Is plenum cable outdoor rated?

Plenum cable is rated for the “plenum spaces” in buildings, which are simply the parts of the building that facilitate air circulation in heating and air conditioning systems. This designation simply means that the cable has been engineered to be buried without any kind of outside protection.

When should plenum cable be used?

Plenum cable is mandated to be installed in any “air handling” space. For example, most large office buildings use the ceiling to return air to the AC unit. This qualifies this ceiling as a plenum ceiling, and all the cables that go through that ceiling must be plenum rated.

Is plenum cable fire retardant?

Plenum cables are coated with flame retardant and made using special plastics that don’t smoke nearly as much as other plastics to help prevent this problem. Any cable that you run through plenum spaces must be plenum rated, even wiring used for information transfer, like Cat5 wiring.

What is the advantage of plenum cable?

Benefits or advantages of Plenum cable ➨It has fire resistant characteristics with low smoke. ➨It slows down spread of flames as mentioned above as it is self extinguishing cable type. ➨It can be installed in very less space and hence allows space for air circulation to be used by HVAC system.

What is the difference between plenum and non-plenum cable?

Plenum-rated cable has been manufactured to withstand higher temperatures in the event of a fire and does not cause the same level of smoke or toxicity when burning. Non-plenum does not have these characteristics, and as a result costs much less (usually half as much).

Why is plenum cable more expensive?

When running cables within plenum spaces, plenum cables are a must. Because plenum cables are built to a higher fire resistance standard than riser cables, plenum cabling is more expensive than riser cabling.

What is plenum vs non-plenum?

Is UTP cable plenum?

Solid Plenum Cat6 is designed to meet the strictest of electrical codes; our plenum cable meets or exceeds many common cable standards. The slow burn, low smoke jacket is comprised from CMP rated PVC.

Should I buy Cat 6 or Cat6a?

If you’re looking to set yourself up for a successful long-term Gigabit Ethernet network, Cat6a (Category 6 augmented) is the right choice. Yes, it’s more expensive than Cat5e or Cat6, but the hardware you’ll be connecting to your network will only become more sophisticated—not less—as technology grows.

Do I need Cat 6 for gigabit?

Until recently, most home routers supported speeds of 10 or 100 megabits per second. However, Gigabit Ethernet routers have become more common. However, Gigabit Ethernet still pushes the cable to its limits. Cat 6 cable is full-on certified to handle Gigabit speeds–it’s meant to handle it and it does it the best.

When is Plenum rated cable required?

According to the NEC (National Electrical Code), you only need Plenum rated cabling when it is being used in the Plenum. The Plenum is any space that is designed to be part of the air handling space.

What is plenum Ethernet cable?

Plenum cable /ˈplɛnəm/ is electrical cable that is laid in the plenum spaces of buildings. In the United States, plastics used in the construction of plenum cable are regulated under the National Fire Protection Association standard NFPA 90A: Standard for the Installation of Air Conditioning and Ventilating Systems.

What is plenum coax?

Plenum Coaxial Cable is designed for routing through the plenum spaces of buildings (the space used to facilitate air circulation) which will hide the coaxial cable from view and protect it from accidental damage. Coaxial cable (often referred to as coax) is an electrical cable made up of a shielded central core surrounded by…