During the construction of a new office area, you’ve been asked to provide plenum-rated cable for your new network runs. What is plenum cable?
A) Cable that has been rated for use in construction areas
B) Cable that has been rated for both networking and voice
C) Cable that includes both copper and fiber in the same jacket
D) Cable that has been rated for use in the ceiling, crawlspaces, and ducts of a building
Answer: D) Cable that has been rated for use in the ceiling, crawlspaces, and ducts of a building
The plenum is the area used for heating and air conditioning of a building. Plenum-rated cable refers to specialized characteristics that restrict the burning and toxicity of the cables when exposed to heat or fire.
The incorrect answers:
A) Cable that has been rated for use in construction areas
Although it would occasionally be useful to have bright-yellow cable that could withstand a jackhammer impact, plenum-rated cable doesn’t provide any special functionality in construction areas.
B) Cable that has been rated for both networking and voice
The characterization of cabling for voice and/or data is related to the Category specifications, not the plenum-rating.
C) Cable that includes both copper and fiber in the same jacket
Because of the number of different options for copper and fiber, you’ll rarely see copper and fiber combined in the same jacket. Even then, the combination of the two media doesn’t mean that the cable package is plenum-rated.
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Want to know more? Watch “Network Cabling.”The cable is the important component that links all of our networked devices together, but it’s a critical link that’s often overlooked. In this video, we’ll learn the importance of plenum-rated cable, explore the differences between copper and fiber, and examine network cabling types such as RS-232, USB, and FireWire. We’ll also examine the most common network connector types and discuss some troubleshooting methods you can use to keep your network cabling working perfectly. |