For approximately 20 years, Class EA / Category 6A with a performance of 10 Gigabit Ethernet has been established as the cabling standard for structured building cabling.
For around 15 years, 10GBASE-T systems comprising Category 6A RJ45 jacks for 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Category 7 data cables with a bandwidth of 600 MHz and Category 6A RJ45 patch cables with a bandwidth of 500 MHz have been standardised. Additional Class FA / Category 7A systems have also been installed. These use Terra™, ARJ45™ and GG45™ jacks, Category 7A data cables with bandwidths from 1,000 to 1,500 MHz and Category 6A RJ45 patch cables with a bandwidth of 500 MHz.
What, therefore, is the motivation for 25GBASE-T systems?
Multi-Gigabit Ethernet was standardised and developed for high-speed Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 access points as well as IoT devices (IEEE 802.3bt).
This initially enabled high performance and PoE support to be implemented using existing Category 6 and Category 6A structured cabling. The new Wi-Fi 7 standard is currently being developed within IEEE 802.
Important factors in favour of a copper-based solution include backward compatibility, Power over Ethernet support with 4PPoE at 60–90 W and the announcement of Wi-Fi 7 devices as early as 2024.
How can such a system be implemented?
At ZVK GmbH, we have also addressed this topic under our EasyLan® brand. Following extensive development, design and prototype construction, we have added a new keystone module to our portfolio that meets all the relevant requirements:
GHMT-Certified in Accordance with ISO/IEC 11801-1/-2 – 30 m Connector Channel, Class I up to 2 GHz
GHMT-Certified in Accordance with DTR-11801-9905 for a 25GBASE-T Channel Link up to 50 m
The keystone module is fully backward-compatible with Class EA in accordance with ISO/IEC 11801 and DIN EN 50173-1, supporting permanent links of up to 90 m and channel links of up to 100 m. It also supports remote powering applications, including PoE, PoE+, UPoE and 4PPoE.
The fixLink® Pro+ features a robust die-cast zinc housing with 360° shielding and an integrated dust-protection shutter that automatically folds inwards when an RJ45 patch cable is connected.
Termination and assembly are completed entirely without the need for special tools. Both installation cables with AWG 26/1 to AWG 22/1 conductors and flexible cables with AWG 26/7 to AWG 22/7 conductors can be terminated using the same module and the same wire manager.
EasyLan® fixLink® Pro+ RJ45 Keystone 10G / 25G / 40G
EasyLan® Platinum S/FTP Data Cable, AWG 22/1, 2,000 MHz, Cat. 8, Dca
EasyLan® FlexBoot Shielded Cat. 8.1 Patch Cable