Category Cables CAT 5e Plenum

Summary: Category Cables CAT 5e Plenum

Category Cables CAT 5e Plenum

Windy City Wire supplies commercial and industrial partners with plenum-rated Category Cable engineered for dependable performance in building air-handling spaces. Our SmartWire low-voltage cat5e wire is manufactured in the United States and verified to ANSI/TIA-568-C.2, delivering consistent 350 MHz Category 5e performance for structured cabling, voice, data, and control systems. We partner directly with integrators, contractors, and distributors; we do not sell to end users or consumers.

Why choose SmartWire CAT 5e Plenum

• Standards-ready performance: Verified ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 Cat 5e with 350 MHz bandwidth for reliable links in enterprise, education, healthcare, and industrial facilities.
• Plenum safety: CMP plenum construction supports installation in environmental air spaces per code requirements.
• Low-voltage copper: 24 AWG, 4-pair solid bare copper conductors for stable runs and strong termination results.
• Your choice of shielding: Non-shielded UTP or shielded F/UTP (overall aluminum foil) for noisy electrical environments.
• Smoother pulls: SmartWire Glide lubrication is applied during manufacturing and reduces cable-pulling friction by up to 70%.
• Made in the USA: Consistent quality from a single manufacturing source.
• Color options: Stock white jacket with the ability to request custom jacket and stripe color combinations to standardize your installations.
• Lengths: 1000 ft standard; also available in 250, 500, and 100 ft lengths.

Whether you specify plenum cat5e cables for new construction or upgrade work, SmartWire helps simplify procurement with dependable availability and a clear fit for typical horizontal runs. For projects that require additional noise immunity, our shielded plenum cat cables help maintain signal integrity near lighting, motors, and other EMI sources.

How our Category Cable adds value to your project

• Consistency across sites: Uniform materials, performance, and handling characteristics support predictable installation times and testing outcomes.
• Installation efficiency: Low-friction jackets and solid-conductor terminations help crews complete pulls and punch-downs with fewer reworks.
• Specification confidence: Clear compliance with Cat 5e and plenum requirements reduces submittal friction and speeds approvals.
• Partner-focused supply: Built for integrators, contractors, and distributors with the product depth and support you need across rollouts and service work.

Available constructions

1. 24 AWG 4 Pair Solid Bare Copper Plenum (CMP) Low-Voltage: Non-shielded Cat 5e UTP rated to 350 MHz for typical voice/data/control runs in plenum spaces; verified to ANSI/TIA-568-C.2. A practical choice for commercial environments with minimal electromagnetic interference.
2. 24 AWG 4 Pair Solid Bare Copper with O/A Foil Shield Plenum (CMP) Low-Voltage: Shielded Cat 5e F/UTP rated to 350 MHz for plenum runs where EMI/RFI is a concern; verified to ANSI/TIA-568-C.2. Helps preserve link performance near industrial equipment, lighting, and wireless systems.

At-a-glance options

• Category: Category Cable cat5e (350 MHz), low-voltage
• Shielding: Non-Shielded (UTP) or Shielded (F/UTP, overall foil)
• Conductor: 24 AWG, 4-pair solid bare copper
• Rating: CMP plenum for environmental air spaces
• Lengths: 1000 ft standard; also available in 250, 500, and 100 ft
• Jacket: Stock white; custom jacket and stripe colors available upon request

Summary

Windy City Wire’s SmartWire CAT 5e Plenum offering gives commercial teams a dependable, standards-verified foundation for structured cabling. With both UTP and shielded plenum options, U.S. manufacturing, low-friction pulls, and the ability to customize jacket and stripe colors, you can standardize materials across projects and complete installations efficiently. If you are sourcing plenum cat5e cables or evaluating cat5e wire for your next build, our Category Cable portfolio provides a straightforward, specification-friendly solution backed by a partner that serves integrators, contractors, and distributors.

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Contact Windy City Wire to review project requirements, choose the right construction, and plan stocking across your rollout.

Solutions: Category Cables CAT 5e Plenum

Category Cables CAT 5e Plenum for Commercial and Industrial Builds

Windy City Wire supplies Category Cable solutions designed for professional integrators, electrical contractors, and low-voltage distributors. Our CAT 5e plenum offerings are engineered for code-compliant installation in air-handling spaces and deliver dependable gigabit performance for a wide range of building systems. With solid bare copper conductors, true 4-pair construction, and third-party verified performance to ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 Category 5e, these plenum cat5e cables provide the consistency and headroom required on fast-track projects and large-scale rollouts.

Where CAT 5e Plenum Excels

• Enterprise LAN and Workstations: Horizontal runs for 10/100/1000BASE‑T connections to desktops, thin clients, printers, and building network devices.
• Power over Ethernet (PoE) Devices: Efficient powering and data for VoIP phones, security cameras, and wireless access points. CAT5e wire supports PoE standards such as IEEE 802.3af/at when installed to best practices.
• Wireless Infrastructure: Uplink cabling to access points and controllers for corporate, campus, healthcare, hospitality, and retail Wi‑Fi deployments.
• Physical Security Systems: IP video surveillance, NVR connectivity, access control panels, door controllers, readers, intercoms, and emergency communication endpoints.
• Building Automation and Controls: BACnet/IP, Modbus TCP, HVAC controllers, VAV boxes, lighting control gateways, and emerging PoE lighting platforms.
• Audio/Video and Collaboration: Networked AV encoders/decoders, meeting room systems, digital signage players, and control processors that operate over standard Ethernet links.
• Industrial Networking: Ethernet-enabled PLCs, machine I/O, sensors, and inspection cameras. Shielded options help mitigate EMI from motors, VFDs, and heavy equipment.
• Data Center and MDF/IDF Use: OOB management links, KVM, and device patching where plenum-rated pathway compliance is required.

Why Choose Plenum-Rated CAT 5e?

• Meets code in air-handling spaces: CMP plenum rating is built for return-air plenums above drop ceilings and under raised floors where required by local codes.
• Proven performance for gigabit: Category 5e performance to 350 MHz provides reliable 1 GbE operation over typical channel distances, with stable signal integrity for business-critical links.
• Solid bare copper conductors: 24 AWG, four balanced pairs help ensure low resistance, consistent PoE delivery, and clean terminations.
• Efficient installation: A round, consistent cable geometry supports easier routing in conduit, cable tray, and dense pathways, helping reduce rework at jacks and patch panels.

UTP and Shielded Options

• Non‑Shielded (UTP) Plenum: A go‑to choice for offices, classrooms, retail floors, and general-purpose runs with standard EMI exposure.
• Shielded Plenum: An overall foil shield helps control interference in demanding environments—mechanical rooms, manufacturing, near elevator equipment, broadcasting spaces, or anywhere high-frequency noise is present.

Industries We Support

• Commercial Real Estate and Corporate Campuses: Tenant build-outs, renovations, rapid MAC work, and multi-floor projects.
• Healthcare: Patient rooms, nurse call endpoints over IP, telemetry zones, and secure administrative networks.
• Education: Classrooms, auditoriums, labs, and residence halls requiring reliable connectivity and PoE power delivery.
• Hospitality and Entertainment: Guest room networks, IPTV backhaul, surveillance, and venue AV control.
• Retail and Distribution: POS terminals, inventory scanners, digital signage, and facility security.
• Industrial and Utilities: Controls networks, SCADA gateways, and production line devices where shielded plenum cat cables can minimize downtime from EMI.

Available Configurations

• Construction: 24 AWG solid bare copper, four pairs, Category 5e performance.
• Shielding: Non‑Shielded and Shielded plenum variants to match the EMI profile of the project.
• Lengths: 1000 ft, 500 ft, 250 ft, and 100 ft options to align with project scope and minimize scrap.
• Compliance: Verified to ANSI/TIA‑568‑C.2 Category 5e performance; plenum-rated for CMP installations.

Partner with Windy City Wire

Windy City Wire works directly with integrators, contractors, and distributors to support fast, consistent deployments—whether you are standardizing Cat5e across multiple job sites or specifying shielded plenum cat5e cables for high-interference zones. Our technical team can help align product selection with system requirements and local code, ensuring each run of Category Cable performs as intended.

Keyword guidance for specifiers

• Use plenum cat5e cables in air-handling spaces for code compliance and reliable 1 GbE connectivity.
• Select shielded plenum cat cables when your environment includes significant EMI sources.
• Standardize on cat5e wire for PoE endpoints like IP cameras, WAPs, and VoIP where gigabit and power delivery are required.

For structured cabling projects across commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities, our Category Cable portfolio delivers the right balance of performance, code compliance, and deployment flexibility.

Frequently Asked Questions: Category Cables CAT 5e Plenum

• What AWG conductors are available with these SmartWire Category CAT 5e Plenum cables?
  

  These plenum cat5e cables are built with 24 AWG, 4‑pair solid bare copper conductors, verified to ANSI/TIA‑568‑C.2 CAT5e performance (350 MHz). Available in both unshielded and shielded plenum constructions.

• What other colors are these SmartWire Category CAT 5e Plenum cables available in?
  

  Available color options include: White‑Blue/Blue and White‑Orange/Orange.

• Are these SmartWire Category CAT 5e Plenum cables made with solid or stranded copper conductors?
  

  They use solid bare copper conductors (4‑pair) for permanent in‑wall plenum installations, delivering dependable cat5e wire performance for data and PoE applications.

• What lengths are these SmartWire Category CAT 5e Plenum cables sold in?
  

  Windy City Wire manufactures and stocks SmartWire Category Cable in a standard 1,000 ft length. Additional lengths available include 100 ft, 250 ft, and 500 ft. Every box features SmartWire FastFIND Footage Markers every two feet to simplify pulls, confirm remaining footage, and reduce waste on plenum cat cables.

• How is your SmartWire low-voltage Category Cable sold — on spools or in boxes?
  

  Our SmartWire Category Cable is packaged in our patented RackPack carton as part of the complete RackPack Field Systems Solution to improve safety and efficiency and reduce labor costs. Learn more about our RackPack: https://windycitywire.com/solutions/rackpack-overview

• What are the main differences between CAT5e, CAT6, CAT6A, and CAT7 cables?
  

  CAT5e: Up to 1 Gbps at 100 m; 100 MHz typical (SmartWire cat5e is verified to 350 MHz). Ideal for everyday data and PoE runs.

  CAT6: 1 Gbps to 100 m; supports 10 Gbps to ~37–55 m; 250 MHz. Better crosstalk control than cat5e.

  CAT6A: 10 Gbps to 100 m; 500 MHz. Enhanced alien crosstalk performance; often larger OD and sometimes shielded for high‑density PoE and 10G.

  CAT7: ISO/IEC Class F; typically 600 MHz (or higher depending on variant); commonly S/FTP and uses non‑RJ45 connectors (e.g., GG45/TERA). Designed for specialized environments; not a TIA category and may have compatibility considerations.

• What are some popular Category Cable colors and what do they stand for?
  

  Color conventions vary by organization, but common uses include:

  Blue: Data/LAN drops

  White or Gray: General purpose/office

  Yellow: PoE devices or video

  Red: Critical systems, security, or uplinks

  Green: Voice or cross‑connect

  Orange: Backbone/inter‑rack or demarc

  Purple or Black: AV, cameras, or special systems

  Standardizing colors helps with identification and maintenance across cat5e, CAT6, and other Category Cable runs.

Additional Links:

• Learn more about our SmartWire Cable
• The RackPack - Our patented cable delivery solution
• Our Transporters - RackPack Transportation Devices
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