UTP, FTP, S/FTP? Small Refresh Might Be Useful

Today we already know that if someone felt that the Internet would be a "big thing" 20-30 years ago, they were right. Few people, however, probably assumed that the Internet will influence both, the industry and the private sphere in such extent.

Despite of wireless technologies boom, wired installations still have some irreplaceable advantages and they remain to be a main pillar for data communication especially in industry.

Thanks to the Internet at work and in households, even a non-professional already heard cable marking terms like UTP or FTP. The problem is that we mark different cables with the same acronym many times, as can be seen in various articles, blogs, web discussions etc.

Let´s briefly recall the meaning and differences among particular cables as defined by ISO/IEC 11801:200.

U/UTP
A cable without any shielding (Unscreened), only with twisted pairs (TP). A common unscreened cable usually marked as UTP cable.

F/UTP (FTP)
An overall foil shield (F) with unscreened twisted pairs (UTP). This cable is very much like common UTP cables, with the addition of foil underneath the main cable jacket. Another common name for this cable is FTP. F/UTP cables are common in 10GBaseT applications.

S/UTP
An overall braid screen (S) with unscreened twisted pairs (UTP). This is occasionally referred to as the STP cable but beware: this term is sometimes used also for the following cable with different construction. To be sure, always check the exact construction of a given cable.

SF/UTP
Both an overall braid screen (S) and foil shield (F) with unscreened twisted pairs (UTP). This cable is also occasionally referred to as the STP cable. Cables with an overall braided screen are very effective at protecting EMI from entering or exiting the cable.

S/FTP
An overall braid screen (S) with foil screened twisted pairs (FTP). The “shield” underneath the jacket is a braid, and each individual pair is surrounded by its own foil barrier. The purpose of the additional foil on individual pairs is to limit the amount of crosstalk between them.

F/FTP
An overall foil shield (F) with foil screened twisted pairs (FTP). Similar to F/UTP cables, these shielded cables are commonly used in 10GBaseT applications.

U/FTP
No overall shielding or braid (U) with foil screened twisted pairs (FTP). This type of shielded cable is commonly used in 10GBaseT applications as well.

A thin wire, so called “drain wire” is almost always used along with the screening, making assembly of RJ45 connectors (shielded) easier.

Now, when it´s all clear you´ll certainly easily identify marking of F/UTP cable, which we newly incorporated into our standard stock offer. It is the well-proven 1633E Cat5E cable from Belden company, suitable for all common installations in buildings.

Wires are solid AWG24 with aluminium foil screening (+ AWG26 „drain wire“). The cable meets all common norms and with its 6.0mm outer diameter it´s easily usable with a vast majority of RJ45 connectors. A detailed specification can be found in the datasheet available with 1633E cable, including parameters which are not always mentioned by various producers. With a maximum voltage of 72V and a continuous current of 1.5A (@ 25´C), it´s easily usable also for PoE applications.

In case of interest in any cables from company Belden, please contact us at sales@soselectronic.com