With the growing demand for IP bandwidth and end-user driven high speed services like the transmission of huge media entertainment files, medical records or research files, this study offers conclusive proof that the ideal cabling infrastructure system to support 10GBASE-T and larger applications is shielded copper.
This first-of-a-kind comparative study of two U/UTP and one F/UTP and two S/FTP systems from five market-leading vendors was conducted “live” using real 10GBASE-T equipment and traffic in environmental conditions established in international MICE (Mechanical, Ingress, Chemical and Electromagnetic) classifications.
The study was conducted by GHMT, an independent test laboratory founded in 1992, an ISO/IEC 17025 certified third-party lab and one of the world’s leading cabling test labs. GHMT specializes in cabling and systems, EMC analysis and concepts, as well as wireless applications.
Key findings in the GHMT study include:
• 10GBASE-T is very noise sensitive due to higher transmission frequency and lower signal levels caused by more complex coding schemes
• Shielded systems offer high coupling attenuation and therefore extraordinary ANEXT (Alien cross-talk) and EMC performance
• Unshielded systems show significantly weaker ANEXT performance and coupling attenuation because of balance-only based noise reduction
• Unshielded systems failed four out of five electromagnetic immunity tests as specified by the international MICE definitions to describe different environmental levels
• Shielded systems work with 10GBASE-T “by design”, while UTP systems require an increased level of time consuming and costly “immunity installation” practices
