A structured cabling system is a complete system of cabling and associated hardware, which provides a comprehensive digital network infrastructure. This infrastructure serves a wide range of uses, such as to provide telephone service or transmit data through a computer network. It should not be device dependent.

These firms are not in the technology business. They do not know networking. They don’t know where it came from or where it's going. They know nothing about how switches and NIC’s communicate or what a bit error even is. So why would you let them design, install, and support your cabling system? It doesn’t add up. (If you need a new roof and your plumber’s quote is lower than the roofers, are you going to use the plumber? No, of course not.

Would you let the Architect, GC, or Electrician specify your network switches, servers, wireless? No, of course not. Cabling is a component of technology and of your network. It’s not a utility that’s designed and installed to a single code (NEC), like power.

Network cabling and structured cabling is designed and installed with the influence of multiple standards, codes, and regulators. A good cabling system derives from several formal resources which are turned into a single final product. There is a vast amount of room for interpretation by the engineers and installers. There isn’t always just one right way that meets code or doesn’t.

We can't say that won't work out. However, we do think it's the wrong approach. It’s exactly what they want you to do, but that doesn’t make it right for you. Manufacturers know their product, first and foremost. Wired knows the cabling business first and foremost. Wired is product agnostic. We can select and provide products from any manufacturer. An untouchable benefit is our vast degree of field experience. We know what works in a particular situation and what doesn't. No manufacturer rep is going to tell you what is wrong with their product and why there are better choices. In most cases, they don't even know. But we do. Wired is in the best position to recommend what's right for you and not our wallet.

Like at a lot of things in the cabling arena, there is more to it than a simple direct answer. First, yes, a category 6 cable, if it's a major manufacturer, UL listed, & ETL verified to the ANSI/TIA/EIA 568.x-x standard and subsequent category 6 electrical performance criteria, can be considered a category 6 cable. Basically, all cables have minimum electrical performance requirements to meet as established by the standards.

Secondly, and this is where it gets tricky. You have to consider some non-standard details and this true statement: Not all category 6 cables are the same. Want more confusion, consider these terms: min-compliant, 6+, 6e, POE, rated to 500MHz, 550MHz, channel rated and counterfeit. What does it all mean? When you select a category 6 or any category cable its important to understand the installation environment (where the cable will be installed), the performance need (how fast and how well do you want the network to communicate), POE plans (how much power is or will be needed at the endpoint), what type of endpoints are being deployed, cost, and the occupancy term of the space/facility.

Get some advice, do some homework, but you should know that the lowest cost cable that says category 6, or any category for that matter, is most likely barely category 6 and using it will likely compromise your network performance. In most cases, this becomes a pretty expensive problem.