Lately there has been a lot of interest in Cat 7 and I'm going to give you an overview of what's available and where I believe copper is in terms of capacity of data transmission.

Sometimes new technology comes along and says 'buy me I'm new faster and better than ever before' and just like good consumers we find ourselves picking up the phone and asking for the very latest thing. In this case it's Cat 7, which has been around a while but it's only just starting to become big.

Part of the demand for Cat 7 is the possibility of 40G bandwidth. Most systems run at 600Mhz and you're thinking yep, that'll future proof me and you'd be right too.

Lets look at this in more detail - what do we need to consider? Well firstly Cat 7 is not yet a fully ratified specification and unlike with the long wait for Cat 6 (which uses RJ45 connectors) to become ratified each system uses it's own propriety connector system. And we are currently in a race for the dominant system to take the lead and become the de facto connector of choice.

Think of the Blue Ray Vs HD DVD contest which seemed to go on for ages and help back literally millions of sales because consumers we just not sure which system to go with.

Main contenders

So what do we have to choose from at the moment? These are the main contenders:

• Siemon TERA Category 7
• Nexans GG45 LANmark-7
• AMP SL TWIST-7

The Nexans GG45 will be the most familiar looking as they have styled the connector system to look like the more traditional RJ45 connectors. Don't be fooled it's not the same and you will need a whole new set of tools to assemble.

Installation and testing

This brings me to my next point, installation and testing. So you like the look of one of the systems. You then need to tool up and get the test gear not a low cost option. But then if you want the best you need to invest.

Here are some videos showing the assembly process of each system:

• Siemon: http://youtu.be/Qjr9OdVXPj0
• Nexans: http://youtu.be/zu99XP9sbTU
• AMP:     http://www.ampnetconnect.com.au/selfrun/AMP-TWIST-7AS/player.html

Connection interfaces

Another thing to consider is the active equipment and what connection interfaces they have. For example, you install the vertical cabling to Cat 7 but the switches have RJ45 inputs which effectively steps down the transmission speeds.

I have to say at this point I love new technology and I get excited about the new possibilities provided by the best and latest. It's just that I can't help thinking that if you are going to all this trouble to implement Cat 7 why not go for fibre? I know the active equipment costs more but fibre will last for ever and far exceeds the bandwidth required for today's data hungry networks.

Ultimately the market will decide and it does come down to personal choice. I hope that I have helped you to make a better informed choice. And as I always say, don't be afraid to ask your cabling experts - all the good ones will help you make the best decision that is right for you.

The future is here and it's all about carbon nanotubes! We in the cable assembly business may all be out of a job as this amazing material does the same work as traditional copper based cables but at a much smaller scale.

But don't worry you're job is safe for the moment as it is still early days for this emerging technology. Here is the blurb from Nanocomp Technology manufacture of the carbon nanotubes:

It has been long known that individual carbon nanotubes have extraordinary properties:
•    Strength
•    Conduct Electricity
•    Conduct Heat
•    Lightweight
 
However, up to now, competitive commercial manufacturing processes have generally produced only short carbon nanotubes - usually tens of microns long - with current carbon nanotubes generally available in powder formats. And, as with most powders, they can be quite difficult to incorporate into final manufactured goods. Perhaps most importantly, final products made from traditional powdery nanotubes have poor bulk properties - exhibiting less than optimal strength and conductivity.

NCTI's patent pending processes change the game. We have developed methods to continuously produce very long, pure, carbon nanotubes, in the millimetre range of length, at high growth rates. Longer nanotubes mean greater strength, higher conductivity, easier handling, and greater product safety.

They are key to providing the attractive properties exhibited by individual tubes.
Today's nanotubes are also quite expensive - usually too expensive for use in volume industrial applications. This is a result of the significant amounts of impurities generated in their manufacture. Extensive and expensive post growth purification is usually needed to remove these impurities.

NCTI's process produces very pure materials that do not require post-growth purification. High initial purity, combined with high output production rates hold the promise of achieving excellent process economics and product affordability as we scale the process

However, long nanotubes are only part of the story.

Widespread industrial use of carbon nanotubes has also been limited due to a lack of volume production methods to create long nanotube fibers or sheets, with attractive physical properties, for use in final products.

To address this, NCTI has also developed novel methods to fabricate its nanotubes into structurally strong and electro-thermally conductive fibers, yarns, and sheets. They are delivering on some of the long awaited promises of carbon nanotubes. For example our products exhibit:
•    High Strength - our spun conductive yarns exhibit breaking strengths up to 3 GPa expressed or in other terms: 1.5 Nt/Tex or 450,000 psi and with fracture toughness that is higher than aramids (such as Kevlar or Twaron). Our CNT sheets have breaking strengths, without binders, that range from 500 MPa to 1.2 GPa depending upon tube orientation. aluminium breaks at 500 MPa, carbon steel breaks around 1 GPa.
•    Electrical Conductivity - Capable of carrying more current than copper and are also more conductive than copper at high frequencies.
•    Thermal Conductivity - Capability to transfer more heat than copper or silver on a
per weight basis.
•    Thermoelectric behaviour - Demonstrate a Seebeck coefficient of greater than 60 µV/ºK
and power greater than 1 watt/gram.
•    Extremely Lightweight - Less than half the weight of aluminium
To leverage these properties we have created value added components, such as conductive cables, thermal straps, EMI shielding "skins," and high strength sheets or yarns for incorporation into final end-user products


Or you can just watch this video in which a bloke with a beard in a white lab coat explains everything you need to know about nanotubes.

http://youtu.be/ZdyKfY94L84



So there you have it the future is an exciting place full of possibilities we just have to work out where we fit into this future.