How to Choose Industrial Network Cables

How to Choose Industrial Network Cables

• 2025-01-20 15:01:08
• by Admin

5G has led data transmission into a brand-new era, providing users with a high-speed and low-latency connection experience. In industrial control systems, network cables, through interconnection, communication, and control, achieve low-cost, high-speed, and excellent stability. They are widely used in various fields such as automated equipment, robot control, sensor data collection, and monitoring systems, and are an indispensable part of smart factories.

When choosing industrial network cables, factors such as environmental interference, mechanical stress, temperature and humidity conditions, data transmission rate, and cost-effectiveness need to be considered to ensure the selection of the most suitable network cable solution. To meet different transmission requirements, the commonly used twisted-pair network cables in the industrial field can be classified into different categories such as Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7, and Cat8 according to their performance and application scenarios. Each type of network cable is optimized for specific transmission signals, rates, distances, and bandwidth requirements.

01 Types and Characteristics of Network Cable Wires

There is a wide variety of network cable wires. In different application scenarios, network cable wires with corresponding structures can be selected, and their structures determine the performance differences, especially in terms of anti-interference and data transmission stability.

The following are several main types of wire materials and their characteristics:

✔ U - FTP (Unshielded Foil Twisted Pair): This type of wire has a layer of aluminum foil wrapped around each core wire to reduce signal attenuation. When the four pairs of wires are combined, there is also a metal braided shielding layer on the outer layer, which meets the structural standards of Category 7 network cables. It is suitable for high-speed networks and transmission environments that require high confidentiality, supports future application updates, and unified wiring, and enables the common transmission of various media information.

✔ S - FTP (Shielded Foil Twisted Pair): A braided mesh is added based on the aluminum foil of STP, and the outer layer is covered with PVC material. This type of wire has double-layer shielding, effectively reducing signal interference from the environmental magnetic field and having low internal signal attenuation. Although it has poor flexibility and a high cost, its anti-interference and secure transmission characteristics make it suitable for professional wiring in special environments.

✔ U - UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair): The most common wiring system wire in the current market, suitable for ordinary network applications with a bandwidth below 250MHz. It has stable performance, is cost-effective, and is easy to construct and maintain. However, its performance limit only supports up to the Category 6 network cable standard.

✔ F - UTP (Foil - Shielded Twisted Pair): It has a wide usable bandwidth, certain anti-interference ability, reduces signal attenuation, and has environmental protection characteristics, such as low-smoke and halogen-free materials.

✔ SF - UTP: The core wires of this type of wire are not individually shielded, but the whole is shielded by an aluminum foil and a braided layer, and it has strong anti-interference ability.

In addition to network cable wires, there is also a rich variety of RJ45 connectors, mainly covering Category 5 and Category 6 RJ45 connectors, including long-body, short-body, shielded, and unshielded, with plating thicknesses ranging from 3U to 50U, meeting the needs of different network environments.

02 How to Select the Appropriate Industrial Network Cable

In industrial control systems, the stability and consistency of network cables are crucial for the operation of equipment. Even a slight momentary break or poor contact may cause equipment shutdown and alarms, especially in challenging working environments such as vibration, corrosion, and humidity. These problems often cause significant losses to customers. Facing numerous network cable categories and complex working conditions, there are often some selection difficulties such as data transmission rate, environmental adaptability, and anti-interference performance.

Difficulties in Selecting Industrial Network Cables

According to the required data output rate, how to choose the corresponding category of network cable?

Different scenarios have different requirements for the anti-interference ability of network cables. How to select the matching wire material?

In an environment where equipment vibrates frequently, is it necessary to choose an anti-vibration RJ45 connector?

For humid or highly corrosive environments, is it necessary to choose an injection-molded RJ45 connector?

In a limited space, what are the requirements for the installation of RJ45 connectors?

Haituo Electronics supplies more than 1 million sets of network cable-related wire harnesses to the global market every year and provides support services for many domestic and foreign automation brands. Based on deep industrial wire harness manufacturing experience and constantly leading the trend of industrial automation and intelligence, we deeply understand customer needs and are committed to meeting customers' expectations in terms of quality, delivery, and customized services. Our products cover various standard industrial wire harnesses and also show unique advantages in the field of industrial network cables.

Diversified Wire Material Selection

We provide various wire materials such as PVC, PUR, and LSZH to adapt to different application scenarios.

Abundant RJ45 Connector Selection

We have a variety of RJ45 connectors, including long-body, short-body, shielded, unshielded, and different plating thicknesses, to meet customers' diverse installation and environmental needs.

Customized RJ45 Connector Sheaths

We provide customized sheath solutions, including molds of different sizes, to meet the installation requirements of most customers.

Comprehensive Testing Services

We adopt Fluke testing, simulated working condition testing, and bandwidth testing to ensure the quality of network cables and protect customers' products.

With the continuous changes in the market environment and customer needs, Haituo will continue to work hand in hand with customers and is committed to continuous improvement and innovation in terms of size, appearance, materials, technology, and reliability. Guided by the pursuit of excellence, we aim to achieve maximum cost-effectiveness fast-response delivery capabilities, and high-quality product quality, and further enhance the user experience.