Black Box recently introduced Slim-Net, the company's 28-AWG CAT6 and CAT6A UTP cables to answer a need for better patching in crowded cabinets and racks. Over the past few years, 28-AWG cable has been gaining fans and is becoming a popular choice, especially for high-density data centers and telecom rooms.
In this article, we'll examine the advantages of using Slim-Net 28-AWG cable as well as some usage considerations.
What is 28-AWG cable?
It's a patch cable made with thinner, 28-AWG stranded copper conductors as opposed to traditional patch cables made with thicker 23-, 24- or 26-AWG conductors. Black Box Slim-Net 28-AWG cable is constructed with top-quality, stranded copper conductors. The plug is custom-designed to ensure a snug fit on the RJ-45 gold-blade contacts and to guarantee top performance.
Here are some of the advantages of using Slim-Net 28-AWG cable.
Advantage 1: Space savings
With a diameter of only 4.1 mm, Slim-Net 28-AWG cable is almost half the size of a typical 24-AWG cable at 5.9 mm. This gives you a lot of extra space in cable managers and in pathways. The difference can be dramatic, as shown in this photo of a bundle of 28-AWG cable compared to a bundle of 24-AWG cable. When you calculate the physical cable area in bundles and in patching connections, you'll actually save more than 50% space when compared to traditional cables. This can make a significant difference in congested telecom rooms and data centers.
Advantage 2: Improved airflow
Cooling is a hot issue in today's data centres, especially in crowded racks and cabinets. Slim-Net 28-AWG cables actually help cooling because they are so much thinner than traditional 24-AWG cables. The result is that they take up less space in front of patch panels and hot network equipment, such as switches. The extra space between cables results in improved airflow and cooling for the equipment.
Advantage 3: Easier handling
There's more space between patched Slim-Net 28-AWG cables, so the cable is much easier to handle. Compared to 24-AWG cables, which often are a dense mass in front of equipment, you'll find there's more space for your fingers to get a hold on plugs when doing installs and moves, additions, and changes. Also, you'll find it's much easier to identify port assignments on equipment because of the extra space.
Advantage 4: Fewer cable managers
Slim-Net 28-AWG cables are much less bulky and offer better flexibility than 24-AWG cables. With a bend radius that's 70% tighter than 24-AWG cable, you can easily route cables to other equipment or to the side without cable managers or with fewer horizontal cable managers. Because of that, you can reduce the number of horizontal cable managers you need, or possibly eliminate them entirely. When routing Slim-Net 28-AWG cables in vertical managers, you'll also gain up to 50% more space.