Be on the Look Out for Counterfeit UL Marked Cable and Wire

There is an alarming trend being seen across the cabling industry. There are suppliers in the marketplace selling cable -- particularly network cable -- that is mislabeled and fails to meet basic safety requirements. 

Case in point-network cable rated for a certain level of fire resistance that does not actually meet that rating, causing serious safety issues when installed.

Also, network and/or power cable being sold that is made with copper-clad aluminum wires (CCA), as opposed to pure copper wires. The most concerning issue here is the possibility of fire, in the case of power and POE (Power over Ethernet), due to aluminum's higher resistance and lower melting point. While less important, there is a  degraded network performance that comes from using the wrong metal and the possibility of paying full price for a product that fails to meet  specifications.

A network cable (Cat5e/6/6a) is defined by specific physical and electrical characteristics, the most important being resistance across distances. CCA-based network cables do not meet UL testing or meet approved standards. This should be a concern for both the contractor and the business/home owner who pays for specific category graded network cable. Quite simply, a CCA cable is not an approved technology for Category cable, and suppliers who try to pass them off as such are "ripping off" their customers and opening them up to potential lawsuits.

GET, LLC advises that you know your supplier. Don't be fooled by the cheapest cabling product on the market you can find. Make sure that what you're buying is actually what it claims to be.


If you need network cabling, contact us at 671-797-0789 or check out our website at www.get-guam.com for more information on the related products and services we provide-though our friends at Panduit or Fiber Optic Marketplace LLC, if you don't see what you need just give us a call.