Have you ever looked at a bundle of cables and wondered about its assortment of colors? Colors per cable indicate a particular system or application. Wire jacket colors help technicians and engineers navigate cables to confirm they’re working with the appropriate equipment.
While they don’t have anything to do with the performance of the cable itself, understanding Ethernet cable colors can be the difference between proper or lagging connection.
Varying Standards
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has continued to issue recommended standards of cable design. The standards encouraged by the organization does not, surprisingly, cover wiring and power cables.
Management of wire jacket coloring has been monitored by the Telecommunications Industry Association. Their breakdown of wire jacket colors is followed by some organizations, but not all.
The purpose of jacket colors vary by country and industry. Some businesses set their own color standards for the cables they utilize. Their standards might look like the following:
- Blue= security
- White= camera
- Green= interconnections/jumpers
- Black= network connectivity
Understanding Ethernet cable colors is a vital part of technical engineers’ jobs. It can also be helpful for employees with cable connected devices to know should they run into any problems with their connectivity.
Changes Per Year
Occasionally, vendors will color code wire jackets to signal the year the cable was made. For example, a network cable vendor may adjust from blue to yellow in a year. This informs technicians of how certain colored cables will interact with new or old devices.
Building Codes
Prior to running cables, companies must check with their building manager to confirm the wires they employ are compatible with the building. There are standards and building codes in place that demand proper labeling and organization of cables, regardless of color and purpose.
CableWholesale has bulk cat5e cableand other wires in various colors so you can find cables compatible with your network needs.
