Earlier this year we reported about the counterfeit UTP cable that turned up with aluminum rather than copper conductors. We got that report from The Fiber Optic Association.
This month in its online newsletter, the FOA offers up a way to determine find out if a box of UTP cable is an aluminum fake rather than the genuine copper article. The FOA notes, "A reader who was in a test lab suggested a quick way to find the fake cable -- weigh it. A 1000-foot box of Cat 5 copper will weigh approximately 21 pounds (9.1 kg) while the fake cable with aluminum wire will only weigh approximately 14 pounds (6.4 kg)."
The bogus cable reported on earlier in the year had the letters "UL" printed on the jacket and on the box, suggesting the cable met testing requirements of Underwrites Laboratories. The FOA also noted in its July newsletter that if a cable has a UL file number printed on the side, users can go to the UL website and check out its Online Certifications Directory to see if the file number is legitimate.