How To: Terminating a Field Term Plug Onto Cat6A Direct Burial Unshielded Ethernet

How To: Terminating a Field Term Plug Onto Cat6A Direct Burial Unshielded Ethernet

Written by Don Schultz, trueCABLE Senior Technical Advisor, Fluke Networks Copper/Fiber CCTT, BICSI INST1, INSTC, INSTF Certified

 

When terminating Cat6A Ethernet cable of any kind, including Cat6A direct burial unshielded Ethernet cable, it is good to have options that will give you the performance you expect, especially if your individual installation needs to deviate a bit from what is considered “normal practice”. What and who defines “normal practice”? The ANSI/TIA 568 standard does, and for good reason. Normal practice is to terminate solid copper structure Ethernet cable at both ends to keystone jacks or patch panels as explained in the second part of this series, How To: Terminating a Keystone Jack Onto Cat6A Direct Burial Unshielded Ethernet. You get the key advantage of Insulation Displacement Contact (IDC) style terminations with this practice. The IDC to IDC method would be considered the “permanent link” of your system that you patch into. You would then complete the “channel” with two factory pre-terminated stranded copper patch cords at both ends. 

However, not all installations are the same and sometimes the traditional permanent link with patch cord strategy is not practical. There could be structural reasons why this cannot be pulled off, or you might be near the maximum distance of Ethernet and adding patch cords on both sides puts you over the magic “328 foot” number. So is there another equally effective way to terminate your solid copper Cat6A direct burial Ethernet cable to get the performance and reliability you seek? Yes there is, and it involves Category rated field termination plugs. Field termination plugs are considered high quality IDC terminations and can be used to create the entire channel, skipping the stranded copper patch cords.

 

Cat6A Unshielded Field Termination Plug.  Notice the IDC termination prongs.

Cat6A Unshielded Field Termination Plug. Notice the IDC termination prongs.

 

In this third part of the series, we will discuss the ins and outs of field termination plugs, how to terminate them onto Cat6A Unshielded Direct Burial Ethernet cable, and some installation considerations! Please watch this video below and then come back and finish reading the blog for very detailed pictures and additional information!

 

 

 

What exactly are we creating? Isn’t this a patch cable?

When you terminate both ends of solid copper Ethernet cable to male connectors then this is considered to be a patch cable, and sometimes is referred to as a “direct attach cable”. It all depends on how you are using the cable. Patch cords are normally for patching into an existing permanent link. On both ends of the permanent link you have female ports to accept the patch cords. Normally you would buy the correct length patch cable already pre-terminated with 8P8C (aka RJ45) connectors and simply plug and go. However, sometimes you need to custom create such a cord and in other cases your cable needs to be hundreds of feet long, perhaps directly buried outside. Factory made patch cords won’t cut it.

But why field termination plugs? Why not RJ45s?

It is a bad idea to hand terminate 8P8C modular plugs onto both ends of solid copper Ethernet cable and expect high speeds with any degree of reliability. For much more on why 8P8C RJ45s can be the source of headaches, please see Terminating Pass-Through RJ45 Connectors onto Solid Copper Ethernet Cable  --  A Really Bad Idea?

 

Inside of field term plug showcasing the PCB

PCB inside of the trueCABLE Cat6A Unshielded Field Termination Plug.

 

Field termination plugs have a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) inside just like keystone jacks do. That PCB is Category rated and also impedance matches your link. You get a lot of “secret sauce” helping you out. 8P8C (aka RJ45) modular plugs have none of the secret sauce and all of the problems you might encounter when terminating Ethernet cable! Field termination plugs are not nearly as “fitment sensitive” as 8P8C modular plugs and play much more nicely with solid copper Ethernet due to the way the IDC prongs bite into the conductor wires from 90° angles. 

So, if you intend to custom create a patch cord that can really go the distance and must be reliable, field termination plugs are the only way to go assuming their physical size does not limit you…

Understanding the benefits and trade-offs of field termination plugs

As with anything in life there will be advantages and disadvantages. Utilizing this alternative method of termination should be kept to a minimum and as needed. You need to carefully consider your individual installation and opt for the traditional method where possible and make use of alternative strategies when necessary.

Benefits of links using field termination plugs:

  • You are using solid copper conductors for the whole link, which gives the best possible performance and PoE handling over distance
  • You might get additional length depending on the ambient temperature conditions--up to 335 feet if you can keep the cable at 68℉ or less
  • Stranded copper patch cords are absent from the mix; so you don’t need to de-rate (shorten) your channel length for that. You need only derate for temperature.
  • Field termination plugs are human friendly and easy to terminate for novices

Trade-offs of links using field termination plugs:

  • This is solid copper Ethernet cable we are talking about, so it does not like repeated handling. Stranded copper patch cord is meant for repeated handling.
  • You lose flexibility for adds, changes, and corrections that you would otherwise have gained with a more traditional “rack to jack” strategy making use of patch panels, keystone jacks, and factory pre-made patch cords
  • Field termination plugs are considerably larger than 8P8C (aka RJ45) modular plugs due to the need for a printed circuit board (PCB) inside along with a human-friendly toolless termination method. Field termination plugs are also more expensive than plain plastic 8P8C modular plugs.

 

Field termination plugs are physically larger than 8P8C modular plugs

Field termination plugs are physically larger than 8P8C modular plugs.

 

Ideal Use Case

Why would you wish to use this strategy for select links in your Local Area Network cable system? The simple answer is backhauls (backbones). The idea is you need a highly reliable and typically super high speed connection from one powered device to another. This normally takes the form of two Ethernet switches that need to be connected together to expand a network where speed and reliability are paramount, and a fiber optic connection is not an option or impractical. If you are curious as to how backbones are used in formal structured cable systems, please see What's the Difference Between Backbone and Horizontal Cabling?

When installing high speed Ethernet cable designed to interconnect two structures, sometimes you are limited in how you get that done due to structural limitations or lack the expertise to install a more formal structured cabling system.  At the same time, you wish to leverage Cat6A unshielded direct burial cable to get the job done because you need or want 10Gbps speeds (or at least the possibility of achieving that down the line) . For example, assume you need to connect a primary home to a repurposed garage. You measured, and you know you will need a cable that is 290 feet long and must be buried. You need a “bullet proof” alternative to the regular way. You are in luck. First, though, you should probably read up on the best way to go about how to actually bury direct burial Ethernet cable correctly, so take a look at Into the Great Outdoors: Running Ethernet Cable Outside.

Second, you don’t need to be concerned about ambient temperatures above 68℉ because the cable will be buried at least 10” deep, so we will proceed with the permissible full length of 335 feet for this scenario. The run is less than that at 290 feet, so this is still in specification.

How did I come up with the 335 foot number? Isn’t it supposed to be 295 or 328 feet? Well, those other maximum lengths apply in other circumstances, and this is the one and only exception! Here is the proof:

 

patch cable derating chart | trueCABLE

Total channel length with patch cord de-ratings. Notice column "D = 1.0", 102(335).

 

D = 1.0 denotes a solid copper Ethernet “patch cord”. Maximum length is 335 feet when there is no “permanent link” in the middle. In other words, this exactly fits the situation at hand. If you are curious about this chart and what it all means, please see Calculating Ethernet Cable Overall Channel Length for Success.

Cat6A unshielded field termination plugs & Cat6A unshielded direct burial cable to the rescue!

Tools and Materials

Once you install your cable, you will need to perform the following steps at both ends.

Cable Stripping Guide

 

Tools needed to prep ethernet cable

These are the tools you will need for cable preparation.

 

Strip off about 1.5 to 2” cable jacket.  The goal is to SCORE the jacket, not cut through!

Strip off about 1.5 to 2” cable jacket. The goal is to SCORE the jacket, not cut through!

 

breaking the cable jacket after scoring it for termination

Once the jacket has been scored, break the jacket at the score.

 

jacket of ethernet cable removed revealing the pe tape, rip cord, and water block tape.

Jacket removed revealing the PE tape, rip cord, and waterblock tape. All need to be removed with the flush cutters right down to the jacket edge.

 

Removal process with flush cutters.  Be careful not to nick any conductors during this process or you will need to start over!

Removal process with flush cutters. Be careful not to nick any conductors during this process or you will need to start over!

 

Once the dielectric wraps have been removed, splay the conductor pairs into a star pattern exposing the center spline

Once the dielectric wraps have been removed, splay the conductor pairs into a star pattern exposing the center spline.

 

Carefully remove the spline.  Make four downward cuts, one cut on each “wing”.  Resist the temptation to cut the spline straight across as this will make termination more challenging.

Carefully remove the spline. Make four downward cuts, one cut on each “wing”. Resist the temptation to cut the spline straight across as this will make termination more challenging.

 

Once the spline has had four cuts, twist to remove the excess spline

Once the spline has had four cuts, twist to remove the excess spline.

 

 

Termination Guide

Now that the cable has been prepared for termination, it is time to put on the hardware! Here we go!

 

wires opening to show cable twists

Lacing up the conductor holder cap. We used the T568B pattern for this. Be sure to place the cable jacket edge right to the green line as this pre-sets the 0.50” untwist maximum.

 

icon for pro tipA helpful tip. Untwist the conductor pairs that will seat into the rear slots fully, and seat them first. This will effectively set the 0.50” termination distance AND help you keep the cap steady when seating the forward pairs.

icon for pro tipYou may use either the T568A or T568B pattern. One is NOT better than the other. The key is to pick a color sequence scheme and stick with it!

Once the conductor pairs are fully seated, trim the excess conductor wires.  Trim the front wires are shown (top-down, not straight across).
Once the conductor pairs are fully seated, trim the excess conductor wires.  Trim the front wires are shown (top-down, not straight across).

Conductor holder cap is ready for seating into the field term plug housing!

Conductor holder cap is ready for seating into the field term plug housing!

 

The conductor holder cap should be placed wire-side down into the housing.

The conductor holder cap should be placed wire-side down into the housing.

 

Carefully insert the cap into the housing. Insert the cap at a shallow angle to clear the clear plastic locking tab. Align the blue post slot with the slot cut-out in the conductor holder cap.

Carefully insert the cap into the housing. Insert the cap at a shallow angle to clear the clear plastic locking tab. Align the blue post slot with the slot cut-out in the conductor holder cap.

 

Pushing the tabs down on the field termination connector to terminate a direct burial cable

Push downward on the conductor holder cap, evenly, to “pre-seat” the conductors into the IDC prongs.

 

termination tool putting a field termination plug on cable

Using the inside set of jaws on the parallel crimping pliers, fully close the plug. You will hear an audible “click” noise.

 

The audible click noise was the four plastic tabs locking into the lower housing. Two each side. Double-check to make sure ALL FOUR are locked!

The audible click noise was the four plastic tabs locking into the lower housing. Two each side. Double-check to make sure ALL FOUR are locked!

 

Apply the nylon tie as shown.  There are three possible positions.  Shown is the straight out parallel position.

Apply the nylon tie as shown. There are three possible positions. Shown is the straight out parallel position.

 

Once the tie has been tightened, trim off the excess.  You are done!

Once the tie has been tightened, trim off the excess. You are done!

 

Common Questions & Answers

trueCABLE gets many common questions that we will distill here for you. In many cases, novice installers are asking the questions so our more experienced customers may consider the questions technically inaccurate. We do apologize for any confusion that may cause, as often we have to divine what the actual question is and what the answer should be.

What is the purpose of using a Cat6A Direct Burial Unshielded Ethernet Cable?

Cat6A unshielded direct burial Ethernet cable has several advantages over other types. First, being that it is Cat6A you have full 10Gbps support. Second, given that it is a direct burial cable you can use it below or above ground as the cable jacket is UV stable. Third, the fact it is unshielded negates the need to bond to ground and also eliminates the possibility of a ground loop forming.

Why are Field Term Plugs essential for terminating Cat6A cables?

IDC terminations (as opposed to 8P8C aka RJ45 modular plugs) are essential for terminating Cat6A cables of any type. IDC termination hardware includes patch panels, keystone jacks, and field termination plugs. All of those termination methods are Category rated and impedance match your communications cable.  Mechanical stability is also superior with IDC style terminations, and mechanical stability directly translates to electrical stability!

What wiring standard should be followed for the wire order in a Cat6A Ethernet cable?

ANSI/TIA 568 defines two acceptable wiring orders for termination of copper twisted pair Ethernet cable in a modern local area network. Category is not relevant. Those wiring orders are known as T568A and T568B. Neither one is superior to the other.

How should the terminated connection be tested for functionality?

For professionals who use the methods described in this blog, you would use the ANSI/TIA 568-2.D Cat6A Patch Cord Test found on a cable Certification device. Our Cat6A Unshielded Direct Burial cable has a NVP of 68.2. For intermediate installers or those who do not need to Certify, a Fluke LinkIQ will provide a high quality bandwidth and cable capability test up to 10Gbps. Again, please use a NVP of 68.2 for the LinkIQ. For novice installers, or those on a budget, please see Testing 10 Gigabit Ethernet Over Copper on a Shoestring Budget

So there you have it! You now have an alternative, yet high performing, termination and installation method that deviates a bit from the “norm”.

 

HAPPY NETWORKING!

 

trueCABLE presents the information on our website, including the “Cable Academy” blog and live chat support, as a service to our customers and other visitors to our website subject to our website terms and conditions. While the information on this website is about data networking and electrical issues, it is not professional advice and any reliance on such material is at your own risk.

 

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