"Ray" wrote in message
news:Hktqe.15291$mC.8048@okepread07...
The bare wire is stranded steel and not copper. It also has a foil jacket
underneath the plastic covering.

Here's the info stamped on the cable: Belden Datatwist(R) Five 1624P ScTP
CMP Powersum Verified (UL) Catergory 5 E108998.

Hope this helps you...
Ray


It's Catagory 5E shielded (ScTP - "screened" twisted pair), plenum rated
(CMP). You would normally use it with a shielded keystone jack. You would
then use shielded patch cables, etc. The shield helps keep outside
interference from affecting the data. It's good quality cable, but
typically not needed in a home environment, and more expensive than the
standard Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP).

If you purchased the wire and haven't used it, see if you can return it and
get UTP. If you can't return it, go ahead and use it and just ignore the
bare wire. In a commercial environment, with hundreds (or thousands) of
feet of wire, that's not a good idea since the unconnected shield can act as
an antenna, but for the distances you're working with in a home, it's not
going to be an issue.

- Mike O.