Faulty Cat6 plugs on AV system

Question

Faulty Cat6 plugs on AV system

IHeartLowVoltage (TechnicalUser)

(OP)

15 Jan 15 23:42

A company paid a lot of money for an Audio/Video installer. They are using AMX switchers, with transmitters and receivers to carry the HDMI signal to TVs/Projection screens. I came in as they are having so many problems with projectors and digital wall plates not working. I found right away when you touch a Cat6 cable that is terminated to a Cat6 shielded plug the connection breaks. I did not have Cat 6 plugs, but for testing, I used a Cat5e plug, and it seems to fix the issues of disconnect and the devices work.

Are there any issues of using RJ-45 Cat6 Shielded plugs in a swing gate cabinet on solid Cat6 cabling? I am recommending using a Cat6 jack on the back part of the cabinet, with a Cat6 stranded Patch cord, but I am wondering if this will degrade the HDMI signal with breaks in the cable? I am not too familiar with carrying HDMI over Ethernet. Suggestions would be appreciated.

Dexman (TechnicalUser) · Answer 1 · 2015-01-16 11:00:49

Do the cables appear to be premade, or, did the installing company custom cut them?
Try temporarily replacing an existing cable with a known good premade and see if the problem is resolved. smile

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IHeartLowVoltage (TechnicalUser) · Answer 2 · 2015-01-20 19:48:34

The company did not break the cable. There are no patch cords. They apparently said you can not break them(use jacks/patch cords) as the signal will degrade for HDMI and the TVs signal will not work.
So all the cables are directly from the wall plates to the switcher/transmitter/receiver.

I assume if the cable is terminated per code, the signal will be ok. Heck I used a Cat5e plug and it works just fine.

lopes1211 (TechnicalUser) · Answer 3 · 2015-01-27 20:42:57

HDMI over Ethernet (or any data over Ethernet) is just plain Ethernet. Ethernet cabling rules apply no matter what the data is. Common practice of jacks, patch panels, and patch cords would be standard. Standards exist to prevent the exact connectivity issues you're describing.

-CL

IHeartLowVoltage (TechnicalUser) · Answer 4 · 2015-01-27 21:34:35

Thank you Lopes! I really didn't think of it that way.

wires (TechnicalUser) · Answer 5 · 2015-01-28 06:33:25

"Try temporarily replacing an existing cable with a known good premade and see if the problem is resolved."
Yes. This is a good way to troubleshoot.

"HDMI over Ethernet (or any data over Ethernet) is just plain Ethernet."
IHeartLowVoltage never said it was HDMI over Ethernet. Instead "transmitters and receivers" are described. Most of the time these devices are HDMI extenders and have nothing to do with Ethernet which is a networking technology utilizing data frames. Extenders are devices that carry the DDC and TDMS signals over twisted pair cables. While the wiring practices are similar it is only because these devices were designed to work with commonly installed wiring.

The proper test procedure would be to substitute known good cable of the same length and if that fixes the problem the installed cabling needs to be repaired or replaced. If the problem still exists it is likely the "transmitters and receivers" are not up to the task. Most single cable extenders only work to about 100'. HDBaseT can extend to 300'. Dual cable extenders or fiber go out to 800-1000'. Check the device manufacturers specs for details.

wires (TechnicalUser) · Answer 6 · 2015-01-28 06:39:03

I'm sorry IHeartLowVoltage DID mention HDMI over Ethernet in the last sentence. I still doubt this is an accurate description of the technology. The easiest way to tell is if the "transmitters and receivers" have an Ethernet switch between them. If so they are HDMI over Ethernet.

IHeartLowVoltage (TechnicalUser) · Answer 7 · 2015-01-28 19:01:51

Wires, to explain further. The HDMI signal is only going over the Cat 6 cable without a Network switch in between my devices.
Interesting about the signal good for 100' for HDMI over twisted pair.

Path: HDMI cable to Input Wall plate-->Cat 6(w/plugs)-->AMX DXLink RJ45(input)-->HDMI cable from AMX(output)-->Transmitter-->Cat6(w/Plugs)-->Receiver-->HDMI cable to TV

My question, instead of Cat6 plugs in my Cabinet that houses the AMX switcher, can I use Cat6 jacks with a patch cord. Because I am thinking when the AV techs open the cabinet(Dont ask why they go into it, they just do!) This bent the plug terminations causing the loss of connection.

Hardware includes:
AMX Switcher- DVX- 3155SP
Transmitter- FG1010-310 DXLink MF Transmitter(To TV) and FG1010 320(input wall plate)
Receiver- FG 1010-500(At TV)

I hope this clears up my post. Thank you all for your input!

wires (TechnicalUser) · Answer 8 · 2015-01-29 14:04:30

Listing equipment is helpful since it moves the conversation out of speculation and into facts. Thanks!

The AMX equipment you listed is using a variation on HDBaseT, an industry "standard" that provides for 330' over a single cable. Apparently AMX has had some difficulty with this technology and their latest recommendation is shielded cat6A cable. Details are in a whitepaper Cabling for Success with DXLink. Follow the recommendations there for a successful repair. Like all things AMX it is quite detailed.

From your description it does sound like it is a termination problem. Properly terminating the building cables in jacks and using a patch cord wherever movement is possible is a good idea.

IHeartLowVoltage (TechnicalUser) · Answer 9 · 2015-01-30 21:23:29

Thanks Wires for the link. Since my test we haven't had a problem with wall plates, and TVs.
It looks like the AMX unit only works as good as the cabling. Installer spent hours troubleshooting the programming. It looks like the cabling is the only problem.

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Faulty Cat6 plugs on AV system