Category Cables CAT 7 Plenum

Summary: Category Cables CAT 7 Plenum

Category Cables CAT 7 Plenum

Windy City Wire manufactures SmartWire low-voltage Category Cable for demanding commercial and industrial environments. Our CAT 7 plenum solutions are engineered for high-bandwidth network cabling in air-handling spaces, providing consistent electrical performance and robust shielding for EMI-sensitive installations. We partner directly with integrators, contractors, and distributors—helping professional teams standardize materials, streamline installation, and deliver reliable results on every project.

Why choose SmartWire CAT 7 Plenum for your next job

• High-performance transmission: Rated Category 7 and tested to 600 MHz for stable, low-noise data links across building systems.
• Shielding where it matters: Each Pair Shielded (EPS) construction helps mitigate crosstalk and interference in dense, mixed-signal pathways.
• Plenum-rated safety: CMP plenum construction supports installation in return-air and environmental air spaces.
• Low-voltage copper you can trust: 22 AWG bare copper conductors deliver reliable conductivity for commercial runs.
• Pulling made easier: SmartWire Glide Technology lubrication is applied during manufacturing to reduce pulling friction by up to 70%—helping crews pull faster with less rework.
• Made in the USA: SmartWire is manufactured in the United States and is RoHS compliant.
• Color clarity: Standard 4-pair color code (White-Blue/Blue, White-Orange/Orange, White-Green/Green, White-Brown/Brown) supports fast identification in the field; standard jacket color is Blue. Custom jacket and stripe colors are also available to help standardize your installations.

Where CAT 7 plenum excels

• Commercial backbone and horizontal network cabling in offices, healthcare, education, and hospitality
• Industrial facilities requiring enhanced noise immunity
• Security, AV distribution, control systems, and building automation in shared pathways

Key technical details

• Category: CAT 7 (tested to 600 MHz)
• Conductor: 22 AWG, 4 Pair, bare copper
• Shielding: EPS (Each Pair Shielded)
• Plenum rating: CMP
• Nominal O.D.: 0.305 in.
• Compliance: RoHS

Available construction

• 22 AWG 4 Pair Solid Bare Copper EPS Plenum (CMP) Low-Voltage: CAT 7 plenum Category Cable with each pair individually shielded for superior crosstalk and EMI control. Designed for consistent 600 MHz performance in air-handling spaces across commercial and industrial applications.

How our CAT 7 plenum adds value for professionals

• Consistency across projects: Standardized performance and shielding help reduce troubleshooting time and callbacks.
• Installation efficiency: SmartWire Glide Technology helps crews complete pulls with fewer hang-ups and less lubrication mess.
• Specification confidence: CAT 7 performance and plenum compliance make it straightforward to meet stringent job requirements.
• Scalable sourcing: Direct partnership with integrators, contractors, and distributors supports consistent availability for large programs.

Summary
If you’re building or upgrading commercial and industrial network cabling, Windy City Wire’s SmartWire CAT 7 plenum cat 7 cables provide the shielding, bandwidth, and plenum safety profile that complex environments demand. As a manufacturer focused on low-voltage products and solutions—not services—we supply the materials professional teams rely on to deliver clean, consistent installations. For projects that require strong EMI performance, plenum compliance, and dependable installation characteristics, our plenum cat7 portfolio is built to help you do the job right.

Looking for specific colors or identification standards?
Ask our team about custom SmartWire jacket and stripe color options to align with your organization’s wiring standards and simplify field identification.

Solutions: Category Cables CAT 7 Plenum

Category Cables CAT 7 Plenum: Built for demanding commercial and industrial networks

Windy City Wire partners directly with integrators, contractors, and distributors to deliver shielded plenum Category Cable solutions that keep projects on schedule and systems performing reliably. Our Cat7 plenum offering is engineered around a 4‑pair, bare copper design with robust shielding and a plenum-rated jacket for use in return-air spaces where code allows. Tested to 600 MHz, this cable provides the bandwidth headroom and noise mitigation needed for modern network cabling in high-density, high-interference environments.

Where CAT 7 Plenum cable fits best

• Enterprise LAN and campus networks: Backbone and horizontal runs supporting high-throughput switches, aggregation points, and mission-critical user connectivity.
• PoE and PoE++ devices: Wireless access points, pan-tilt-zoom cameras, multi-sensor cameras, door controllers, IP intercoms, and PoE lighting. The 22 AWG conductors help reduce voltage drop and heat rise on longer powered runs.
• Audio/Video and collaboration: Conference room endpoints, codecs, control processors, DSPs, and digital signage that benefit from shielded cabling to limit EMI/RFI and crosstalk.
• Security and life safety: IP video surveillance, access control panels, readers, REX devices, and networked intrusion components that require stable, shielded connectivity.
• Building automation: BAS/BMS controllers, BACnet/IP, Modbus TCP gateways, environmental sensors, and smart lighting networks running over a unified structured cabling platform.
• Healthcare and clean facilities: Installations near imaging equipment or sensitive electronics where plenum cat cables with shielding help mitigate interference and meet stringent pathway requirements.
• Industrial and manufacturing: Production lines, PLCs, machine vision, and robotics where motors, VFDs, and heavy equipment create electrical noise that shielded Category Cable helps control.
• Hospitality, retail, and venues: POS, IPTV, guest Wi‑Fi, cameras, and back-of-house systems requiring dependable, high-bandwidth network cabling in shared pathways and plenums.
• Education and government: Classrooms, labs, auditoriums, command centers, and secured areas with dense device counts and mixed-use media over copper.
• Data rooms and edge compute: Short cross-connects and pathways where shielded cat 7 cables reduce susceptibility to interference from power equipment and RF sources.

Why choose shielded CAT 7 Plenum for these environments

• Noise immunity: Overall shielding helps safeguard data integrity in spaces with RF sources, switching power supplies, and motors.
• High-frequency performance: Tested to 600 MHz to support bandwidth-hungry applications with added performance headroom.
• Plenum-rated construction: Suitable for air-handling spaces when installed per local code, streamlining pathway decisions in commercial buildings.
• Power delivery over distance: 22 AWG bare copper conductors are well-suited for PoE and PoE++ devices by helping minimize voltage drop.
• Consistent termination: 4‑pair geometry supports predictable performance with shielded connectivity in the field.
• Material stewardship: RoHS compliant construction supports environmental and regulatory requirements on public and private projects.

System integrations commonly served by CAT 7 Plenum

• Unified communications: VoIP phones, soft codec endpoints, and room scheduling panels.
• Wireless infrastructure: Wi‑Fi 6/6E access points, controllers, and edge switches supporting higher throughput and PoE loads.
• AV over IP and control: Networked audio, video distribution, and control systems where shielding helps reduce interference and maintain signal quality.
• Physical security: NVR/SVR uplinks, camera home runs, door hardware, and sensors integrated over a common copper backbone.
• Smart building platforms: Lighting, HVAC, metering, and occupancy analytics unified over IP to reduce parallel cabling systems.

Design notes for contractors and integrators

• Use shielded terminations and grounding practices consistent with your design to maintain the cable’s EMI/RFI benefits end‑to‑end.
• Plan PoE budgets with 22 AWG conductors to help meet power requirements for cameras, APs, and LED fixtures without excessive losses.
• Take advantage of the cable’s nominal outside diameter for pathway fill and bend radius planning, especially in congested plenum spaces.
• Leverage the 600 MHz test rating to provide headroom where future device upgrades or higher link utilization are expected.

Partnering with Windy City Wire

We serve professional markets only—integrators, contractors, and distributors—so every Category Cable solution is built with installation efficiency and lifecycle reliability in mind. Our team supports takeoffs, specifications, and submittals, helping you select the right cat7 plenum construction for your application mix.

For specification support or to align this CAT 7 Plenum option with your exact system requirements, contact Windy City Wire. We’ll help ensure the cable selection matches your performance, code, and deployment goals.

Frequently Asked Questions: Category Cables CAT 7 Plenum

• What AWG conductors are available with these SmartWire Category CAT 7 Plenum cables?

  These cat7 plenum cat cables are offered in 22 AWG with 4-pair bare copper conductors. They are shielded (EPS) and tested up to 600 MHz, making them ideal for high‑performance network cabling.

• What other colors are these SmartWire Category CAT 7 Plenum cables available in?

  Available color options include White-Blue/Blue and White-Orange/Orange.

• Are these SmartWire Category CAT 7 Plenum cables made with solid or stranded copper conductors?

  They are constructed with solid bare copper conductors for stable performance in permanent network cabling installations.

• What lengths are these SmartWire Category CAT 7 Plenum cables sold in?

  At Windy City Wire we manufacture and stock SmartWire Category Cable in a 1,000 ft standard length.

• 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 RackPack Field Systems Solution for efficient pulls and jobsite productivity. Learn more about our RackPack: https://windycitywire.com/solutions/rackpack-overview

• What are the main differences between CAT5e, CAT6, CAT6A, and CAT7 cables?
  1. CAT5e: Up to 100 MHz bandwidth; supports 1 Gbps up to 100 m; typically UTP; suitable for basic data drops.
  2. CAT6: Up to 250 MHz; 1 Gbps up to 100 m and 10 Gbps up to ~55 m; tighter twist and improved performance over CAT5e.
  3. CAT6A: Up to 500 MHz; 10 Gbps up to 100 m; better alien crosstalk control; popular for high-density enterprise network cabling.
  4. CAT7: Up to 600 MHz (these cat 7 cables are tested to 600 MHz); individually shielded pairs and overall shielding for superior noise immunity; built for robust, high-speed plenum cat cables in demanding environments.
• What are some popular Category Cable colors and what do they stand for?
  • Blue: General data/network cabling
  • Gray/White: Standard office/data or workstation drops
  • Red: Critical systems, VLAN/DMZ, or emergency circuits
  • Yellow: PoE devices or security systems
  • Green: Management networks or crossover (legacy convention)
  • Black: Security/CCTV or AV backbones
  • Orange: Demarcation/patching or ISP handoff
  • Purple: AV/broadcast or specialty networks

  Note: Color conventions can vary by organization—standardize a color code across your projects for consistency.

Additional Links:

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