Specifications

22
SERVSWITCH
™
BRAND CAT5 KVM EXTENDER
4.2.5 T O C ONNECT THE L OCAL U NIT TO THE R EMOTE U NIT
To interconnect the Extender’s Local and Remote Units, you’ll need industry-
standard structured cabling (Category 5 UTP or STP, 4-pair) terminated with RJ-45
plugs. This cable is not included with the Extender. Order CAT5 patch cables such
as our product code EYN737MS or CAT5 bulk cable such as our EYN840A. The
bulk cable should be terminated with high-quality RJ-45 plugs such as those
included in our FM732 25-pack.
CAUTION!
This cable must be solid-core type; stranded patch cable will give poor
results over longer distances. The pairing of the cable and pinning of its
connectors must be in accordance with EIA/TIA-568A or (preferably)
EIA/TIA-568B. (Refer to the wiring chart in Appendix A. Please note that
failure to wire the twisted pairs
correctly will dramatically impair video
quality and possibly prevent correct operation.)
You might be able to use some makes of CAT5e cable (rated for
155 Mbps) between Extender Units at distances up to 120 m (400 ft.). In
general, however, avoid using CAT5e, “Level 6” or “Level 7” cables, or
other types of cable rated for data rates higher than 100 Mbps (bandwidths
higher than 100 MHz). This is because the wires in these cables are twisted
much more tightly than those in regular CAT5, which is great for high-
speed data but really bad for video signals.
Also, even though your network might use the same type of 4-wire
twisted-pair cabling, do not connect the Extender to 10BASE-T Ethernet
devices or any other network equipment. Doing so will virtually destroy the
Extender’s circuitry and could also damage the attached equipment.
The Extender is designed for use up to a maximum cable length of 300 m
(1000 ft.) At this length the video quality should be acceptable even at a screen
resolution of 1024 x 768 and a refresh rate of 75 Hz.
Although a single continuous length of interconnect cable is preferable,
it’s possible to operate an Extender system if the Local and Remote Units are
connected through multiple patch panels. However, the more patch panels
the cable is routed through, the greater the probability that the video signal
will be degraded.
NOTE
The Extender has been tested and found to work, in certain situations,
with 4-pair Category 3 cable or with four pairs of 25-pair UTP trunk
cables instead of 4-pair Category 5 cable. We do not recommend such
installations; if you want to experiment with them, do so at your own
risk.