Fiber Optic Cable is overrated.

While I wouldn’t recommend running fiber to every port on a network because it is unnecessary and expensive, fiber does make an excellent backbone cable.  With the changes in cabling however – from Cat5e to now Cat6 and cat6A – the cost may not be worth it unless of course – you need to go over 100 meters (328 feet)

So – a few notes about Cat5 and Cat6 cabling

• Most Ethernet wiring is currently done using the T568B standard
• CAT5 wiring uses the smallest gauge wires, which are stranded. Generally it used for data speeds up to 100 Mb/sec. However, the increased speeds and loads of modern LANs place a strain on the characteristics of this wire. It is no longer recommended as the wiring standard.

• CAT5e wiring was recently used as the wiring standard, and uses a slightly higher gauge solid wire. This enables the transmission of data at 250 Mb/sec to 1000 Mb/sec (Gigabit), and is generally in use by all new LANs.

• CAT6 wiring uses even higher gauge wires. It is preferred for Gigabit speeds (1000 Mb/sec to 10,000 Mb/sec), especially over long distances.   All components of a CAT6 installation such as patch cables, jacks, patch panels, etc must meet CAT6 specs to achieve the higher performance level

Fiber optic cables theoretically have the highest transmission rate however for shorter (up to 100 meter) runs – they are expensive and require special handling.   Until recently routers to connect to fiber optic cables were not readily available.  There is a downside to optical fiber and that is cost. A network utilizing fiber will typically cost twice as much as a CAT6 installation.   With the Cat6A pushing the barrier of 10GBPS in many environments – one should ask the question – is Fiber overrrated for what I am trying to do ?

Chances are – if your going from server to server – or from desk to desk – the answer is yes.