General

I have misplaced my amplifier/modulator/media player power supply.

Please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the proper replacement part.

CAT5 Products

The picture looks soft on my CAT5TX and CAT5RX system.

Adjust the equalizer on the CAT5RX for the best picture quality.

I can't get audio or video.

Make certain the A and B cables are not reversed.

The picture and audio has poor quality.

Verify proper termination of the RJ-45 connectors. Use either 568A or 568B on both ends of the cable. DO NOT USE A CROSSOVER CABLE.

 RJ-45 Plug

I am planning a new system. Should I use CAT5 or CAT6?

CAT5 cable works fine on most resolutions (Component Video) in excess of 500 feet. However, in order to future proof the system, CAT6 would be
a worthy investment. It has lower loss, more bandwidth, and less time delay skew than CAT5. These are very desirable in a video system.

What is the difference between CAT-5, CAT-5e, CAT-6, CAT-7...

The Simple Answer:

CAT-5 is rated to 100M

CAT-5e is rated to 350M

CAT-6 and CAT6e is rated to 550M or 1000M depending on your source

CAT-7 is supposedly rated to 700M or presumably 1000M

Today there is no approved CAT-6 or CAT-7. While some folks are selling products they call Level 6 or 7, there aren't even specs for them, making CAT-5e the best available option. CAT-6 cable is being made with 23 guage conductor wire as opposed to the slightly smaller 24 gauge for CAT-5e and also has a separator to handle crosstalk better.

Both CAT-5 and CAT-5e have 100 ohm impedance and electrical characteristics supporting transmissions up to 100 MHz. The differences between CAT-5 and CAT-5e show in all aspects of performance: capacitance, frequency, resistance, attenuation, and NEXT. CAT-5e components were designed with high-speed gigabit Ethernet in mind. While CAT-5 components may function to some degree in a gigabit Ethernet, they perform below standard during high-data transfer scenarios. CAT-5e cables work with ATM and gigabit speed products. Simply, if you are using a 100Mbps switch, get CAT-5e cable instead of CAT-5.

CAT-5e is formally called ANSI/TIA/EIA 568A-5 or simply Cat-5e (the e stands for 'enhanced'). CAT-5e is completely backward compatible with current CAT-5 equipment. The enhanced electrical performance of CAT-5e ensures that the cable will support applications that require additional bandwidth, such as gigabit Ethernet or analog video.

What is a cross-over cable?

A cross-over cable is a segment of cable that crosses over pins 1&2 and 3&6. This cable is normally used to connect two PCs without the use of a hub, or can be used to cascade two hubs without using an uplink port. Some DSL modems require a crossover cable to the PC or hub they are connected to.

 crossover cables

What is the difference between the types of cable - UTP, Patch, Stranded, Solid...

UTP stands for Unshielded Twisted Pair. It is a cable type with pairs of twisted insulated copper conductors contained in a single sheath. UTP cables are the most common type of cabling used in desktop communications applications.

Stranded cable has several small gauge wires in each separate insulation sleeve. Stranded cable is more flexible, making it more suitable for shorter distances, such as patch cords.

Solid has one larger gauge wire in each sleeve. Solid cable has better electrical performance than stranded cable and is traditionally used for inside walls and through ceilings - any type of longer run of cable.

Patch Cables are made of stranded copper conductors for flexibility. This construction is great for the flexing and the frequent changes that occur at the wall outlet or patch panel. The stranded conductors do not transmit data signals as far as solid cable. The TIA/EIA 568A which is the governing standard regarding commercial cabling systems limits the length of patch cables to 10 meters in total length. Does that mean you can't use stranded cable for longer runs? Not at all, we've seen installations running stranded cable over 100 feet with no problems - it's just not recommended. This is why we don't sell patch cables over 30 feet in length.

What is the difference between 10BASE-T, 100BASE-T and 1000BASE-T?

10BASE-T is the IEEE standard that defines the requirement for sending information at 10 Mbps on unshielded twisted-pair cabling, and defines various aspects of running Ethernet on this cabling.

100BASE-T is the IEEE standard that defines the requirement for sending information at 100 Mbps on unshielded twisted-pair cabling, and defines various aspects of running baseband Ethernet on this cabling.

1000BASE-T (also called gigabit Ethernet) is the IEEE standard that defines the requirement for sending information at 1000 Mbps on unshielded twisted-pair cabling, and defines various aspects of running baseband Ethernet on this cabling.

 

Channel Performance Characteristics

Parameter

CAT-5 (ISO Class D)100 MHz

CAT-5 100 MHz

CAT-5e 100 MHz

Attenuation

24.0dB

24.0dB

24.0dB

NEXT

27.1dB

27.1dB

30.1dB

PSNEXT

24.0dB

N/A

27.1dB

ELFEXT

17.0dB

17.0dB

17.4dB

PSELFEXT

14.4dB

14.4dB

14.4dB

ACR (derived)

3.1dB

3.1dB

6.1dB

PSACR (derived)

N/A

N/A

3.1dB

Return Loss

10.0dB

8.0dB

10.0dB

 

CAT5 Products Cont.

What are the maximum lengths for cables?

For Solid UTP:

  • Fast Ethernet 100baseT 100 Meters (328 feet)
  • Twisted Pair Ethernet 10baseT 100 Meters (328 feet)

Recommended maximum lengths for Patch Cables made
from stranded cable:

  • Fast Ethernet 100baseT 10 Meters (33 feet)
  • Twisted Pair Ethernet 10baseT 10 Meters (33 feet)

Is CAT-5e backwards compatible?

Yes it works with any 10BaseT or 100BaseT network cards and hubs. 
CAT-5 is also upwardly compatible with CAT-5e, however your network throughput will only be as fast as the slowest part.

Can I run CAT-5e Ethernet cable outside?

CAT-5e cable is not rated for outdoor use, however it can generally be used without a problem. If possible, run the cable through some kind of conduit to prevent moisture or an attractive site for lightning to strike. You should be able to find gray PVC conduit suitable for cable at any hardware store. Remember, 100 Meters is your max distance, without some kind of hub, bridge or amplification.

What is the operating temp for CAT-5e cable?

Operating Temp for CAT-5e cable: -10°C to 60°C

What is the difference between T568A and T568B wiring?

T568A and T568B are the 2 wiring patterns for 8 position RJ45 modular plug, both permitted under the TIA/EIA 568A wiring standards document. The only difference between the two pattern is that the pairs 2 (orange)
and 3 (green) are interchanged.

All our cables use T568B standards.

T568A T568B

What are the UL levels of cable?

There are three levels. General Purpose: UL1581; Riser: UL1666; and Plenum UL910. These numbers are all fire and safety rated.

What is EMI and how can you prevent it?

EMI stands for Electro-Magnetic Interference. It is potentially harmful
to your communications system because it can lead to signal loss and degrade the overall performance of high-speed, CAT-5e cabling. EMI
is interference in signal transmission or reception and is caused by the radiation of electrical or magnetic fields which are present near power cables, heavy machinery, or fluorescent lighting.

Avoiding EMI is as simple as not laying your network cable within 12"
of electrical cable, or if needed switching from UTP to more expensive shielded cable.

Just tell me what cable I need...

If you need patch cords up to 25 feet, use CAT-5e stranded cable
for ease of flexibility.

If you are making longer runs or going through walls or ceilings, I'd
go ahead and use the CAT-6 UTP (solid) cables - if that seems a bit expensive, then go with the CAT-5e UTP.

Component Video

My picture is very GREEN (or PINK):

Check all your connections; there is probably a RCA connector that is not fully seated.

Every time there is audio, the picture jumps and the color looks strange.

There is probably a misplugged cable. It's a common mistake to swap the video and audio red cables.

There is a horizontal bar in my video starting at the bottom and floating up the screen.

This is a hum bar caused by a power issue. It can be caused by a couple of factors.

1. A floating or loose ground can cause a difference in potential between the grounds in two different electrical outlets. Use an extension cord and measure the AC voltage between the grounds with a Voltmeter. There should be zero volts (a couple of milivolts is normal).

2. The hum bar can be initiated by a DC offset in the video output of the source device. This can be verified once again with a voltmeter. Measure the DC voltage on the green RCA connector between the outer shell and the center contact. You should have a reading of less than 1 volt. If the reading is more than 1 volt DC, this system may be a candidate for the DCB101 which is used to block DC offsets from flowing to the downstream to the televisions.

One of the colors on my distribution amplifier does not appear to work.

Try a different cable on the input and the output. If you have a RCA splice, bypass the amplifier. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you still have an issue.

HDMI™ Products

Trouble Shooting HDMI Installations

  1. Optimum performance is achieved by using cables no longer than 5 meters in length.
  2. An older or poorly made HDMI cable might not work correctly on HDMI 1.3 because of the increased clock and throughput speed.
    Look for the latest HDMI spec revision on the cables to insure compatibility with the newer specs.
  3. Be sure that the resolution of the output device is consistent with the output expected by the displays.
  4. Verify the “handshake” is correct between the source and the displays.  Disconnect all displays and reconnect one unit at a time,
    making sure that each connection is working before moving to the next.  Sometimes one unit with a poor handshake will bring
    down the entire system.
  5. HDMI cables themselves may have problems, and compatibility issues remain, largely with HDCP and older customer
    equipment such as DVD players.
  6. Always connect the first display to output #1 on the distribution amplifier first.  This is necessary for the electronic ID (HDCP)
    to be read properly by the source.
  7. All connections should be of the same resolutions. If a lesser resolution display is the first unit plugged in as the first outlet,
    then all succeeding units will be of the lower resolutions.

I have picture but I don’t have sound.

1. Make certain the TV and the source are set for HDMI and not DVI.

2. On distribution amplifiers, try changing the ports that the cables are plugged in to.

My Video Wall of XX TVs is flickering as the video goes in and out to static.

One or more of the TVs does not have the correct HDCP encryption keys for the source.
Unplug all the HDMI cables, and reinsert them one by one until the offending set(s) are found.

I don’t have video or audio.

Make certain your television is set to the proper input.

My Video and Audio cut out intermittently.

HDMI works over restricted distances. Verify that the cables used are no longer than needed.
If longer than 25 feet, a cable extender will most likely be required.

Why does my Panasonic Blu-Ray player not work with CE labs' HDMI distribution amplifiers?

Modulators/ RF Amplifiers

My 1001x will not change modes.

Press and hold the MODE button for more than seven seconds.

1000x

Will the 6001 work with Cable Modems?

Yes, the 6001 was designed specifically for systems including return path cable modems.

How do I connect a modulator into the cable?

You will need to buy a 2-way RF splitter and a couple of jumper cables. The 2-way splitter is actually used in reverse to combine
the output of the modulator and the incoming cable signal with the single port on the splitter connected to the cable going to
the rest of the house. The modulator channel must be set on a vacant spot if you have other signals on the cable. A low pass
filter may be required to remove the upper cable channels in order to make room for the modulator channel.

rf splitters