There is a worrying trend in the cable industry that is harming end users: counterfeit cables.
Companies do this shameful deal by selling them on branded web cables that are marked as genuine products, but have no quality control or even the proper metal in-house. Globally, this is a big problem.
Why do they do this?
The answer is simple: to save money. But the long part is what surprises you, and these hurt consumers who end up installing slow networks that don't meet the norm for voice, video, and data delivery.
Businesses and homeowners are also vulnerable to risks because sometimes these cables do not meet proper fire protection and current standards.
network cable manufacturer
Fake cable manufacturers make low-quality products, label them with legitimate companies' names, put them in boxes, and sell them for a fraction of the actual price, making it impossible for legitimate manufacturers to compete with them.
So when you see very low cost CATx cables or patch cords, don't believe it. Also, counterfeit cables do not always come from overseas, and some domestic manufacturers are also making counterfeit cables.
So it doesn't matter where the product comes from, it's how the product is made and the quality of the components.
So what are some cable companies doing to save costs?
Replace copper with steel or aluminum
Copper-clad steel or copper-clad aluminum is a classic method used by manufacturers to save money. It involves using an aluminum or steel core instead of expensive copper, which results in high attenuation and poor signal. In the long run, the network speed will suffer.
Use regrind plastic
RJ-45 connectors that fail quality testing at the factory and are rejected can be reground back into pellets and added to the plastic used to make new connectors.
This process is legal, but it can have serious consequences if too much regrind plastic is used, as it reduces the burn rate. If the connector body is made of yellowed or fogged plastic, it is an indication of poor quality plastic at the time of manufacture.
Another thing manufacturers do with connectors is to replace the nickel and gold parts on the metal contacts with "gold flash" or "selective plating", these materials corrode very quickly.
Alternative jacket material
Manufacturers have replaced CMP and CMR flammability ratings with inferior non-flame resistant jacket materials. Yes, not every application requires these standards, but when they are required, the use of network cables is critical.
cable
Therefore, if you want to avoid buying illegal network cables, you must ensure that:
Buy a network cable from a legitimate manufacturer.
Always compare them to quality products you've bought before.
Analyze jacket quality and labeling.
Carefully observe the network cable box.
Ask where the cable came from.
Installing counterfeit cabling is a risk that ends up being expensive and can be viewed as negligence, fraud, and building code violations. In some cases, contractors could even face jail time.
Also, fake network cables are not industry standard and will sooner or later lead to degraded network performance and may even damage active equipment because they claim to be 24 AWG, but are actually 25 AWG or even 25 AWG.
