Cable has many other low-voltage applications besides transmission of computer data. There are many new devices being made now that are taking advantage of some of the flexible application characteristics of this cable.

Many residential and commercial alarm systems are made these days, both wired and wireless. Hard wired systems are always considered the most reliable, and many companies are now designing systems that can utilize CAT 5 Network Cable to connect the various sensors to the main control panel.

There are even a few newer systems that are specifically designed to be assembled similar to a computer network, and utilize CAT5e Patch Cables to make all the connections in the system in the same manner.

Answer: Depending on the application, you may have only simple testing requirements to ensure you have a good cable; however, there are many situations that require very specific data about the cable and how it performs.

One of the main concerns when testing a CAT 5 Cable will be to verify a correct wire map. If you have a patch cable that is not working, you need to start with the basics - was it made right to begin with?

A wire map test will show how the cable is terminated into the RJ45 plug, and you will instantly see if you have any basic connectivity issues. Even the most basic test meters you can buy are able to distinguish if you have a faulty wire, split pair or any other common cable issue.

Answer: The colour coding of twisted pair cabling uses a colour pattern that identifies what conductors make up a pair, and what sequence the pair is relative to the total number of pairs.

This is also used to determine which conductor is the tip (positive), and which conductor is the ring (negative).

Because there are many cable types other than CAT 5, we will focus on its colour code system rather than trying to cover every colour code for every cable type. The EIA colour code for CAT 5 Cable is as follows:

• Pair 1 - White/Blue and Blue
• Pair 2 - White/Orange and Orange
• Pair 3 - White/Green and Green
• Pair 4 - White/Brown and Brown

The individual pairs have a different tightness/angle of twist, known as the twist ratio. The twist ratio of each pair is slightly different from the other pairs by design to prevent one pairs signal from affecting another, a phenomenon known as cross talk.

The standards EIA/TIA 568A and 568B discuss the placement of these pairs in the proper order for CAT 5 networking applications.