The network equipment industry is increasingly concerned that a large number of multi-conductor communication cables contain CCA wire , copper-clad steel and other non-standard conductors masquerading as category-rated cables.

The existence of these non-compliant and often counterfeit cabling products on the market may cause serious problems for the companies that use them and the cabling installers and engineers who place these products in the customer's network environment.

Although these products may look like standard cables and behave like them in some cases, there are significant differences that may cause network problems and security risks.

The existence of counterfeit wiring is not a new problem for the industry; according to experts, counterfeit or non-standard cable products have been on the market for many years. For the industry, this has always been an ongoing problem, and it does not seem to go away. Part of the reason is that many companies are looking for cheap network solutions, and these cable products tend to be cheaper.

Existing methods for identifying these non-standard products have only been partially successful. Inspection and UL traceable holographic labels, UL or ETL lists, manufacturer part numbers, or manual inspections by weighing, scratching, or melting cables are subjective and impractical. In order for the industry to effectively identify non-standard cable products such as CCA, new methods are needed.

CCA cable products have been on the market for several years, largely because companies looking to save money need cheaper cables. Since aluminum is cheaper than copper, CCA cables are generally cheaper than all-copper products. As a result, many buyers with tight budgets find cheaper cable products attractive. They may not realize that they have not received a solid copper cable that meets the standard.

“It’s not difficult to find these products on the Internet through wholesalers and distributors,” said Frank Peri, founding director of the Communications Cable and Connection Association (CCCA), which provides best practices and educational information on high-quality communications cables and connected equipment And related products. Suppliers provide non-standard cable products at significantly lower prices than compliant products. Some sell both compliant and non-compliant cables. Peri pointed out that there are certain industries and applications where CCA is approved and applicable, but situations where CCA is not applicable need to be addressed.

Peri said that it is difficult to quantify the market for counterfeit cables, but he believes that the number of distributors and CCA cables accounted for a large enough share to become a major issue. "We tend to find more of these on the [US] West Coast, because Long Beach [California] is a huge port of entry," he said.

Mike Gilmore, managing director of e-Ready Building Ltd, said that according to knowledgeable and reliable sources, certain wholesalers and distributors sell approximately 300 kilometers of CCA cables disguised as categories 5, 5e and 6 in the UK every month. . And the technical director of the Optical Fiber Industry Association (FIA), he has participated in the standardization of the design, implementation and operation of telecommunication facilities and infrastructure in the UK, Europe and other regions.

"Cables are usually sold through electrical wholesale markets rather than data markets, so I can only see them after I find a problem," Gilmore said.
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The industry is working hard to solve the problem of counterfeit cables. For example, in November 2013, CCCA and BICSI, an information, education, and knowledge assessment association that supports the IT systems (ITS) industry, announced that they would be making international efforts to stop counterfeit and non-compliant cables.

According to CCCA, cables made of CCA conductors do not comply with the effective safety list of the National Electrical Code (NEC) and cannot be legally installed in building areas that require CM, CMG, CMX, CMR, or CMP rated cables. Installing these types of cables will reduce network performance and potential safety hazards.

In some cases, there may be legal risks in installing counterfeit cables. CCCA published a white paper entitled "Potential Liability of Contractors Who Install or Manufacturers Sell False-labeled Copper Clad Aluminum Cables." This article aims to educate the industry about the legal risks borne by communication cable installers that are clearly not allowed by the National Electrical Code.

CCCA's research shows that many contractors do not know that cables marked as 5e or 6 and made of CCA conductors cannot be legally installed in any area that requires the fire safety level of the National Electrical Code. According to CCCA, the National Electrical Code has been incorporated into the laws of almost all states and local municipalities in the United States. It defines the requirements for cables installed in buildings, homes, and other structures. Installing multi-conductor communication cables made of CCA conductors behind walls or in enclosed spaces may violate regulations in every jurisdiction of the country. Depending on the jurisdiction, violations of building codes may result in huge fines or imprisonment.

Another major problem is that these cables do not support PoE applications due to the added DC resistance. The resistance of a solid aluminum cable is about 55% higher than that of a copper cable of the same diameter. The greater the resistance, the greater the heating of the cable and the lower the available voltage of the powered device. Using standard-compliant solid copper cabling, the resistance heating of the wiring bundle leads to lower ambient temperature specifications for higher current applications. Second, the method of determining the physical characteristics of the cable can be completed. The weight of the cable, the evidence of aluminum, and the electrical performance of the cable are more reliable methods to identify CCA cables, but they are not completely foolproof. An example is... There are now several standards that have similar requirements in development. In IEEE Std 802.3, clause 33.1.4.1 contains the statement "When all cable pairs are energized, Type 2 operation requires the maximum ambient operating temperature of the cable to be reduced by 10°C." No consideration is given to the greater heat that can occur in CCA cables.

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