Testing and Measurement

Technology

Handbook of
Fault Analysis
Documentation
and Reporting

Cable Testing
h�ps://itnetworks.softing.com
 Ed i t o r i a l

On the way
to new frontiers

H
igh-quality copper wiring in local area networks form the basis for fast and secure
data communication. In the 1990s, users were satisfied with transfer rates of
10  &  100  Mbit/s, which is no longer enough today. Today we are talking in LANs
of about 1 & 10 Gbit/s and - especially in the environment of data centers - about
40 Gbit/s over copper cabling. The latest technologies in multimedia environments,
such as Next-Generation Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11ac) and HDTV with high resolutions (4K and
8K), drive the bandwidth - and therefore the transfer speeds - in copper data networks up into
new heights. To ensure the system guarantees and the proper function of these high-speed
copper data networks, this inevitably involves measurement and testing of these cabling systems.
So the field testing technology must be prepared. Meanwhile, we are talking about CAT 8/8.1/8.2
and Class I & II. We will be dealing with these issues in this brochure.

We continue the tradition of summarizing all issues around measuring and testing technology of
copper data network cabling in a handy booklet. The first issue on this subject appeared in March
2007. This new edition of “The Handbook of Cable Testing” will easily find its place in the tool
box or measuring devices of every data cabling installer: Always at hand, quick to look up, with
comprehensive and updated information.

We wish you smooth installations and testing of data cabling installations.

Sincerely
Dipl.-Ing.(FH) Thomas Huesch
Technical Support & Training
Softing IT Networks GmbH

3
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: Retrospective, History 27 Crosstalk of Pairs at the Far End (FEXT)

6 Evolution of Ethernet 29 Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio Near End (ACR-N)
7 Increasing Data Rates 29 Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio Far End (ACR-F)
30 Power Sum
CHAPTER 2: Structured Cabling
7 Cabling Standards
CHAPTER 4: Documentation/Reporting
7 Structured Cabling
31 Documentation of Test Results
9 Categories and Classes
12 Complex Relationships in Standardization
CHAPTER 5: Fault Analysis
13 It all began in the USA
33 Fault Analysis in Data Networks
13 Standards Applicable at the International/
European Level 33 Wiring Faults, Incorrect Connector Termination

14 What do the tables show by comparison? 34 DC Resistance Faults

14 Augmented Connectors 34 Delay Skew between Pairs

16 Increasing Cable Requirements 34 High Attenuation, Weak Signal?

18 Consideration of other Transmission Parameters 35 Crosstalk in Data Cables

36 Return Loss Faults

CHAPTER 3: Measurement Technology 37 ACR Faults

21 Measurement Technology for Copper Cabling – 37 PSNEXT (Power Sum NEXT) faults
New Challenges 38 Quality will Decide
21 Definition of Permanent Link and Channel
23 Is the Wiring (Wiremap) Correct? CHAPTER 6: Patch Cords
23 Direct Current Resistance of Pairs 40 Measurement Equipment for Patch Cords
23 Propagation Delay and Delay Skew 40 What is a Patch Cord?
24 Determination of Cable Length 41 How to Test Patch Cords?
25 Measurement of High Frequency (RF) Properties 43 Measurement Equipment for M12 Cabling
26 Attenuation of Pairs 44 Perspective
27 Crosstalk of Pairs at the Near End (NEXT) 44 Smartphones/BYOD
27 Return Loss of Pairs 44 Television/Multimedia
45 Automation Technology
45 Wireless Networks
45 Cloud Applications

4
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

Data Transmission Technology:

STANDARDS – INSTALLATION –
MEASUREMENT
FUNDAMENTALS OF NETWORK TECHNOLOGY This brochure takes a closer look at data transmission tech-
nology starting with the evolution of networks, standards, certification testing and troubleshooting to re-
porting and documentation. Did you know that the popular and widely used Ethernet celebrated its 40th
anniversary and that IEEE 802 began the standardization of Ethernet as early as 30 years ago with the first
802.3T standard?

T
he use of computers, smart TVs,
telephone systems using VoIP technology
and building communications systems
(door communications systems, alarm
systems) has become an integral part of
our modern life. But it is not long ago that separate
communication networks were needed to run them:
Twisted cables for the telephone, coaxial cables for the
television and clumsy data cables (IBM) for the early
office PC systems. Today, however, the ``Ethernet´´
has established itself as the dominant standard
in communications technology and is thoroughly
used by the various disciplines. Nowadays, the term
``Ethernet´´ describes both the physical interface
(cable, connector) and the transfer protocol, providing
the basis for the universally known TCP/IP world – the
logical functions of the network components. This
brochure will focus on the physical Ethernet interface
that is well known as ``structured building cabling´´.
If you are a skilled measurement technician you
will even have to consider it when it comes down
to its planning, installation, certification testing and
operation. For a better understanding, let us start
with the basics of today’s network infrastructure.
Everybody is talking about the so-called universal
``structured building cabling´´. What does this mean
and which relevant standards do exist?

5
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

Chapter 1:
Retrospective, History
Figure 1:
Ethernet inventor
EVOLUTION OF ETHERNET Bob Metcalfe is today
professor for innovation
Let me quote Bob Metcalfe (Figure 1), the inventor at the University of
of Ethernet, who is now a professor of Innovation at Texas in Austin

the University of Texas in Austin, for some historical

data. He commented during the event in 2013: ``On
May 22nd, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the
invention of Ethernet at Xerox PARC. Now, on June
23rd, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ethernet´s
standardization by IEEE 802.´´ Of course, Ethernet has
been standardized many times by IEEE 802.3 since
1983 to incorporate the rapid innovations from 2.94
Mbit/s to 100 Gbit/s, from thick to thin coaxial cables to

Figure 2: Increasing demand for bandwidth in networks and data centers – Source – IEEE802.3

6

twisted-pair and to optical fiber cables and Wi-Fi, from
CSMA/CD bus networks to switches and ultimately
wireless access points whilst assuring a high degree of
backward compatibility. ``By 1983, there were people
buying Ethernet whom I did not know personally.
By 1985, there were people whom I did not know
inventing Ethernet. And they continue doing so today
with great success using the open standardization
processes of IEEE. Congratulations, and thank you´´.
Metcalfe continued (Source: IEEE SA).
INCREASING DATA RATES
The same is true for the data rates which were and are
increasing dramatically (Figure 2). The development of
balanced twisted-pair cabling systems that are used
today has advanced rapidly over the last decades.
Whereas in 1995, networks with transmission speeds
of 100 Mbit/s were installed and operated, network
speeds have increased by the factor 100 to date.
Since the year 2000, copper-based networks with
transmission rates of 1 Gbit/s have been installed and
operated, at first in data centers, followed by work
place installations. For some years now, CAT 6A/ClassEA
networks with 10 Gbit/s speeds have been installed and
operated. These networks are initially found mainly in
data centers to connect high-performance servers to
switches and storage systems. But just like this kind of
developments was repeatedly observed in the past,
the servers of today will be our desktops of tomorrow
– and this will hold true for both the performance of
computers and the network connectivity required.
On June 17th 2010, another milestone was set. ``IEEE
802.3ba – 40 Gbit/s and 100 Gbit/s Ethernet Task
Force´´ published the standards for 40 Gbit/s and 100
Gbit/s transmissions over optical fiber cabling.
 three cabling subsystems - campus backbone cabling,
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Chapter 2:
Structured Cabling
CABLING STANDARDS
Currently IEEE 802.3bq is working on the standardization
of 40 Gbit/s over copper cabling. And that’s not all,
IEEE 802.3 has already tackled the next objective. On
April 2nd 2013, the ``400 Gbit/s Ethernet Study Group´´
was formed to develop an Ethernet standard with
transmission speeds of 400 Gbit/s in the course of their
activities.
The above mentioned standards on an IEEE 802.3
compliant transmission technology describes how data
have to be transmitted to meet the requirements set by
the Ethernet standard. The so-called cabling standards,
however, address the underlying infrastructure.
They specify infrastructure design and transmission
characteristics based on the transmission requirements
defined by IEEE 802.3 structured cabling. Also known
as generic building cabling, in a unified construction
plan of cabling used for different services such as voice,
data, video, controls, etc. With regards to structured
cabling, the International Standardisation Organisation
(ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission
(IEC) ratified the international standard ISO/IEC 11801
for generic cabling systems which are published in the
English language. In North America, cabling design is in
line with the North American ANSI/TIA 568 C standard
specifications, in Europe cabling design is in line with
the European EN 50173 standard specifications.
STRUCTURED CABLING
Structured cabling forms a critical part of the technical
infrastructure of a campus and is subdivided into
building backbone cabling and horizontal cabling.
7
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

CAMPUS BACKBONE CABLING –
ON THE PREMISES, INTER-BUILDING CABLING
This cabling subsystem (Figure 3) connects the buildings
on a campus and is also known as campus cabling
comprising both the connections from the campus
distributor (CD) to the building distributors and, for
reasons of redundancy, the recommended cross-
connection cabling between the building distributors of
the different buildings. Today, the media used for data
applications are typically optical fiber cables (singlemode
and/or multimode), whereas for analog and/or digital
telephone, copper cables remain the primary option.
Digital voice transmissions referred to as Voice over IP
(VoIP) are nearly exclusively effected over optical fiber
cabling in the public broadband network.
BUILDING BACKBONE –
RISER CABLING, INTRA-BUILDING CABLING
This is the riser cabling that extends from the
building distributor to the floor distributor and
also comprises of recommended cross connection
cabling between the floor distributors – for reasons

Figure 3: Subsystems of structured cabling

Figure 4 - Permanent Link and Channel

PP TO
PC PC
Switch
Permanent Link
FD WA
Channel

FD = Floor Distributor, PC = Patch Cord, PP = Patch Panel

TO = Telecommunication Outlet, WA = Work Area

Figure 4: Definition of Permanent Link and Channel

8
2014 © Psiber Data GmbH (a company)
Pag
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

COMPARISON OF NEW CLASSES AND CATEGORIES

CONNECTING HARDWARE
North America CAT 5e CAT 6 CAT 6A --- ---
International CAT 5e CAT 6 CAT 6A CAT 7 CAT 7A
CAT 5E CAT 5e CAT 5e CAT 5e --- ---
CAT 5E Class D Class D Class D Class D Class D
CAT 6 CAT 5e CAT 6 CAT 6 --- ---
Installation cables

CAT 6 Class D Class E Class E Class E Class E

CAT 6A CAT 5e CAT 6 CAT 6A --- ---
CAT 6A Class D Class E Class EA Class EA Class EA
--- --- --- --- --- ---
CAT 7 Class D Class E Class EA Class F Class F
--- --- --- --- --- ---
CAT 7A Class D Class E Class EA Class F Class FA
Table 1: Installation Cables and Connecting Hardware – Matrix for Classes and Categories

of redundancy. If cabling distances between building CATEGORIES AND CLASSES

distributors and floor distributors or between the Today’s structured cabling mainly consists of copper
floor distributors are less than 100 m in the riser cables, particularly for the horizontal cabling. So, our
area, and data transmission rates of 10 Gbit/s are first topic will be copper cabling. Copper cabling of
sufficient, copper cables can be used in the riser area classes D, E, EA, F and FA according to the European and
today. However, it has to be ensured that there are no international standards, and according to the American
potential differences between the individual floors. standards CAT 5e, 6 and 6A are commonly used today.
What do class and category mean in this regard?
HORIZONTAL CABLING – ON THE FLOOR Classes and categories (CAT) describe the transmission
This is the horizontal floor cabling which comprises performance and the construction of cabling links.
the cabling extending from the floor distributors to the
work areas. The media used are typically copper cables
and optical fiber cables (multimode only). While the
first outlet in the work area has to be a copper outlet CATEGORIES AND CLASSES
of CAT 5e/Class D minimum to meet the standard’s Frequency ANSI/TIA ISO/IEC / CENELEC
requirements, a further outlet can optionally be 100 MHz CAT 5, 5e Class D
250 MHz CAT 6 Class E
a copper outlet (CAT 5e/Class D) or a duplex fiber
500 MHz CAT 6A Class EA
(multimode) outlet. The physical length of a channel in
600 MHz – Class F
horizontal cabling should not exceed 100 m, and the 1.000 MHz – Class FA
cabling length of the campus backbone, the building 1.600 MHz – Augmented Class FA
backbone and the horizontal cabling combined should CAT 8 and
2.000 MHz Class I and II
not exceed 2,000 m in office buildings. Class II

Table 2: Correlation of Frequencies, CAT xx, Class xx,

and Class I & II

9
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
DR. WOLFGANG TRIER,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
SOFTING AG
CAT 8 set to take root!
Today’s society has a hunger for data that is difficult to
satiate. Demands for greater bandwidth and high-speed
internet are not driven just by economic or industrial factors
such as increasing virtualization, big data or the internet. In
the private domain, too, many people use services such as
WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and various other
apps, which are now almost ubiquitous. It is expected that
video/audio streaming and technologies such as 4K ultra-high-
definition video will be made available with no loss of quality.
We are impatient – it has to happen quickly, almost in real
time! High speed cabling in private buildings is also coming
to the fore.
Even higher demands are being placed on the capacity and
reliability of backbones and cabling in office blocks. In the
future, CAT 6A cabling will no longer be able to withstand
this trend and will gradually be replaced by CAT 8. Because
this classification provides the potential for next-generation
twisted pair cabling. This means that four times the current
bandwidth can be achieved.
We at Softing IT Networks aspire to provide you with new
technologies first. This was also the case with CAT 8. We are
ready. Are you?
COMPARING NEW CLASSES AND CATEGORIES
Augmented Class FA Class I
1.600 MHz 2.000 MHz
Standard CAT 7A Augmented CAT 6A
Components Components
Table 3: From the new, augmented Class FA to CAT 8
10
Channels consist of cables, connecting hardware and
patch cords/jumpers of a particular category. When
these cables and connecting hardware are connected
to form a Permanent Link (the fixed part of the network
cabling) and, by adding patch cords/jumpers, to form
a Channel (end-to-end transmission path) (Figure 4),
this is characterized by a performance ``Class´´ in
international and European standards, and in the
American standards characterized by a performance
``Category´´ (CAT), a denotation that caused a lot of
confusion in the past. Table 1 depicts the correlation
between Categories and Classes.
Generally, the principle of the weakest link in the chain
applies and will govern the overall performance. This
means, using a CAT 7A cable with CAT 5e components
will only provide a Class D (CAT 5e) channel.
The Classes and Categories are characterized by
an upper frequency limit, i.e. Class EA/CAT 6A has an
upper frequency limit of 500 MHz and Class D/CAT 5e
of 100 MHz. The hitherto highest ISO and EN Class
FAAhas an upper frequency limit of 1.000 MHz and
there is no equivalent in ANSI/TIA standards (Table 2).
For a long time it was believed that Class FA with 1.000
MHz would be sufficient to support future transmission
speeds of 40 Gbit/s. Meanwhile, thanks to the contribution
of the various working groups, it was concluded that
1.000 MHz would not be sufficient. In December 2012,
the ANSI/TIA TR42.7 working group made the first steps
towards a higher bandwidth and started the work on
CAT 8 with 2.000 MHz bandwidth. This proposal is based
on the popular connector technology, the RJ45 connector,
however, in an enhanced CAT 6A version and, due to the
Class II CAT 8
2.000 MHz 2.000 MHz
Augmented CAT 7A Augmented CAT 6A
Components Components
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

ABOUT IEEE ABOUT IEEE STANDARDS ASSOCIATION

IEEE, the world’s largest association for
technology, has committed itself to pursue
the goal of promoting technologies and their
employment to the benefit of the public. On
top of their frequently quoted publications and
recognized conferences, technology standards,
technical and educational activities, IEEE enjoys
a high technical reputation in a wide range of
subjects, including space systems, computer and
telecommunications, biomedical technology,
electrical energy as well as consumer electronics.
IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) is part of the
IEEE and is an internationally recognized organization
to establish standards. IEEE-SA develops and
publishes standards within an open, consensus
process and with active industry participation and
inclusion of numerous interest groups.
IEEE standards define specifications and standardized
procedures on the basis of current scientific and
technological knowledge. The portfolio of IEEE-SA
comprises more than 900 applied standards; more
than 500 new standards are under development.

For more information visit: For more information visit:

www.ieee.org standards.ieee.org/

GLOSSARY

CSMA/CD: Term designating access control for bus systems in Ethernet: Carrier Sense Multiple
Access/Collision Detection.

ANSI/TIA: Organizations, American National Standard Institute (ANSI), Telecommunications

Industry Association (TIA), standards published include the contacting of eight-
pin RJ45 male and female connectors. These standards are applied in computer
networks (LAN) in Ethernet (10Base-T, 100Base-TX and 1000Base-T) and in many
digital telephone systems.

Permanent Link/ Definition of cabling elements in horizontal cabling, permanently installed data cable
Channel: /permanently installed data cable including patch cords/jumpers at each end.

TCP/IP: Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, layer 4 and layer 3 transfer protocol
(according to OSI, Open Systems of Interconnection), embodiment of data
transmission technology.
Source: IEEE and IEEE-SA

11
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
high attenuation in copper cables, with a reduced channel
length of 30 m. Likewise, the ISO working groups have also
made proposals for the next generation of cabling systems.
One of these proposals is considering the traditional
CAT 7A components and a bandwidth of 1.600 MHz.
Another proposal, Class I, relies on – similarly to ANSI/TIA
– the well-known RJ45 connector in an augmented CAT 6A
version and is targeted, just like the ANSI/TIA proposal, to
operate with a bandwidth of 2.000 MHz. A further proposal
for a Class II is based on augmented CAT 7A components
and a bandwidth of 2.000 MHz (Table 3). Common to
all proposals of the working groups is a reduced channel
length of 30 m. Regardless of the growth of wireless and
fiber optic infrastructures, copper cabling will remain the
dominating medium in the foreseeable future. When
planning network infrastructures, and assuming a life
cycle of at least ten years, one should always consider new
standards and be now prepared for 40 Gbit/s upcoming in
the near future – in both network deployment and testing.
ISO/IEC11801
EN50173-x
German Institute for
Standardization /
German Commission
Electrical Engineering
DIN EN50173-x
12
COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS
IN STANDARDIZATION
Now let us have a detailed look at the structure of
standards relating to transmission components and
performance classes of structured copper cabling.
Close attention should be paid to the differences
between the American standards and the international
standards. So far, the standards for the currently still
highest Class FA have been defined, however, now
CAT 8 and Class I & II are adding to it. Which are the
relationships and at what stage in development are the
standards today?
Figure 5 shows the relationship between the individual
standardization bodies. In this context, the standard ISO/
IEC 11801 is considered to be the ``Mother´´ of all cabling
standards, whereas the ``Children´´ like ANSI/TIA and
EN sometimes hurry ahead a little and the ``Mother´´
organization needs to catch up. In principle, ISO/IEC
11801 is an internationally applicable standard, and more
than 90 countries (35 member countries and 57 observer
countries) tackled the subject of structured cabling.
Figure 5: Overview of the Standardization
Bodies ANSI/TIA 568 C (USA), CENELEC
EN 50173 (Europe) and DIN EN 50173
(Germany) only apply locally. Now, we will
have a closer look at the differences.
ANSI/TIA/EIA568C
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

IT ALL BEGAN IN THE USA standard requirements ended at a physical frequency

Let us start with ANSI/TIA 568 C. This American
standard defines both the connectors and the cables
as well as the transmission channels formed by
connecting these components as ``Categories´´ (CAT)
(refer to Table 4). Currently these standards describe
the performance levels CAT 5e to CAT 6A. These refer
to the frequency range of 100 MHz to 500 MHz and
provide the limits for a data transmission at 10 Mbit/s,
100 Mbit/s, 1 Gbit/s and 10 Gbit/s. A recent addition is
the performance level CAT 8, with augmented CAT 6A
components and CAT 8 cables, which are assumed
to be sufficient to support 40 Gbit/s transmissions at
a frequency of 2.000 MHz. Table 4 is an extension by
the applications of Table 1). Up to now, definitions and
limit of 1.000 MHz and transmission bit rates of
10 Gbit/s – these are large values compared to the
limits from the 1980´s.
STANDARDS APPLICABLE
AT THE INTERNATIONAL/EUROPEAN LEVEL
The International/European standards ISO/IEC 11801
and EN 50173 specify the performance characteristics
of connectors and cables. Here, we differentiate
between Categories from CAT 5 to CAT 7A (for the
components) and Classes (for the transmission
channels). Classes D (2002) to FA are specified in the
frequency range of 100 to 1.000 MHz and are used for
the transmission of digital data with 10 Mbit/s, 100

Frequency, Category, Class and Application

ANSI/TIA/EIA
Frequeny [MHz] ISO / EN / DIN Class Application
Category
100 CAT 5e Class D 10, 100 Mbit/s, 1 Gbit/s
250 CAT 6 Class E ---
500 CAT 6A Class EA 10 Gbit/s
600 --- Class F ---
1.000 --- Class FA ----
1.600 --- Erw. Class FA 40 Gbit/s
2.000 CAT 8 Class I & Class II 40 Gbit/s
Table 4: Category (USA) and Class (International), where does the CAT 8 cable range?

Installation Cables and Connectors – Overview

Connectors
8 CAT 5e CAT 6 CAT 6A --- --- Augmented CAT 6A
CAT 5e CAT 5e CAT 5e CAT 5e X X CAT 5e
Installation Cables

CAT 6 CAT 5e CAT 6 CAT 6 X X CAT 6

CAT 6A CAT 5e CAT 6 CAT 6A X X CAT 6A
--- X X X X X X
--- X X X X X X
CAT 8 CAT 5e CAT 6 CAT 6A X X CAT 8
Table 5: Backward Compatibility of Connectors and Installation Cables, ANSI/TIA, US Standard

13
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

Installation Cables and Connectors – Overview and Class I

Connectors

8.1 CAT 5e CAT 6 CAT 6A CAT 7 CAT 7A

Augmented
CAT 6A
CAT 5e Class D Class D Class D Class D Class D Class D
Installation Cables

CAT 6 Class D Class E Class E Class E Class E Class E

CAT 6A Class D Class E Class EA Class EA Class EA Class EA
CAT 7 Class D Class E Class EA X X X
CAT 7A Class D Class E Class EA X X X
CAT 8.1 Class D Class E Class EA X X Class I
Table 6: ISO/IEC Backward Compatibility of Augmented CAT 6A Connectors in Combination with CAT 8.1 Installation Cables (F/UTP), Gap
in Classes F and FA

Mbit/s, 1 Gbit/s and 10 Gbit/s speeds. Now, adding to
them will be:
• Class I with cables of CAT 8.1 (F/UTP, Foiled/
Unshielded Twisted Pair) and enhanced CAT 6A
components, as well as
• Class II with CAT 8.2 cables (S/FTP, Screened/
Foil Shielded Twisted Pair) and enhanced CAT 7A
components which are intended to be sufficient for
the transmission of 40 Gbit/s (Table 4).
• So, there will be two different standards which:
1-1) in the case of CAT 8 (USA), with enhanced CAT 6A
connectors and CAT 8 cables will only be backward
compatible with CAT 6A (Table 5) and
• 1-2) in the case of Class I, with enhanced CAT 6A
connectors and CAT 8.1 cables will only be backward
compatible with Class EA (Table 6), and
• 2) in the case of Class II, with the enhanced
CAT 7A connectors and CAT 8.2 cables will also
be backward compatible with Class F and FA
(Table 7).
WHAT DO THE TABLES SHOW BY COMPARISON?
When using S/FTP cables, the ISO/IEC standard
(International) allows for the seamless implementation
of all link classes (from Class D to Class II, Table
7), whereas incompatibilities (not feasable, not
standardized) between some connector and cable
types will occur when using F/UTP data cables (Table
6) and when applying the ANSI/TIA standard to CAT
8 (Table 5), so that Class F and FA requirements will
not be fulfilled. The checkmarks in the Tables 5 and 6
indicate those connector - cable combinations which
are not useful. In the worst case you will only achieve
CAT 6A (Table 5) and Class EA (Table 6) performance.
When participating in a tender and selecting the
components, it is therefore important to consider
which standard shall apply.
AUGMENTED CONNECTORS
What do augmented connectors of CAT 6A (ANSI/TIA),
of CAT 6A (ISO/IEC) and of CAT 7A (ISO/IEC) mean?
Augmented CAT 6A (ANSI/TIA) / CAT 6A (ISO/IEC)
connector: Key features are that the augmented CAT 6A
and CAT 6A connectors are based on our traditional
RJ45 connectors of CAT 6A and CAT 6A, respectively, but
performance needs to be enhanced to support 2.000

14
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

Installation Cables and Connectors – Overview and Class II

Connectors

8.2 CAT 5e CAT 6 CAT 6A CAT 7 CAT 7A

Augmented
CAT 6A
CAT 5e Class D Class D Class D Class D Class D Class D
CAT 6 Class D Class E Class E Class E Class E Class E
Installation Cables

CAT 6A Class D Class E Class EA Class EA Class EA Class EA

CAT 7 Class D Class E Class EA Class F Class F Class F
CAT 7A Class D Class E Class EA Class F Class FA Class FA

CAT 8.1 Class D Class E Class EA Class F Class FA Class II

Table 7: ISO / IEC Backward Compatibility of Augmented CAT 7A Connectors in Combination with CAT 8.2 Installation Cables (S/FTP, Pair
Shielded)

MHz. Considering that the original RJ45 was designed
for transmission bandwidths of 3 MHz and is currently
already being used in the versions CAT 6A and CAT 6A
up to 500 MHz and is now intended for use up to 2.000
MHz, it is really amazing that this is expected to work.
Nonetheless, technical experts from the connector
suppliers feel confident and have proposed that this will
be feasible. Quite honestly, just a couple of years ago, who
did ever believe that the RJ45 connector would support
500 MHz? And this also worked well! So, we will see the
RJ45 connector in augmented versions again in future
supporting 2.000 MHz.
pfung  von  Verkabelungsstecken
100
3
Augmented CAT 7A connector: Things look a lot better
for the connector components of the augmented
CAT 7A which are enhancements of the existing CAT 7A
connectors, i.e. TERA, GG 45 or ARJ45 connectors
are modified in support of 2.000 MHz. It is much
easier to imagine this with these connectors, as these
connectors, except for the GG45 connector, do not
have anything in common with the RJ45 connector and
are not backward compatible with the RJ45 connector
either. (Note: GG45 specification describes a jack that
is backward compatible with the RJ45 connector, and
will exibit CAT 7A characteristics when transposing pin
pairs 3-6 and 4-5 to opposite side of the jack and using

A:enua9on  Class  FA

uenz
A1enua0on  of  Class  FA  up  to  2000  MHz
1 4,0
Figure 6:
CAT 7A/Class FA
1 10 100 1000 10000
2 4,0 0
3 4,0
4
5
4,0
4,3 10
attenuation as a function
of signal frequency
6 4,7
7 5,1
8 5,4 20
9 5,7
10 6,0
16 7,6 30
32,5 10,8
62,5 15,0
100 19,1 40
150 23,6
200 27,3 A:enua9on  Class  FA
250 30,7 50
300 33,7
350 36,6
400 39,2 60
450 41,7
500 44,1
550 46,4 70
600 48,6
700 52,7
800 56,6 80
900 60,3
1000 63,8
1250 72,0 90
1500 79,5
1750 86,6
2000 93,2 100
2500 105,5
3000 116,9
3500 127,5
4000 137,6
4500 147,3
5000 156,5
6000 174,1
7000 190,6

15
8000 206,4
9000 221,5
10000 236,0
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
the ARJ45 connector).
INCREASING CABLE REQUIREMENTS
There is a far bigger challenge when it comes to
installation cables, because in twisted pair, copper
cabling attenuation will significantly increase with
frequency (Figure 6). Attenuation of a 100 m channel
Figure 7: Schematic Diagram of Data Cable run in parallel and their Noise Parameters – Source: Internet
Figure 8: Category 8.1 F/UTP data cable
16
of Class FA at 2.000 MHz would already be at about 95
dB. As such a value lies far beyond the usable range for
active equipment, there was no way around reducing
the effective attenuation for transmissions over CAT
8, CAT 8.1 and CAT 8.2 cables. The only way to get
attenuation into a usable range is by a length de-rating.
That’s why for CAT 8/Class I and Class II transmissions,
a reference channel length of 30 m was agreed that
Figure 9: Category 8.2 S/FTP data cable
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

Figure 10: Attenuation limits of the various Categories/Classes as per ISO/IEC for Class I and Class II cabling (with CAT 8.1 and CAT
8.2 cables)

Figure 11: NEXT limits of the various Categories/Classes as per ISO/IEC for Class I and Class II cabling (with CAT 8.1 and CAT 8.2
cables)

17
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Figure 12: Return loss limits for the various Classes as per ISO/IEC for Class I and Class II cabling (with Cat 8.1 and Cat 8.2 cables)
abandons the 100 m channel.
Another problem encountered is Alien Crosstalk
(interference originating from outside the affected
cable pairs) (Figure 7).
So, all standardization bodies working on 40 Gbit/s
transmission speeds are talking about using shielded
cabling systems. Even the strongest proponents of
UTP (unshielded) cables (including the members of
American standardization bodies) are considering
shielded cabling for CAT 8. ISO/IEC are discussing about
F/UTP cables for CAT 8.1 (Figure 8) and S/FTP cables for
CAT 8.2 (Figure 9). Note: It is hardly noticeable, but the
individual wire pairs have slightly different lay lengths
resulting in improved crosstalk performance.
CONSIDERATION OF OTHER TRANSMISSION
PARAMETERS
Taking into consideration a higher level of attenuation
and crosstalk sensitivity, there is good evidence that
in future new transmission performance classes will
18
exclusively use shielded cables.
Let us now look at the transmission parameters
for the individual categories/cabling classes. The
transmission characteristics of data transmission
cables also depend on a number of other transmission
parameters. Key parameters are: Near End Cross Talk
(NEXT) and Return Loss (RL).
CAT 8, Class I and Class II, as already described, are
enhancements of the existing transmission standards.
Regarding ANSI/TIA CAT 8, most of the present
transmission parameters for CAT 6A are now computed
to a frequency of 2.000 MHz, as for example the loss
limit for CAT 8 with reduced length will be at 35.6 dB
maximum.
The situation is quite similar with Class I and Class
II. Here the computational values of Classes EA and
FA for 2.000 MHz result in a maximum attenuation of
30.8 dB (Figure 10) (Class I). Minimum NEXT values
(Figure 11) are 17.2 dB (Class I) and 31.7 dB (Class II),
and the minimum Return Loss values (Figure 12) are 6
dB (Class I) and 8 dB (Class II).
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

SIMON C. COWLEY,
VP GLOBAL WORKPLACE
TECHNOLOGIES AND
ENTERPRISE PORTFOLIO AT COMMSCOPE
Why is standard compliance important?
Compliance to international cabling standards
guarantees that the infrastructure will
support the specified applications even when
minimally compliant active electronics are
in use. End-users cannot always specify the
transceivers being used in their equipment,
so design margin that is built into the cabling
standards protects the application and the
end-user’s data.
WireXpert 4500
Most Advanced Cable Tester up to
2,500 MHz
Certify your data center and enterprise installa-
tions in the shortest time. The WireXpert, with its
unparallelled 2.500 MHz measurement range, is the
first cable certifier with the capability to certify the
highest performance cabling systems in enterprise
networks and data centers. Cable installers make
significant gain in productivity with WireXpert‘s in-
dustry leading test speed and ease of use. With cer-
tification testing up to Class FA and CAT 8 copper
cabling, as well as MPO, SM, MM and MMEF fiber op-
tic cabling, WireXpert is ready for 40G and beyond.

A lot of work still lies ahead for the working groups In

the standardization process for a 40 Gbit/s transmission
over CAT 8 as well as Class I and Class II copper cabling
systems, though, as it looks now, we will not have to
wait for long until the transmission standard on 40
Gbit/s transmissions over copper cabling and the related
cabling standards will be ratified. Up to now, existing
implementations of these standards are primarily
focused on cabling and transmissions systems in data
centers. Data applications associated with Ultra-HD, the
subsequent standard defining higher resolution in the
video and television environments, need to be taken
into account as well. For this purpose, considerably
more data will have to be transmitted in data centers,
and this requires more bandwidth. But as the past has
already witnessed this type of development, today’s
servers will be tomorrow’s desktops, and then 40 Gbit/s
will be required for the horizontal cabling as well.

19
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

Bild 13 – Permanent Link Test Setup

Permanent Link
Test Adapter
Permanent Link
Test Cable

PP CP TO

FD Permanent Link WA
max. 90m
Bild 14 – Channel Link Test Setup
Figure 13: Permanent Link Test Setup, CP: Consolidation Point, floor tank (Consolidation Point)

Channel Link
Test Adapter
Patch Cable in
012 © Psiber Data GmbH
Channel Link
PROFESSIONAL NETWORK TESTING & PROTOCOL ANALYSIS

CC PP CP TO

FD Channel Link WA
max. 100m
Figure 15: Wiremap as per TIA
Figure 14: Channel Test Setup, CC: Cross Connect, additional Patch Panel in the Floor Distributor

568A/B wiring standard

TIA 568A TIA 568B

012 © Psiber Data GmbH

PROFESSIONAL NETWORK TESTING & PROTOCOL ANALYSIS

Figure 15: Wiremap as per TIA

568A/B wiring standard, difference:
pairs 2 and 3 are transposed

2013 © Psiber Data GmbH

20
PROFESSIONAL NETWORK TESTING & PROTOCOL ANALYSIS

Chapter 3:
Measurement Technology
MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR COPPER
CABLING – NEW CHALLENGES
Now, we consider in detail the measurement
technology for copper cabling. Let us start with the
well-known measurement parameters and continue
with the measurement requirements placed on copper
transmission systems for the new transmission classes
up to 2.000 MHz.
New transmission classes put new challenges to
the measurement devices which are now required
to support measurements up to a frequency of 2.000
MHz minimum, and, as experience tells, even a little
beyond for the new transmission performance classes
CAT 8 (ANSI/TIA standard), Class I and Class II (ISO/
IEC standard).
In order to be able to perform correct measurements
one does not only need a suitable measurement
device, but the correct test setup is equally important.
Unfortunately, there is much confusion about this,
leading to erroneous measurements and ending up
in incorrect test results. We are talking here of the so-
called Channel and Permanent Link measurements.
What is this all about?
DEFINITION OF PERMANENT LINK AND
CHANNELS
Standards always define the channel (the permanent link
+ patch cords). The channel is the end-to-end transmission
path between the active equipment, as for instance the
switch at one end and the Network Interface Card (NIC)
at the other end.
What are the channel parts? The Channel includes
the installation cables that should be layed by the
installer (these are usually pulled-in), furthermore
the connecting hardware in the telecommunications
room, mainly patch panels – or modules that are
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
inserted into the patch panel frame, and the work
station outlet or module in a face plate that is installed
in the work area. These permanently installed parts
of the cabling are referred to as Permanent Link by
the standards (Figure 13, Explanatory notes see
Figure 4). In some special cases, there are additional
consolidation points (CP) in the permanent link,
mainly under floor distributors, serving the respective
office space. All these components are part of the
Permanent Link.
 If finally the jumpers or flexible patch cords are
connected at both ends of the Permanent Link, just
then we will have a complete Channel. These patch
cords should be the same patch cords which will be
used later during network operation. In case these
patch cords are removed and replaced by others, the
standard specifies to perform renewed measurements
for the verification of the Channel. This means that
certification testing carried out upon completion of an
installation should always be performed as Permanent
Link measurements since the Permanent Link will
usually not be touched any more after installation.
Unfortunately, it does very often happen that
installers performing certification testing after
installation, do this with the channel adapters inserted
in the measurement device and with two 2 - 5 m long
patch cords without knowing that these channel
measurements (Figure 14) will produce incorrect
measurement results and can render measurement
data completely unusable. On the one hand, they do
this in an attempt to save the money needed to buy
the more expensive test cords for the Permanent Link
measurements, and on the other hand, because the
result of the length measurement is falsified by these
two additional patch cord lengths in each Permanent
Link measurement performed. And even more so: The
durability and life cycle of patch cords with standard
RJ45 connectors are limited. Warranty is granted for
21
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Figure 16: Wiremap and wiring errors
Figure 16: Wiremap and wiring errors:
a) correct, b) wires reversed, c) pairs transposed, d) split pair fault (the same two wires are reversed at both ends)
about 750 connection cycles which means these ``test
cords´´ have only an extremely limited life cycle.
Therefore, measurements performed with
low-quality patch cords will result in completely
wrong certification test results. Permanent Link
test cords using the significantly better RJ45
measurement connectors have a life cycle of up to
10,000 measurements now - a fact that justifies the
somewhat higher purchase price of these test cords.
Apart from this, nothing much has changed about the
22
measurement parameters. As has been the case for
quite some time, the characteristics of a cabling link
are measured and determined, as is summarized in
the box on page 25.
Another pecularity is sometimes found in floor
distributors: a cross connect (CC) the active equipment
is permanently connected to, thus patching is not
directly performed on the active equipment, but on
the cross connect. In the following section we will
consider the details of measurements.
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

U
R= [Ω]
l
IS THE CABLE WIRING (WIREMAP) CORRECT?
The percentage of wiring errors that occur during In addition, cabling certifiers calculate the biggest
installation is about 90% of all defective links. When difference and will display these results. The limit
testing the wiremap, the proper pin assignment of of pair resistance shall not exceed e.g. 25Ω in the
wires and pairs at both ends of the cabling is verified. transmission channel as per ANSI/TIA 568 C, ISO/IEC
The wiring configuration according to TIA 568A or TIA 11801 and EN 50173 for CAT 5e to CAT 6A and Class
568B wiring codes will be displayed (Figure 15). D to Class FA.
The cabling will be tested for the correct continuity
(Figure 16a) of individual wires, for open circuits, short PROPAGATION DELAY AND DELAY SKEW
circuits (including the shield), reversals (individual Propagation Delay tests measure the time the signals
wires Figure 16b, and pairs Figure 16c), and for split need to travel from one end of the cabling link to
pairs (Figure 16d). the other end. Propagation Delay depends on the
length of the cabling link. However, Delay Skew is the
A split pair fault can occur when reversing e.g. 1 and 3 more important value, as for data rates of 1 Gbit/s
(the white wires in many cables) at both ends. Some of
those simple wiring testers (e.g. with LEDs indicators
only) that merely run an ohmic test for the continuity
of wires will not be able to detect this fault, as all wires
are connected, as for instance 1 with 1, 2 with 2, 3 with
3, etc. Only if RF tests are performed an increased NEXT
(Near End Crosstalk) level between the affected pairs
will be detected. A method to test the wiremap for any
wiring errors (including split pairs) is to use a wiring
tester (Wiremapper) equipped with a higher degree of
intelligence, as for instance CM 200, CM 400/450 (Figure
17), or CM 600/650 from Softing IT Networks GmbH.

DIRECT CURRENT RESISTANCE OF PAIRS

The test of direct current resistance of pairs serves
for the verification of a poor contacting of wires due
to improper connector or outlet termination. For this
purpose, the measurement device will charge the pairs
with a defined current (a few mA), the end of the pairs
will be short-circuited and measured for any voltage
Figure 17: CM 450
drop. The resistance of pairs is calculated in Ohm using cabling tester
the formula.

23
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Figure 18: Attenuation measurement of data cabling It is calculated using the formula
Figure 19: NEXT Attenuation Measurement
and beyond all four pairs are used at the same time
for transmission. Therefore, in order to be able to
recombine the signals into a single data stream at the
receiving end skew between pairs shall not exceed 50
ns for CAT 5e/Class D to CAT 6A/Class EA and 30 ns,
respectively, for Class F and Class FA.
24
DETERMINATION OF CABLING LENGTH
Length measurement, as described above, is not a
normative requirement, but installation companies
typically use this as a basis for invoicing their
customers. Therefore, all modern cabling certifiers will
also determine the length of the cabling links. In fact, a
correct length measurement should be performed with
a measurement device that refers to the “International
Prototype Metre” or to today’s new definition of the

meter. Of course, is not possible to make such a length
measurement on installed cabling links.
Another option would be to read the length from
the meter marks on the cables. As this is somewhat
troublesome, a different method is needed. What
measurement devices already can do is to measure
the propagation delay from one end of the cabling link
to the other.
The length of the cabling link can then be calculated
from the result of the propagation delay measurement
and the velocity of electrical signals in the cable.
Velocity in the cable: Electromagnetic waves travel
at the speed of light in an absolute vacuum, but
slower in any other medium. In order to be able to
determine the length from the propagation delay and
the velocity in the medium one needs to know the
so-called NVP factor (Nominal Velocity of Propagation
= velocity factor). This will either be supplied by the
cable manufacturer or be determined by the cabling
certifier on a cable of a known length, e.g. 50 m.
MEASUREMENT PARAMETERS FOR CABLING LINKS
• Wiremap and shield continuity (Wiremap, shield)
• DC Resistance of pairs
• Delay and delay skew
• Length measurement, however, is, as it used to be,
for information only
And the RF measurements, such as
• Insertion loss of pairs (Attenuation)
• Crosstalk of pairs at the Near End (NEXT)
• Return loss of pairs
• Crosstalk of pairs at the Far End (FEXT)
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Then this value is entered as a parameter in the cable
NVP settings of the measurement device for the cabling
under test, and the length can be measured by the cabling
certifier using the formula
l = t · NVP · c
Whereas l = length of cabling link, t = delay, NVP =
velocity factor, and c = speed of light (299,792,458 m/s)
MEASUREMENT OF HIGH FREQUENCY (RF)
PROPERTIES
The high frequency properties of a four-pair data
cable will determine its quality. Regarding the quality
testing of generic telecommunications cabling,
the IEC 61935-1/EN 61935-1 standards propose
procedures on how to perform measurements
on cabling systems (see info box on page 30).
The ANSI/TIA 568 C/ISO/IEC 11801/EN 50173
standards provide general guidance for the design
of generic communications plants, while EN 50174
defines requirements for their installation.
Further parameters are
computed from these, such as
• Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio Near End (ACR-N)
• Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio Far End (ACR-F)
• Power Sum of Crosstalk Attenuation (PSNEXT)
•P ower Sum of Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio Near
End (PSACR-N)
•P ower Sum of Attenuation-to-Crosstalk
Ratio Far End (PSACR-F)
25
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

(output signal, Figure 18).

ATTENUATION OF PAIRS
RF attenuation of a cabling link will be measured in the
frequency range of the corresponding category/cabling
class (e.g. CAT 6A/Class EA up to 500 MHz) and depends
on the length and the wire cross section of the cable used.
The attenuation of pairs is the logarithmic ratio expressed
in dB of the signal injected into the pair (input signal) and
the signal that is received at the other end of the link
It is calculated using the formula:
D(f) = 20 · log ( )UA(f)
UE(f)
[dB]
and is expressed in dB. The largest of the four attenuation
values will be used for cabling link evaluation. Modern
cabling certifiers will also display the measured values of
all pairs as plots and save all results.

Figure 20: Return loss (RL), test method

Figure 21: Crosstalk of pairs at the far end (FEXT)

26

CROSSTALK OF PAIRS AT THE NEAR END (NEXT)
The coupling of signals from one pair of wires into another
pair is an undesired effect which results in signal distortion
impairing signal transmission. RF Near-End Crosstalk (of a
cabling link) is also measured in the relevant frequency
range and depends on the components and cables used
and on the quality of connecting hardware termination
Near-End Crosstalk or NEXT is the determination
of how many signal parts Tx of one pair of wires are
coupled into another pair Rx at the near end (Figure
19).
In a four-pair cable, measurements would have
to be performed from each pair to each other pair
that is 2 · 4 · (4 – 1) measurements and twelve
measurements all in all on a four-pair cable. However,
since the measurement from pair 12 to pair 36 will
deliver the same results as a measurement from
pair 36 to pair 12, it was agreed only to perform six
measurements. As the effect of crosstalk only extends
to about 30 - 40m into the pairs, these measurements
need to be taken from both ends of the cabling link
(bi-directional testing), resulting in a total of twelve
NEXT plots. NEXT attenuation is calculated using the
formula
Next(f) = 20 · log
(  )
Rx(f)
Tx(f)
[dB]
and is also expressed in dB. Out of all the measured values
the one having the smallest distance to the limit curve
will be taken to serve as the worst value in the evaluation
of the cabling link. The measured values of all pair
combinations are also displayed as plots and will be saved.
RETURN LOSS OF PAIRS
Return Loss is a measure of the consistency of impedance
in the cabling link. Signal reflections are undesired effects,
as the reflected signal impairs signal transmission in the
pairs. Figure 20 shows the measurement.
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Accordingly, the RF Return Loss of a cabling
link will be measured in the frequency range of
the corresponding CAT/Class and depends on the
components and cables used and on the quality of
connecting hardware termination.
Return Loss measurements determine the reflected signal
amplitude Rx in dependence of the injected signal Tx in the
same pair of wires. As the effect of reflection also extends
only about 30 to 40 m into the pairs, these measurements
have to be performed at both ends of the cabling link (bi-
directional), delivering eight values for each link.
Return loss is calculated using the formula
(  )
Rx(f)
RL(f) = 20 · log [dB]
Tx(f)
and is also expressed in dB. The result with the smallest
distance to the limit curve will be taken from all the
measured values as the worst value for the evaluation of
the cabling link. The measured values of all pairs are also
displayed as plots and will be saved.
CROSSTALK OF PAIRS AT THE FAR END (FEXT)
Crosstalk of pairs at the far end of the cabling link is
the unwanted signal coupling from disturbing pairs into
adjacent disturbed pairs measured at the far end. This
is another undesired effect, as this kind of crosstalk
causes disturbance. RF Far End Crosstalk of the cabling
link is measured in the frequency range of the relevant
cabling Categorie or Class (i.e. CAT 6A/Class EA: from 1
to 500 MHz) as well and depends to a large extend on
the components and cables (e.g. UTP/S/STP) used and
on the quality of connecting hardware termination.
These disturbing events are referred to as Far End
Crosstalk (FEXT). The test setup is illustrated in Figure
21.
27
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

Figure 22: Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio Near End (ACR-N)

Figure 23: Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio Far End (ACR-F, previously referred to as ELFEXT)

(    )
calculated using the formula
In a four-pair cable, measurements have to be UTxpn(f)
performed on each pair from both ends of the cabling FEXTpn/pf(f) = 20·log [dB]
link to all the other pairs at the other end of the cabling URxpf(f)
link. This would be 2 · 4 · (4 – 1) measurements that • FEXTpn/pf(f) = Far-end crosstalk of pair near end to pair
have to be performed in a four-pair cable at both ends far end
of the cable (bi-directional testing) and this comes • UTxpn(f) = Transmit level pair near end and
to a total of 24 measurements. Far-End Crosstalk is • URxpf(f) = Receive level pair far end

28

The results obtained in this way, however, are not
meaningful in themselves and not suitable for limit
comparison, as FEXT results depend on the length of
the cabling link. Therefore, calculating FEXT minus
insertion loss based on these measured values will
then provide a comparable result (see ACR-F).
Now, we have explained all RF test parameters
that are measured during an autotest performed
by a cabling certifier. Since some of the test results
explained so far are not yet sufficient to describe all
disturbing events occuring during signal transmission
over a cabling link it is necessary to compute some
more results from these measured RF parameters.
These computational results are described in the
following section.
ATTENUATION-TO-CROSSTALK
RATIO NEAR END (ACR-N)
In order to obtain a statement of the ratio of the wanted
signal to the unwanted (noise) signal of a cabling link it
is necessary to calculate the attenuation (wanted signal)
to crosstalk (noise signal) ratio (ACR-N - Attenuation
Crosstalk Ratio Near End) at the near end of the cabling
link (Figure 22).
ACR-N will be computed (calculated) from the
attenuation test results and the NEXT test results of
the cabling already obtained using the formula:
ACR-Npx/px(f) =
NEXTpx/py(f)–ATTENUATIONpx(f) [dB]
• ACR-N px/py = Attenuation-Crosstalk-Ratio pair X to Y
• NEXT px/py = Near End X(Cross) Talk pair X to Y
• ATTENUATION py = Attenuation pair Y
Similar to NEXT, twelve results will be obtained, as
these are computed from the twelve NEXT results
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
OENE-WIM STALLINGA,
CHANNEL MARKETING
DIRECTOR
NEXANS CABLING
SOLUTIONS 
Why is the measurement of structured cabling
important?
Structured Cabling Networks consists out
of different individual components, such as
cables and connectors. The installation and
termination of those components determine
for a large part the quality of the link. The
purpose of field testing is to validate the
installation against both the requirements of
the standards and the demands of the Nexans
warranty process. Measuring provides the
network owner transparency and peace of
mind.
Also in case of problems, measuring is the
way to identify errors or failures. Test results
are a crucial source of information to identify
the source of the problem so that the installer
can rectify and re-test.
measured at the near and far end of cabling links and
the attenuation test results of the disturbed pairs.
These twelve ACR-N results are also displayed as plots
by the cabling certifiers. Note: This result is a normative
specification in ISO, CENELEC standards only.
ATTENUATION-TO-CROSSTALK RATIO
AT THE FAR END (ACR-F)
This was in previously standards referred to as ELFEXT
and now as ACR-F. In order to get results that can be
29
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Figure 24: Power Sum Results, i.e. PS NEXT
compared with the limit curves obtained from the 24 FEXT
test results measured at the near and far ends of the cable,
the attenuation associated with the disturbed pairs has to
be deducted from each of the measured FEXT values of the
disturbed pairs (see Figure 23).
 The measurement device computes ACR-F
results using the formula:
ACR-Fpf(f) =
FEXTpn/pf(f) - ATTENUATIONpf(f) [dB]
• ACR-Fpf = Attenuation-Crosstalk Ratio - pair far end
• FEXTpn/pf = Far End X(Cross) Talk pair near end to pair far end
• ATTENUATIONpf = attenuation at the pair far end
The calculation of ACR-F results provides values that can
be compared with the limits, as the length dependent
component Attenuation will be deducted from the length
dependent FEXT value. These 24 ACR-F results will typically
be displayed in graphical format as plots by the cabling
certifiers.
POWER SUM
Power Sum results are the summed noise signals that
originates from three disturbing pairs of a channel and
is coupled into a disturbed pair on the same channel (see
30
Figure 24 – example PSNEXT).
These Power Sums are also results that are computed
from the measured values such as NEXT or from
computational values as ACR-N or ACR-F, using the
following formula:
3
PSNEXTpn(f)=
∫ 1
NEXTpn(f) [dB]
Likewise, the same formula is used for the computation of
the Power Sum values for ACR-N and ACR-F.
Now, we have described all parameters which a cable certifier
determines or computes during a test within a few seconds.
The cabling certifier will then use these results obtained and
computed, respectively, for a comparison with the limits or
limit curves specified by the respective standards (Figures 10
to 12). It takes the WireXpert 4500 cabling certifier just 10
seconds to run an autotest as per CAT 6A/Class EA, and only
22 seconds to run an autotest as per Class FA, CAT 8, Class I or
II, while testing up to a frequency of 2.5 GHz.
Information
Standards IEC 61935-1 / EN 61935-1:
Specification for the testing of balanced and coaxial
information technology cabling - Part 1: Installed balanced
cabling as specified in the standards ISO/IEC 11801 / EN 50173.

Chapter 4:
Documentation/Reporting
DOCUMENTATION OF TEST RESULTS
After completion of installation and certification
testing, the test results need to be documented.
Certification is the verification of compliance of
products/services and their manufacturing processes
with the relevant standards followed by the issuance
of a certificate.
The verification of cabling links for compliance with
the relevant standards is performed using a cabling
certifier which consolidates all the individual results
obtained into an overall rating as PASS or FAIL and
will save them. Modern devices being able to run
autotests compliant with CAT 6A/Class EA, Class FA,
CAT 8, Class I and Class II (the latter up to 2.500 MHz)
and to save test results with all plot data, will save up
to 190.000 result data for each autotest performed.
Moreover, modern cabling certifiers have to be able
Figure 25:
Summary report of certification tests performed on data cabling
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
to save thousands of these autotests inclusive of all
the result data. Certificates with full plots will then be
created by the reporting software that is included in
the delivery of the cabling certifier. This is done simply
by exporting all autotests to the PC-based reporting
software using a USB stick (flash disc) or by connecting
a USB cable directly to the PC. This software enables
you to sort out and group the results and to generate
a report of each individual autotest performed, either
as a summary report (Figure 25) or as an individual
report (Figure 26).
The summary reports and individual reports are
handed over to the principal upon project completion.
Typically, the installation company issues the invoice
for the project based on the summary report and the
total of all measured lengths.
The certification tests performed on permanent
links and channels will then be used by the installation
companies as the basis to get a system warranty for
the cabling project. For this purpose, the installation
company submits cabling test results related to the
31
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

Copper Certification Report

Cable Label: A-2 Overall Result:

Date & Time: 07.07.2017 12:33:51
09.09.2016 15:58:55 Building: Unspecified-Building
Limit Type: ISO - Class EA Link PL1 PL2 CP1 Floor: Unspecified-Floor
Cable Name: CAT 6A FTP Room: Unspecified-Room
Connector Name: Shielded CAT6A Rack: Unspecified-Rack
Site: test Panel: Unspecified-Panel
Operator Name: Unspecified

Local Ser. No.: pw20100759 Remote Ser. No.: pw20100760

Local Adapter: Cat 6A Link Remote Adapter: Cat 6A Link
Local Calibration Date: 07.07.2017
Jul 1 2016 Remote Calibration Date: 07.07.2017
Jul 1 2016
Device Software: 7.2 Reporting Software: Build: 7.2

Wiremap: Pass
Value Limit Margin
Length (m): 27,6
Cable NVP: 80,0
Propagation Delay (ns): 122,0 - 376,0
Delay Skew (ns): 4,0 44,0 40,0
Resistance (Ohms): 5,9 21,0 15,1
Wiremap: T568B

Insertion Loss: Pass dB Local

Worst Margin: Worst Value: -20
Local: Local:
Pair: 36 36 20
Value (dB): 0,9 11,8
Limit (dB): 4,0 46,1
Margin (dB): 3,1 34,3 60
0 250 500 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 4,00 498,00

Return Loss: Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: -20 -20
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 78 78 12 12 20 20
Value (dB): 23,5 25,1 13,9 16,8
Limit (dB): 18,1 18,2 8,0 8,0
Margin (dB): 5,4 6,9 5,9 8,8 60 60
0 250 500 MHz 0 250 500 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 37,50 37,00 493,00 498,00

NEXT:Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: 0 0
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 36-45 36-45 36-45 36-45 60 60
Value (dB): 34,4 35,1 32,7 33,2
Limit (dB): 30,7 30,3 27,8 27,8
Margin (dB): 3,7 4,8 4,9 5,4 120 120
0 250 500 MHz 0 250 500 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 426,00 448,00 500,00 500,00

ACR-F: Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: -20 -20
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 45-12 12-45 78-45 78-45 40 40
Value (dB): 67,9 67,9 25,6 25,2
Limit (dB): 55,0 55,0 11,3 11,3
Margin (dB): 12,9 12,9 14,3 13,9 100 100
0 250 500 MHz 0 250 500 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 3,25 3,25 496,00 500,00

ACR-N: Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: -20 -20
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 36-45 36-45 36-45 36-45 40 40
Value (dB): 58,5 58,3 21,0 21,5
Limit (dB): 29,1 28,1 -18,3 -18,3
Margin (dB): 29,4 30,2 39,3 39,8 100 100
0 250 500 MHz 0 250 500 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 65,50 70,25 500,00 500,00

PS-NEXT: Pass PS-ACRF: Pass PS-ACRN: Pass

Worst Margin: Worst Value: Worst Margin: Worst Value: Worst Margin: Worst Value:
Local: Remote: Local: Remote: Local: Remote: Local: Remote: Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 36 36 36 36 45 12 45 45 36 36 36 36
Value (dB): 32,9 33,8 31,4 31,6 73,7 74,3 24,1 23,8 54,0 53,0 19,8 19,9
Limit (dB): 27,8 27,5 26,0 25,0 62,0 62,0 8,3 8,3 24,6 23,7 -20,3 -21,2
Margin (dB): 5,1 6,3 5,4 6,6 11,7 12,3 15,8 15,5 29,4 29,3 40,1 41,1
Frequency (MHz): 434,00 448,00 478,00 500,00 1,00 1,00 500,00 500,00 74,50 79,00 491,00 500,00

Network Compliance:10BASE-T, 100BASE-T, 1000BASE-T

Printed: 19.11.2016 19:03:03 Signature:______________________

Page: 1
Figure 26: Cabling Certification Report - PDF format

32

XAVIER RENARD, NETWORK
CONNECTIVITY BUILDING
OFFER MANAGER
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
What is the benefit of extensive documentation
of cabling?
At any time, IT professionals must know
the state and the load of each part of
the infrastructure. And with the increase
of throughputs, the structured cabling
is becoming more and more complex to
manage. It requests a high level of knowledge
of installers and engineering departments.
Means of a full documentation about
standardization, field testing, topologies and
best practices is strongly recommended.
project in the form of raw data or as pdf files (depending
on what is required by the manufacturer) to the cabling
system manufacturer who will issue a warranty for the
cabling system for a period of 15, 20, or more years.
Having a system warranty that covers the cabling project,
the network owner can turn to the system manufacturer
in the event of a malfunction caused by a problem in the
cabling system during the warranty period.
This will safeguard the network owner’s investment
to a level that goes beyond the common warranty claims
against the installation company. And for the installation
company, this is a proper way to complete a cabling
project, i.e. if a problem occurs in the network after
handover of the project with certification reports the
installer can also refer to these reports and exclude all
liability and consequently warranty for any claims raised
by the customer.
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Chapter 5:
Fault Analysis
FAULT ANALYSIS IN DATA NETWORKS
When a cabling certification test is performed and a fault
is identified (deviation from the standard specifications)
a fault analysis should follow. In this chapter, we will
describe some typical fault conditions.
No one wants this to happen when flying on an
airplane: ``In the unlikely event of a loss of cabin
pressure oxygen masks will drop from…´´ This
sentence is surely known to those who have already
travelled by plane one or more times. Luckily, only a
few among us will have gone through such a situation,
because this is very unlikely to happen.
Unfortunately, the occurrence of faults is not that
unlikely when running a cabling certification test.
In about 5% of all installed permanent links and
channels, faults will initially occur after installation,
about 90% of which are cabling or wiring faults. Let
us now go into the details of fault description and
troubleshooting.
WIRING FAULTS, INCORRECT CONNECTOR
TERMINATION
Wiring faults have already been described above
(Figure 16), including the variants thereof. Figure 27
presents an example of a typical wiring fault which
a cabling certifier would display in this or in a similar
way. This case is clear, the bl/wt wire (pin 5) is open at a
distance of 24.9 m from the Local unit. The installer can
localize and remove this fault.
Unfortunately, things are more complicated with
transposed pairs and reversed pairs. No cabling
certifier in this world can indicate at which cable end
the wires or pairs were reversed/transposed. The
only way out is to open the connector housing at one
33
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Figure 27:
Typical wiring fault
side of the cable run to verify the wiring. According to
Murphy’s laws, however, in most cases the connector
you have opened first, will be o.k. and you have to
realize that the fault must be at the other end of the
cable (Murphy’s laws: What you are looking for is
always in the last place you look. Source: Internet).
In general, most of the wiring faults can be corrected
without any great effort.
DC RESISTANCE FAULTS
When troubleshooting, a DC resistance fault can only
be pinned down to the faulty pair with the available
testing methods. A DC resistance fault can be caused
by:
• A poor physical/electrical contact due to insufficient
cutting into the insulation coating and wire in
insulation displacement contacts. Today, this happens
more rarely, since termination practices have improved
greatly over the last years.
• A poor physical contact due to connector end face
contamination. In general, this cause can easily be
identified and resolved by cleaning the connector.
34
• Excessive length of cabling link. This fault can only be
remedied by a shorter cable routing and should not
occur with proper design and deployment.
If a DC resistance fault is present the cause of it
can also be identified by insertion loss and return loss
measurements and can be localized by a Time Domain
Return Loss measurement.
DELAY SKEW BETWEEN PAIRS
Delay and delay skew should not matter any longer, as
only excessive cabling lengths can be the reason for this
fault. So bear in mind, if a fault occurs always look at
the cable length first, whether it could have caused the
fault. There is another exemption which, however, is
now extremely rare. These were manufacturing faults
occurring in the process of wire twisting.
Things are quite different with more complex faults.
In RF measurements, poor installation or termination
practices can cause various faults as well.
And do not forget, even an inadequate accuracy of
the cabling certifier can be the source of a fault. We will
refer to this subject once more at the end of this chapter.
HIGH ATTENUATION, WEAK SIGNAL?
There are various causes leading to attenuation faults,
including:
• Excessive length of cabling link, in this case the
solution would be a shorter cable length or a
different cable routing,
• A poor physical contact, either on the IDC side or the
contact side of the connection (Contamination or
wire break), see also DC resistance faults,
• Using a cable with too small a wire diameter, e.g. a
shielded cable with 24 AWG conductors (American
Wire Gauge, coding for wire diameter), which would
be due to a planning error and can only be resolved

by replacing the cable.
Another rare cause of an attenuation fault could be
excessive signal reflection, which would also be visible
in the return loss measurement.
CROSSTALK IN DATA CABLES
Crosstalk attenuation faults can have various causes as
well and can occur:
• When removing too much of the pair shield during
termination, especially critical for the higher
transmission classes of CAT 6A/Class EA and beyond,
the only solution here is to cut off the cable and re-
terminate it;
• By untwisting pairs too much during termination,
this is clearly an installation fault and the only
solution will be to cut off the cable and re-terminate
the connector;
• By using the wrong components, e.g. CAT
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
5e connecting hardware instead of CAT 6A
components. This would rather fall within the group
of planning errors and could only be remedied by
the installation of new connecting hardware (with
other characteristics);
• By defining or selecting wrong test settings, if for
example CAT 5e/Class D cabling was installed and
the technician tries to perform a CAT 6A/Class EA
measurement. This fault falls within the group of
user errors in handling cabling certifiers;
• By using the wrong test setup. If the technician tries
to make a Channel measurement using low-quality
patch cords (patch cords non-compliant with the
present CAT/Class) this would be a user error as well.
In addition to the RF crosstalk plots (Figure 28
left), modern cabling certifiers are able to plot
crosstalk versus length of the cabling link to facilitate
troubleshooting. This is mostly referred to as ``Time
Domain NEXT´´ (Figure 28 right). This representation
Figure 28: Left: A NEXT
fault is present, right: Time
domain measurement,
localization of fault
35
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
allows for the localization of crosstalk attenuation
faults, i.e. information on the distance to the location
of excessive crosstalk is provided.
RETURN LOSS FAULTS
Return loss faults can also have various causes and occur:
• By untwisting pairs too much during termination,
this is clearly an installation fault and again, the only
solution will be to cut off the cable and re-terminate
the connector.
• By using excessive pulling force when cables are
pulled-in. Although cables should not be ``pulled-
in´´ but ``laid´´ the ``pulling´´ (applying force) is still
common practice. The cable might be overstretched
which would result in a modified cable impedance
and cause a return loss fault. The only way out is to
replace the whole cable.
• By using wrong components, e.g. CAT 5 instead of
Figure 29: Left: Return Loss fault
detected, Right: Time Domain
Return Loss - fault localization
36
CAT 6A connectors, however, this would rather fall
within the group of planning errors.
• By defining or selecting wrong test settings. If a CAT
6A/Class EA cabling system was installed, but the
technician tries to perform a Class FA measurement,
this falls within the group of planning errors or user
errors in handling cabling certifiers.
• By using a wrong test setup. If the technician tries
to perform a Channel measurement with low-quality
patch cords this falls within the group of user errors;
• By a poor physical/electrical contact, either on the
IDC side or the contact side of the connection, see
also DC resistance faults.
In addition to the RF frequency plots (Figure 29 left),
modern cabling certifiers are able to plot Return Loss versus
length of the cabling link to facilitate troubleshooting. This
is mostly referred to as “Time Domain Return Loss” thus
facilitating troubleshooting (Figure 29 right).
These plots allow to locate Return Loss faults, i.e.

Figure 30: Left: ACR-N fault, center: Insertion loss - ok, right: NEXT - faulty
information is provided on the distance from the
position of the measurement device to the location
of higher reflection.
Likewise, faults can be presented with the
computational (calculated) test results. That’s why we
are going to consider them as well.
ACR FAULTS
ACR-N faults (Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio at the Near
End) only occur if one or both measured parameters
are faulty. In case of such a fault, it is necessary (Figure
30 left) – to look at the insertion loss (Figure 30 center)
and NEXT (Figure 30 right) results and search for any
faults there.
ACR-F faults (Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio at the
Far End) are caused either by excessive attenuation
of individual pairs or too high FEXT levels (crosstalk of
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
pairs at the far end). If attenuation is the cause it might
be possible to rescue something, see attenuation
faults. However, if attenuation is not faulty, then FEXT
will be the cause. In this case, you should contact the
manufacturer of the cabling system, as FEXT can be
originating either in the connecting hardware or in
the cable.
PSNEXT (POWER SUM NEXT) FAULTS
Faults regarding the Power Sum of the Attenuation-to-
Crosstalk Ratio Near End (PSACR-N) and the Power Sum
of the Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio Far End (PSACR-F)
do not occur isolated, as all Power Sums are results
computed from the measured parameters. That’s why
it is necessary to look at the measured parameters or
computational parameters used for it.
37
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

QUALITY WILL DECIDE

At this point, some words on the measurement
accuracy of cabling certifiers (Figure 31). As
described above, a cabling certifier is a measurement
device and has ,as any other measurement device,
certain measurement tolerances. However, since a
cabling certifier is a multi-parameter measurement
device there are different tolerance limits for the
various measurement procedures and the various
measurement parameters. Tolerance limits are
specified at an international level in a standard on
laboratory and field testing (IEC 61935-1) applying to
both cabling certifiers and laboratory measurement
devices. Differentiation is made between different
accuracy levels, e.g. Level V is adequate to test CAT
7A/Class FA cabling.

Figure 31: Cabling certifier, taking the

WireXpert Cabling Certifier from Softing IT
Networks as an example

Figure 32: NEXT accuracy

Level V Proposal -
achievable values and
measured values

38
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

For testing cabling links of CAT 8, Class I & II, the

required accuracy level is even higher. Currently
proposals are targeting a Level 2G accuracy for
MATTHIAS GERBER, measurements up to 2.000 MHz. However, you must
MARKET MANAGER not forget that the standards are usually an agreement
LAN CABLING by the various members on the least common evil, the
REICHLE & DE-MASSARI majority of measurement devices offer a significantly
higher level of measurement accuracy (Figure 32). It
What is important in an extended is of equal importance to have the cabling certifiers
system warranty from the verified for accuracy in regular intervals as indicated by
manufacturer? the manufacturer, just to avoid that one fine day you will
wake up to the fact that the device will not any longer
The peace of mind, that the system is fully and measure to the level of accuracy once specified by the
properly installed with accurate records and is manufacturer. Trained staff are required for all this
enabling existing and future applications to be who have good knowledge of the exact configurations
run reliably on existing infrastructures. and the parameters for a cabling certification test.
Moreover, you should be the well familiar with above
mentioned standards, measurement parameters and
fault descriptions.

Metric
AWG Diameter Cross Sectional Area R
Equivalent
Inch mm kcmil mm² (Ω/km) (mm²)
20 0,032 0,812 1,02 0,518 34,4 0,75
21 0,0285 0,723 0,41 43,4 0,5
22 0,0254 0,644 0,64 0,326 54,7 0,34
23 0,0226 0,573 0,258 67
24 0,0201 0,511 0,404 0,205 87 0,25
25 0,0179 0,455 0,162 110
26 0,0159 0,405 0,129 138 0,14
27 0,0142 0,361 0,102 174
28 0,0126 0,321 0,081 220 0,09
29 0,0113 0,286 0,0642 277
30 0,01 0,255 0,051 349

Table 8: Extract from the AWG (American Wire Gauge) table, the most widely used wire cross sections are highlighted

39
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Figure 33: Test setup for patch cord measurements performed with the Softing IT Networks GmbH WireXpert
Chapter 6:
Patch Cords
MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR PATCH
CORDS
In order to put a structured cabling system into
operation you need to have the installed cabling and
the active equipment (Switch and NIC = Network
Interface Card), and apart from this, you have to be able
to connect these two with each other. This is typically
done with so-called patch cords/jumpers. But how
to find out whether or not these patch cords comply
with the correct transmission performance class of the
structured cabling so that the channel will comply with
the correct class?
WHAT IS A PATCH CORD?
A patch cord consists of an unshielded or shielded
stranded cable with a length of about 1 to 5 m and
the unshielded or shielded connectors terminated
40
at both cable ends. Customary patch cords lengths
are up to 5 m (and sometimes even 10 m or more).
Here again, the most popular connector is the RJ45
connector. However, an issue arises from this, as
the RJ45 connector can only accomodate cables of
a limited maximum diameter. For this reason, cable
thickness needs to be kept low, particularly in shielded
patch cords. With regard to unshielded patch cords, it
is allowed to use wires with cross sections of up to 24
AWG (American Wire Gauge refer to Table 8).
Wire cross sections of 26 AWG – 27 AWG are mainly
used for shielded cables, particularly for S/STP patch
cords. The denotation AWG refers to a standardized
wire strength of data cables, with the numbers as for
instance 24 indicating the number of pulling processes
performed during wire manufacture. The higher the
number of subsequent pulling processes performed
the smaller the conductor diameter that is achieved.
Attenuation is about 20% higher in stranded data
cables. Another cause of higher attenuation is the
shielded construction of patch cords/jumpers and
results from the shielding. Due to the tight-fitting
pair foils the capacity of wires to ground potential
is higher than in unshielded cables which leads to
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

an increase in attenuation of up to 50%. The higher

level of attenuation results in a length-derating of
shielded patch cords compared to their unshielded
equivalents.

HOW TO TEST PATCH CORDS?

Measurement technology for patch cords poses various
challenges to the manufacturers of measurement
devices as well. On the one hand, patch cords typically
feature short cable lengths (compared to the installed
part of the cabling), and on the other hand, the
performance class of the patch cord, including the
connectors at both ends, has to be determined. For
this purpose, an end-to-end measurement of the patch
cord, including the mated connectors at both ends, has
to be carried out (Figure 33). The IEC 61935-2 patch
cord standard specifies special standardized reference
jacks for the respective measurement class of the
Categories 5, 6, 6A, as well as of the Categories 7 and
7A that are required to perform these measurements.
This, however, means that suitable test adapters for the
Figure 34: Screenshot of the limit selection for
RJ45 connector have to be used with the measurement patch cords testing
devices in line with the various measurement classes,
since individual test jacks are defined for each
measurement class of the Categories 5, 6, 6A, 7, and 7A.
In addition to this, the standards also define the limits
for the different patch cord lengths, i.e. measurements
have to be performed with different NEXT and return
loss limits settings specific to each category of patch
cords, e.g. CAT 5, 6, 6A, 7, and 7A dependent on patch
cord lengths.
Responding to this, measurement devices provide
a selection of limits depending on the category and
the length of the patch cord under test (Figure 34).
The measurement device will set the reference
planes accordingly as soon as patch cord test is
selected. If an autotest is run now with the appropriate Figure 35: Patch cord – CAT 6A test adapter for
test adapters (Figure 35) attached to the patch cords WireXpert with reference patch cord

41
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

Copper Certification Report

Cable Label: A-1 Overall Result:

Date & Time: 07.07.2017 12:33:51
19.11.2016 19:39:59 Building: Unspecified-Building
Limit Type: ISO-PatchCord Cat6A 2m Floor: Unspecified-Floor
Cable Name: CAT 6A FTP Room: Unspecified-Room
Connector Name: Shielded CAT6A Rack: Unspecified-Rack
Site: Unspecified Panel: Unspecified-Panel
Operator Name: Unspecified

Local Ser. No.: pw20100759 Remote Ser. No.: pw20100760

Local Adapter: Cat 6A Patch Cord Remote Adapter: Cat 6A Patch Cord
Local Calibration Date: 07.07.2017
Jul 1 2016 Remote Calibration Date: Jul 1 2016
07.07.2017
Device Software: 7.2 Reporting Software: Build: 7.2

Wiremap: Pass
Value Limit Margin
Length (m): 2,1 100,0 97,9
Cable NVP: 78,0
Propagation Delay (ns): 11,0 555,0 544,0
Delay Skew (ns): 1,0 50,0 49,0
Resistance (Ohms): 0,1 9999,0 9998,9
Wiremap: T568B

Insertion Loss: Pass dB Local

Worst Margin: Worst Value: 0
Local: Local:
Pair: 12 12 10
Value (dB): 0,0 0,1
Limit (dB): 4,0 4,1
Margin (dB): 4,0 4,0 20
0 250 500 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 1,00 5,05

Return Loss: Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: -20 -20
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 78 12 12 12 30 30
Value (dB): 29,4 18,3 18,8 17,4
Limit (dB): 24,0 13,1 12,0 12,0
Margin (dB): 5,4 5,2 6,8 5,4 80 80
0 250 500 MHz 0 250 500 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 25,00 286,00 339,00 341,00

NEXT:Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: 0 0
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 36-45 36-45 36-45 36-45 50 50
Value (dB): 35,1 33,0 35,1 33,0
Limit (dB): 31,2 31,2 31,2 31,2
Margin (dB): 3,9 1,8 3,9 1,8 100 100
0 250 500 MHz 0 250 500 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 490,00 493,00 490,00 493,00

ACR-F: Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: -20 -20
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 78-45 45-78 36-45 36-45 40 40
Value (dB): 31,8 32,0 23,8 23,8
Limit (dB): 25,0 25,2 16,0 16,0
Margin (dB): 6,8 6,8 7,8 7,8 100 100
0 250 500 MHz 0 250 500 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 215,50 210,50 499,00 499,00

PS-NEXT: Pass PS-ACRF: Pass

Worst Margin: Worst Value: Worst Margin: Worst Value:
Local: Remote: Local: Remote: Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 36 36 36 36 45 45 45 45
Value (dB): 32,4 31,2 32,4 31,2 20,8 29,9 20,8 20,9
Limit (dB): 21,1 21,1 21,1 21,1 11,0 20,1 11,0 11,0
Margin (dB): 11,3 10,1 11,3 10,1 9,8 9,8 9,8 9,9
Frequency (MHz): 494,00 494,00 494,00 494,00 499,00 213,50 499,00 499,00

Network Compliance:10BASE-T, 100BASE-T, 1000BASE-T

Figure 36: Certification report of a patch cord measurement

Printed: 19.11.2016 19:00:37 Signature:______________________

Page: 1
42

the result will be displayed within a few seconds (10
seconds for CAT 5, 6 and 6A, and 22 seconds for CAT 7
and 7A), stating whether or not the tested patch cord
complies with the selected category.
The test result can be saved in the measurement
device and a certification report can be generated
(Figure 36) for documentation purposes.
MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT FOR M12 CABLING
Automation technology mainly utilizes cable assemblies
with circular M12 connectors (Figure 37).
The requirements placed on the measurement
devices to test M12 cabling are similar as for the
measurement of patch cords, in both cases an
end-to-end measurement of the cabling has to be
performed. To make things worse, when performing
measurements on M12 cabling it is not always
possible to attach the measurement device directly to
the ends of the cabling links. In some cases there are
even different connectors terminated at either end
of the cabling link, as for instance a M12 connector
Figure 37: M12 connector
Figure 38: M12 test adapter with
TERA to M12 test cords
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
at one end and a M12 jack or RJ45 connector or jack
at the other end. To get around this problem, test
adapters are used similar as is done in Permanent Link
measurements that can be connected to the end-to-
end cabling link under test with the corresponding
test cords (Figure 38).
That’s to say, in automation technology as well, an
end-to-end measurement can easily be carried out
and the measurement device be connected to the
cabling under test when using this test adapter and
the appropriate test cords. The reference planes will
be automatically set behind the mated connectors
(Figure 39).
An autotest run with this test setup, in line with the
specified cabling class, will provide the test results for
an end-to-end cabling link, and as to be seen can be
easily performed and documented in this way (Figure
40).
The measurement challenges placed on a cabling
certifier in order to perform patch cord and end-to-
end link measurements will certainly differ from other
43
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING
Figure 39: Test setup for the measurement of M12 cabling
``ordinary´´ certification tests on structured cabling
systems. Today, these challenges can be mastered with
modern measurement equipment if manufacturers
adequately respond to these challenges and provide
the adaptations and configurations needed for the
measurement devices. The company Softing addresses
these challenges with the WireXpert offering a wide
range of test adapters and test cords.
PERSPECTIVE
I would like to finish with some examples of
applications that are driving the rapid increase in data
traffic. Large amounts of data are transmitted in data
centers between the servers and switches just within
the cabinet rows, particularly in ToR (Top of Rack/Top
of Row), EoR (End of Row) or MoR (Middle of Row)
topologies. So, in the short run, we will experience a
migration from the up to now highest data rates of
10 Gbit/s over copper cabling to higher speeds like 40
Gbit/s over copper cabling with CAT 8/Class I & II.
SMARTPHONES/BYOD
The growing number of smartphones in the business
44
(BYOD = Bring Your Own Device) and private
environments (our children) results in more data traffic
which our data centers have to contend with. In the age
of flatrates and of 4G high-speed transmission, who
will give a thought to how many MBytes of data he or
she has just sent from his/her smartphone?
In the modern world, the good old SMS (Short
Message Service) has been outdated for a long time,
high-resolution photographs and HD videos are sent
by MMS, YouTube or similar services instead. This is
for sure one of the factors driving the trend towards
larger amounts of data transmitted across the Internet
which the data centers have to cope with.
TELEVISION/MULTIMEDIA
The four- and sixteen-fold resolution, respectively, of
4K-Ultra-HD/8K-Super-High-Vision (SHV) along with
higher color depth and higher refresh rates compared to
Full-HD, will, of course, also translate into huge amounts
of data that have to be transmitted in the acquisition of
content. In production and post production, where data
usually are not compressed, these huge bandwidths
are a big challenge today yet, but at the latest when it
comes to the transmission of content to the consumers
 BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

Copper Certification Report

Cable Label: A-1 Overall Result:

Date & Time: 28.01.201612:33:51
07.07.2017 10:48:25 Building: Unspecified-Building
Limit Type: Profinet Floor: Unspecified-Floor
Cable Name: m12 Room: Unspecified-Room
Connector Name: Shielded Cat 6A Rack: Unspecified-Rack
Site: M12 Panel: Unspecified-Panel
Operator Name: Unspecified

Local Ser. No.: tw20251029 Remote Ser. No.: tw20251030

Local Adapter: M12 Remote Adapter: M12
Local Calibration Date: 26-August-2015
07.07.2017 Remote Calibration Date: 26-August-2015
07.07.2017
Device Software: 7.2 Reporting Software: Build: 7.2

Wiremap: Pass
Value Limit Margin
Length (m): 25,6
Cable NVP: 78,0
Propagation Delay (ns): 116,0 - 439,0
Delay Skew (ns): 3,0 50,0 47,0
Resistance (Ohms): 3,1 25,0 21,9
Wiremap: T568B

Insertion Loss: Pass dB Local

Worst Margin: Worst Value: -20
Local: Local:
Pair: 12 12 10
Value (dB): 0,9 5,2
Limit (dB): 4,0 23,5
Margin (dB): 3,1 18,3 40
0 50 100 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 2,95 96,00

Return Loss: Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: -20 -20
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 36 36 12 36 30 30
Value (dB): 26,1 25,6 25,7 25,6
Limit (dB): 17,0 17,0 12,1 17,0
Margin (dB): 9,1 8,6 13,6 8,6 80 80
0 50 100 MHz 0 50 100 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 2,05 2,05 62,00 2,05

NEXT: Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: 0 0
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 12-36 12-36 12-36 12-36 60 60
Value (dB): 80,7 84,2 62,1 59,6
Limit (dB): 61,5 61,5 30,8 30,2
Margin (dB): 19,2 22,7 31,3 29,4 120 120
0 50 100 MHz 0 50 100 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 1,30 1,30 90,50 98,75

ACR-F: Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: -20 -20
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 36-12 36-12 36-12 12-36 40 40
Value (dB): 45,1 45,3 45,1 45,1
Limit (dB): 17,4 17,6 17,4 17,4
Margin (dB): 27,7 27,7 27,7 27,7 100 100
0 50 100 MHz 0 50 100 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 99,50 98,00 99,50 99,50

ACR-N: Pass dB Local dB Remote

Worst Margin: Worst Value: -40 -40
Local: Remote: Local: Remote:
Pair: 12-36 12-36 12-36 12-36 40 40
Value (dB): 80,1 83,6 57,2 54,5
Limit (dB): 57,5 57,5 8,1 6,3
Margin (dB): 22,6 26,1 49,1 48,2 120 120
0 50 100 MHz 0 50 100 MHz
Frequency (MHz): 1,30 1,30 90,50 98,75

Network Compliance:10BASE-T, 100BASE-T

Figure 40: Test report of a M12 copper cabling certification test

45
Printed: 19.11.2016 19:10:42 Signature:______________________
BOOKLET OF CABLE TESTING

the efficiency of broadcasting will play a critical role, too.
Despite the introduction of new transmission standards
such as H.265/HEVC, we are already talking of transmission
rates of 10.2 Gbit/s and 24 Gbit/s, respectively, for 4K ultra
HD and 8K SHV.
AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY
Safe automation is becoming increasingly important
within the concept of automation as a whole. With
intelligent, safe control architectures, users have the
freedom they need for a customized implementation
of the safety requirements on construction design,
operation and service concepts, and of operator
instructions well as. Particularly in the sector of
process automation employing real-time control, this
results in an enormous increase in the amount of data
and thus ever higher data throughput demands. In
automation technology, migration to 10 Gbit/s speeds
to the machines is enabled by the new M12 X-coded
connector being another driver for higher bandwidths.
Gbit/s, however, with shorter reach.
CLOUD APPLICATIONS
VPN routers (modems) are now in widespread use
as a secure solution for the remote maintenance and
remote control of buildings, machines and equipment.
Particularly the users are facing a lot of challenges in
the configuration of site-to-site VPNs or network-to-
network VPNs. With cloud-based remote maintenance
portals, renowned solutions providers are now offering
a safe start for remote maintenance and remote
control combined with a considerably higher flexibility.
And here again, this entails a dramatic increase in the
amount of data transferred between users and clouds.
We have to face up to technology. Measurement
technology is not any longer a simple comparison
of a measured value with a reference value, today,
measurement technology stands for service and
solution, for comfort, quality and security.


WIRELESS NETWORKS
Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) networks are now a common
feature in the office and industry environments. With
the ever increasing amounts of data that are also
intended to be transmitted over wireless networks
and that are pushing bandwidth limits, the trend to
higher bandwidths cannot be stopped: The migration to
higher bandwidths in Wi-Fi networks will be inevitable.
Reflecting this, the new IEEE 802.11 ac standard Dipl.-Ing.(FH) Thomas Huesch
specifying theoretically achievable data rates of 6.93
Gbit/s has recently been published. 802.11 ac wireless Technical Support & Training
access points will receive data over 10 Gbit/s interfaces.
Softing IT Networks GmbH
While Wi-Fi technology is already preparing for the step
after next, the 802.11 ad Wi-Fi standard operating in
the 60 GHz spectrum envisages data rates of 20 to 100

46
 From the inventors of
CAT 8 Testing.
CAT 8 since 2010.
When will it be your turn?
 ASIA/PACIFIC EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

Softing Singapore Pte Ltd Germany

Singapore Softing IT Networks GmbH
Phone: +65 6569 6019 Munich
E-mail: asia-sales.itnetworks@softing.com Phone: +49 89 456 56 660
E-mail: info.itnetworks@softing.com
Softing IT Networks GmbH China
Shanghai France
Phone: +86 21 54133123 Softing SARL
E-mail: china-sales.itnetworks@softing.com Paris
Phone: +33 (0) 1 45 17 28 05
AMERICA E-mail: info.france@softing.com

Softing Inc. Italy

7209 Chapman Highway Softing Italia
Knoxville, TN 37920 Cesano Boscone (MI)
Phone: +1 865 251 5252 Phone: +39 02 4505171
E-mail: sales@softing.us E-mail: info@softingitalia.it

©2017 Softing IT Networks. In line with our policy of continuous improvement and feature enhancement, product specifi-
cations are subject to change without notice. All rights reserved. Softing and the Softing Logo are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Softing AG. WireXpert and the WireXpert Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Softing IT Net-
works. All other trademarks, registered or unregistered, are sole property of their respective owners.