UTP Lifetime

Hello Guys,

I would like to ask what is the recommended lifetime for a UTP (cat 5e) cable in a network environment?

Regards,
Aries Allanigue

hi there,
it will depend on from where you are getting the cat5e cabling. some companies manufacture with lifetime guarantee, and some other display their product as a limited guarantee/warranty. well these are all terms to say that the first one with lifetime guarantee will last quite long. the second one says it wont last that much. ideally once installed a cat5e cable should last atleast 5 years, that is the bare minimum. if present in an non - abrasive, non - corrosive, dry area where there are no sharp objects, or the cable is not being disturbed by further installations, or people treading over it, a cat5e cable should last for much more than 5 years.

Arani's spot on. The cable will last for a ridiculously long time if it's left alone. Cables hardly ever go faulty; they get broken. But the other side to how long the cable will 'last' is how long it remains useful before the world moves on and your Cat 5 cable becomes useless because you now need Cat 17 to support Terabit ethernet.
Okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit but the point is valid; the rate of change of the technology coupled with how leading edge the activity in your building needs to be will determine the effective life of your installation