Premises Security

This proprietary processing technology developed by Panasonic® eliminates backlighting problems commonly seen with security camera systems. It gives you clear images regardless of the lighting situation and a dynamic range that’s 64 times greater than that offered by conventional video cameras.
Super Dynamic II™ accomplishes this by using a double-speed, charge-coupled device (CCD). It takes two pictures in the time
it takes for a conventional CCD to capture one. The first Super Dynamic II picture is a long exposure (1⁄60th of a second) that captures a scene’s dark areas; the second is a short exposure (from 1⁄1000th to 1⁄4000th of a second) that captures the scene’s bright areas. Super Dynamic II then combines the best quality signals from the two images and outputs them as a Composite analog image.
The technology’s enhanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) circuitry corrects gradation to give you proper black level references so black areas within a scene appear black—not washed-out shades of gray. It also enables images with high contrast to be seen on the screen.
What’s more, Super Dynamic II technology provides exceptional sensitivity (0.8 lux using an F1.4 lens), enabling the camera to capture vivid details and color even in low-light applications.

Wire gauge (often shown as AWG, for American Wire Gauge) is a measure of the thickness of the wire. The more a wire is drawn or sized, the smaller its diameter will be. The lower the wire gauge, the thicker the wire.

For example, a 24 AWG wire is thinner than a 14 AWG wire. A lower AWG means longer transmission distance and better integrity. As a rule of thumb, power loss decreases as the wire size increases.

When it comes to choosing speaker cable, consider a few factors: distance, the type of system and amplifier you have, the frequencies of the signals being handled, and any specifications that the speaker manufacturer recommends.

For most home applications where you simply need to run cable from your stereo to speakers in the same room—or even behind the walls to other rooms—16 AWG cable is usually fine.

If you’re considering runs of more than 40 feet (12.1 m), consider using 14 AWG or even 12 AWG cable. They both offer better transmission and less resistance over longer distances. You should probably choose 12 AWG cable for high-end audio systems with higher power output or for low-frequency subwoofers. As a rule of thumb, power loss decreases as the wire size increases.

To terminate your cable, choose gold connectors. Because gold resists oxidation over time, gold connectors wear better and offer better peformance than other connectors do.

The news on bandwidth
The need for increased bandwidth never ceases—the more you have, the more you need. Applications keep getting more complex, and files keep getting bulkier. It won’t be long before you need to increase the speed of your network.

Don’t worry. Black Box experts are ready 24 hours a day to answer your questions. When you click on “Talk to a Tech,” you’ll be talking to a trained expert in seconds. If you need help installing a network, or adding an additional drop, contact us.

Because unshielded twisted-pair UTP cable is by far the most common networking cable, let’s take a brief look at where UTP is headed.

The limits of Category 5
Category 5 (CAT5) cabling is good, solid cable for 100-Mbps LANs. The Category 5 standard has been around since 1991, so it’s well established. You’ll find existing Category 5 installations everywhere. What can Category 5 cable do, and what can’t it do?

If you still have a lot of 10-Mbps equipment, CAT5 cabling will serve your needs. It also handles 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet transmissions very well.

But if you’re running up against the performance limits of a 100-Mbps network, you’ll probably want to upgrade at least parts of your system fairly soon to Category 5e (CAT5e) or higher.

Category 5e: the improved Category 5
Category 5e, also known as Enhanced Category 5, or CAT5e, was ratified in 1999. It’s an incremental improvement designed to enable cabling to support full-duplex Fast Ethernet operation and Gigabit Ethernet.

The main differences between CAT5 and CAT5e can be found in the specifications. The performance requirements have been raised slightly in the new standard.

CAT5e has stricter specifications for Power Sum Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (PS-ELFEXT), Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT), Attenuation, and Return Loss (RL) than those for CAT5. Like CAT5, CAT5e is a 100-MHz standard, but it has the capacity to handle bandwidth superior to that of CAT5. With these improvements, you can expect problem-free, full-duplex, 4-pair Ethernet transmissions over your CAT5e UTP.

Category 6
The next level in the cabling hierarchy is Category 6 (CAT6) (ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1), which was ratified by the TIA/EIA in June 2002. CAT6 provides higher performance than CAT5e and features more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise.

The quality of the data transmission depends upon the performance of all the components of the channel. So to transmit according to CAT6 specs, the jacks, patch cables, patch panels, cross-connects, and cabling must all meet CAT6 standards. (The channel includes everything from the wallplate to the wiring closet.) The CAT6 components are tested individually, and they are also tested together for performance. In addition, the standard calls for generic system performance so that CAT6 components from any vendor can be used in the channel.

CAT6 channel transmission requirements should result in a Power-Sum Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio (PS-ACR) that’s greater than or equal to zero at 200 MHz.

In addition, all CAT6 components must be backward compatible with CAT5e, CAT5, and CAT3. If different category components are used with CAT6 components, then the channel will achieve the transmission performance of the lower category. For instance, if CAT6 cable is used with CAT5e jacks, the channel will perform at a CAT5e level.

Industry standards
The advantage of sticking to the industry standards is the knowledge that your cabling will be compatible with standards applications. But the standards are always being improved upon, and it takes time to ratify a new standard. Often, as with CAT6, the final standard may be different from the proposed standard. For the latest information, contact our FREE Tech Support.

Twisted-Pair Cable Specifications Comparison
Frequency — CAT5, CAT5e: 100 MHz;
CAT6: 250 MHz;
CAT7 (Proposed): 600 MHz
Attenuation (min. at 100 MHz) — CAT5, CAT5e: 22 dB;
CAT6: 19.8 dB;
CAT7 (Proposed): 20.8 dB
Characteristic Impedance — All: 100 ohms ± 15%
NEXT (min. at 100 MHz) — CAT5: 32.3 dB;
CAT5e: 35.3 dB;
CAT6: 44.3 dB;
CAT7 (Proposed): 62.1 dB
PS-NEXT (min. at 100 MHz) — CAT5: no specification;
CAT5e: 32.3 dB;
CAT6: 42.3 dB;
CAT7 (Proposed): 59.1 dB
ELFEXT (min. at 100 MHz) — CAT5: no specification;
CAT5e: 23.8 dB;
CAT6: 27.8 dB;
CAT7 (Proposed): not yet specified
PS-ELFEXT (min. at 100 MHz) — CAT5: no specification;
CAT5e: 20.8 dB;
CAT6: 24.8 dB;
CAT7 (Proposed): not yet specified
Return Loss (min. at 100 MHz) — CAT5: 16 dB;
CAT5e: 20.1 dB;
CAT6: 20.1 dB;
CAT7 (Proposed): 14.1 dB
Delay Skew (max. per 100 m) — CAT5: no specification;
CAT5e: 45 ns:
CAT6: 45 ns;
CAT7 (Proposed): 20 ns

Category 6 has more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise than CAT5e. For cabling to transmit according to CAT6 specs, it must be used in a complete channel solution with vendor-specific jacks, patch cords, and patch panels, and the cabling must be tuned correctly. GigaTrue™ is the channel solution offered by Black Box.

The minimum GigaTrue NEXT (Near-End Crosstalk) specification at 100 MHz is 41.8 dB, allowing for 1.9 dB of headroom above the CAT6 channel specification. In theory, a channel with headroom like this performs better than a channel that only meets the minimum requirements.

You can always contact Black Box Tech Support to answer your cabling questions. Our techs can recommend cable testers and steer you in the right direction when you’re installing new cabling. And the advice is FREE!