Do you want LAN cables for a long-term plan or a temporary cabling solution? This comprehensive article will explain the major impact of choosing a future-proof Cat 6 Riser Cable – a cost-effective choice or the Cat6 plenum ethernet cable. Which one is better?

Category 6 cable in Plenum or Riser which jacket is the best to serve your installation needs? This is the most important aspect of installing an ethernet cable. But there is another factor, what is the maximum time of this installed cabling infrastructure? Do you have plans to shift your home or office? Or do you need a permanent cabling solution? Well, if that is the case let me tell you the right type of jacket for Cat 6 riser cable or Cat6 plenum cable.

Do not assume that one plenum is more secure than the riser jacket. Both have their distinct role in defining the location for installation. So, let’s cut the discussion and come to the point. 

What Is Category 6 Cable?

The category 6 cable is the next highly manufactured ethernet cable with improved speed and internal specs. When you look around there is no old gadget in this 21st century as the technology keeps on altering at a massive speed.

Similarly, to cater to gigabit speed servers, the electrical engineer collaboratively manufactures this sophisticated Cat6 plenum cable to meet highly demanding applications. So let's start with the internal structure of the cable.

The manufacturing process is not as simple as cutting open the Cat6 plenum cable. We see a symmetry of 4 twisted pairs normally in Green/White-Green, Orange/White-Orange, Blue/White-Blue, and Brown/White-Brown respectively. These colored wires identify the ethernet cable color order for terminating the cable with the T568A and T568B.

The purpose of the twisted pair in the ethernet cable is to smooth the signal transmission harmony throughout the cable length. The medium of signal transmission is through electrical impulses traveling through the core of the cable — The Conductor.

There is insulation over the twisted pair which is made of an FR-PVC jacket to control the cable to get the maximum damage if electrocuted. The Cat6 riser bare copper cable conductor bears a 23 AWG conductor size. Different jackets like the Cat6 plenum and Cat6 riser cable, both have the same internal structure but the only difference is that the outer jacket has a different installation destination.

What Is a Plenum Jacket?

Plenum — the name of the space within the building that is enriched with the maximum supply of oxygen. The most suitable spaces are ventilation ducts, HVAC systems, raised floors, drop ceilings, attics, horizontal shafts, etc.

The plenum spaces due to maximum air capacity are quite easy to catch fire and also propagate the fire along the floor. So for that reason, high-fire resistive jackets can be used in plenum spaces of the buildings. Furthermore, the plenum spaces have openings in every department for ventilation purposes and if you ignore the fire safety or LSZH material you are at risk as the smoke from the burning wire will suffocate the environment and will end up with devastating results.

Plenum is an FEP-rated FR jacket that halts the fire progression if the cable is exposed to fire. The FEP is Fluorinated Ethylene Polymers having LSZH properties to emit non-toxic smoke. This feature should be sustained and cross-checked when buying a Cat6 plenum ethernet cable. 

What Is a Riser Jacket?

Similarly, there is another fire-resistant jacket but less if compared with the CMP (Plenum). The riser is PVC material. Unlike plenum spaces, riser spaces do not require maximum fire safety ratings. The ideal spaces to use riser jackets are elevator shafts, data centers, homes, offices, and inside walls.

The PVC riser jacket is not UV-resistant and also it cannot be installed outdoors without a conduit. This is the limit for riser and plenum jackets. Just like the Cat6 riser ETL listed cable. Here ETL represents that the cable has undergone stringent fire and electrical safety tests. 

Which Cable Jacket To Choose for Vertical Installation?

Cat 6 riser cable is the best source to use for the vertical spaces of the buildings. But is it best to use UTP Cat6 riser bare copper cable to the vertical runs of the buildings? Well, this might solve the potential problem of ethernet cable.

The vertical run should also be used for power lines or other electrical cables if you have hired an office in a building. For that reason, there are Cat6 plenum shielded cables to cater to all your needs for vertical and horizontal. Yes, you heard right, a Plenum jacket can also be used for vertical spaces. 

Which Jacket is Best For Horizontal Installation?

For horizontal installation, as we discussed earlier Bulk Cat6 Plenum cable is the best. There is no way you can use any other PVC-rated cable as a substitute for plenum.

The reason is simple plenum jackets hardly burn and get swollen when exposed to fire with minimal emission of non-toxic smoke. Some buildings demand fire safety regulations for installing cables to avoid catastrophic incidents. So that is the reason only Cat6 plenum cable can be used for indoor installation if you need maximum fire protection with gigabit speed. 

When You Should Buy Riser and Plenum?

The riser can plenum jackets are in demand whenever there is a need to install the cable. The cable installer recommends buying plenum cables instead of risers to cater to both horizontal and vertical spaces of the buildings. There are some points that you should consider when installing cable in your building, office, or home. 

• Indoor installation (Plenum and Riser)
• Maximum Fire Safety (Bulk Cat6 Plenum)
• Cost-effective option (Cat 6 Riser Cable)
• Meeting fire safety regulations (Plenum Jacket)
• Protection against fire (Plenum Is Perfect)

The above-mentioned points are the considerations when choosing the Riser or Plenum cables. In simple words, most consumers go with the cost-effective choice but some standards are set with each ethernet cable the internal and external jacket ratings.

To get potential benefits from the Cat6 ethernet cable you consider these outer jacket ratings before buying ethernet cables. 

All In One

Standard ethernet cables like 100BASE-T provide standard network operations like browsing the internet, sending email, and streaming less-quality videos. But with modern ethernet cables like Cat6 plenum ethernet cable having 1000BASE-T and 10GBASE-T standards you will be able to use it for Fast, Gigabit, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet Applications. 

Using Cat6 Riser Bare Copper cable will ultimately provide you with the future-proofing cabling infrastructure. Now you only need to upgrade the server speed.