Abstract:
Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) cables must maintain reliable performance under sustained thermal stress, where both electrical and mechanical stability are critical. This study examines the effects of thermal aging up to 136 °C on bit error rate (BER), insertion loss, and crosstalk in Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6A cables with PVC and PVDF jackets. BER testing across 1–10 Gbps showed no measurable impact during short-term exposure at 90 °C. At 136 °C, however, extended aging degraded BER in lower-category PVC-jacketed designs, particularly at higher data rates. Insertion loss changes remained minimal, but crosstalk and attenuation-to-crosstalk ratio (ACR) strongly correlated with BER instability. Mechanical degradation of PVC jackets—weight loss, shrinkage, and hardening — was found to precede signal failure, even when electrical metrics remained compliant. By contrast, PVDF and thicker PVC jackets, especially when combined with shielding and a pair separator, retained dimensional stability, electrical margins, and transmission integrity throughout testing. Overall, these results demonstrate that cable construction—specifically shielding, pair separator, insulation thickness, and jacket materials—plays a decisive role in sustaining data integrity at elevated temperatures. These findings underscore the need for aging-aware design and qualification protocols that integrate electrical, mechanical, and thermal factors for high-power PoE systems. Join the webinar to learn from our guest speaker, Bo Xu, from Superior Essex Communications.
About the Presenter:
Bo Xu is a Materials Engineer at Superior Essex Communications. He earned a Ph.D. in Polymer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2010, and a M.S. in Material Science at Zhejiang University in 2004. Bo Xu has an extensive background in polymers, with over 30 scientific and conference papers published, and he holds over 10 patents. Prior to joining Superior Essex in 2017, he worked as a Packaging Analytical Scientist at the Coca-Cola Company.
