Network

Cat5e and Cat6A cabling for show networks and digital audio transport: Elumen8 and LEDJ leads from half-metre patch lengths upwards, etherCON-terminated stranded touring cable, Neutrik etherFLEX assemblies, and Allen & Heath Etherflex reels and multimode fibre for long runs.

Construction matters as much as the category rating printed on the jacket. Stranded-core touring cable with locking etherCON ends survives the repeated coiling and stage abuse that kills solid-core patch leads, so use it for console-to-stagebox links and anything that travels, and keep the snagless UTP patch leads for racks and fixed installs. Cat5e comfortably carries most digital audio and control protocols, while Cat6A buys bandwidth headroom and 10 gigabit capability for larger networks. Copper Ethernet tops out at 100m per run, which is exactly where the 150m multimode fibre drum earns its place on large sites and inter-building links, and the 100m cable reel format suits touring, where deploying and recovering long runs quickly matters.

The matching etherCON connectors and couplers are in the connectors section for anyone terminating custom lengths.

Network Cable FAQs

Why stranded touring cable rather than patch leads? Solid-core patch cable dies under repeated coiling; stranded-core with locking etherCON ends survives stage life. Use it for console-to-stagebox and anything re-rigged nightly.

Cat5e or Cat6A? Cat5e carries most digital audio transports (dSnake, SLink, gigaACE) fine; Cat6A buys headroom for AV-over-IP and long Dante runs. The transport question is covered in Dante vs analogue.

When fibre? Past copper’s ~100 m limit or between buildings, multimode reels here cover exactly that.