CCA vs Copper Cable: What’s Really Inside Your Network Cable?

Two Ethernet cables can look almost identical from the outside.

They may have the same jacket colour, the same CAT6 marking and even similar packaging. But once you look at the conductor inside, there can be a major difference.

One cable may use solid copper, while another may use - Copper Clad Aluminium.

That difference may not seem important at first, but it can affect the cable's, heat handling, durability and overall network performance.

So, what exactly is the difference between CCA and copper cable? And why should you care about what is inside the cable?

Let's understand it simply.

What Is CCA Cable?

Why Does the Conductor Material Matter?

An Ethernet cable does much more than simply connect two devices.

Electrical signals travel through the conductor every time data moves between a switch, router, computer, IP camera, access point or another network device.

If the conductor has higher electrical resistance, more of the electrical energy can be lost as heat along the cable.

This becomes particularly important in applications such as Power over Ethernet (PoE), where the cable may carry both:

Data + Electrical Power

through the same Ethernet cable.

For this reason, conductor quality can directly affect how reliably a network performs.

What Does the Burning Test Show?

One simple demonstration often used to compare conductor materials is a heat or burning test.

When heat is applied to the exposed conductor, copper and aluminium behave differently.

In the demonstration shown in our video, the copper conductor begins to darken or oxidise under heat, but the conductor itself does not immediately melt away.

This happens because copper has relatively strong heat resistance compared with aluminium.

CCA cable behaves differently because aluminium forms the main conductor underneath the copper coating.

The demonstration gives us a quick visual way to understand that two cables which look similar externally may be made from very different conductor materials.

However, a burning test should be treated as a simple demonstration rather than the only method of identifying cable quality.

For an actual network installation, specifications, conductor material, testing results and compliance with relevant cabling standards are much more important.

Copper vs CCA: What's the Practical Difference?

Here is a simple way to understand the difference:

The difference may not always be noticeable in a very short cable run.

But as cable length, network load and PoE power requirements increase, conductor quality becomes much more important.

A Watt (W) is a unit used to measure electrical power.

In everyday electrical equipment, watts tell us how much power a device consumes or can provide.

The same principle applies to networking equipment.

In a Power over Ethernet (PoE) network, watts help us understand:

• how much power a connected device requires
• how much total power a PoE switch can provide
• how many PoE devices the switch can support at the same time

So, when you see 120W mentioned on a PoE switch, that number is important for more than just the switch specification.

It plays a major role in planning the complete PoE network.

How Does PoE Work?

Power over Ethernet (PoE) allows a compatible network device to receive data and electrical power through the same Ethernet cable.

For example, an IP camera normally needs:

• A network connection for transmitting video
• Electrical power to operate

With PoE, both can be supplied through a single Ethernet cable connected to a PoE switch.

This simplifies installation and reduces the need to provide a separate electrical socket near every network device.

PoE is commonly used for devices such as:

• IP and CCTV cameras
• Wireless access points
• VoIP phones
• IP intercom systems
• Access-control devices
• Other PoE-enabled network equipment

This becomes especially useful when devices are installed on ceilings, poles, building exteriors or other locations where providing separate electrical power can be difficult.

What Is a PoE Power Budget?

Every PoE switch has a limit on the total amount of power it can provide to connected PoE devices.

This is known as the PoE Power Budget.

For example, consider a switch with a:

120W PoE Power Budget

This means the switch can provide approximately 120 watts of total PoE power across its supported PoE ports, subject to the switch's individual port limits and specifications.

The important point is that the number of PoE ports alone does not tell you how many devices you can power.

You also need to check the power requirement of those devices.

A Simple PoE Power Budget Example

Suppose you have a PoE switch with a total power budget of:

120W

And each IP camera requires:

15W

A simple calculation would be:

120W ÷ 15W = 8

In theory, the available power budget can therefore support approximately 8 devices consuming 15W each.

However, real network planning should not always use every available watt.

It is good practice to leave some power headroom because actual power consumption can vary depending on the device and operating conditions.

For example, some cameras may consume additional power when features such as:

• infrared LEDs
• PTZ motors
• heaters
• additional sensors

are operating.

Why Port Count and Power Budget Are Different

A common mistake when selecting a PoE switch is looking only at the number of ports.

For example, an 8-port PoE switch may physically allow eight devices to be connected.

But whether all eight devices can receive sufficient power depends on the switch's total PoE power budget and the power requirement of each device.

Imagine eight devices requiring 20W each.

The total requirement would be:

8 × 20W = 160W

If your switch provides only a 120W PoE budget, it may not be suitable for powering all eight devices simultaneously.

This is why both specifications should always be considered:

Number of PoE Ports + Total PoE Power Budget

Different Devices Require Different Amounts of Power

Not every PoE device consumes the same amount of power.

A basic IP phone may require relatively little power, while a high-performance wireless access point or PTZ camera may require considerably more.

For example:

Device	Example Power Requirement*
VoIP Phone	5-10W
Basic IP Camera	8-15W
Wireless Access Point	10-25W
PTZ / Advanced IP Camera	20-30W+

*Actual consumption varies by manufacturer and model. Always refer to the device specification before planning your PoE power budget.

This becomes particularly important when multiple types of devices are connected to the same switch.

For example, a network may include:

4 IP cameras + 2 Wi-Fi access points + 2 VoIP phones

Instead of simply dividing the switch power budget by one value, calculate the power requirement of each group and then add them together.

How to Calculate the PoE Power Budget You Need

A simple way to plan your network is:

Step 1: List every PoE device that will connect to the switch.

Step 2: Check the maximum power requirement of each device.

Step 3: Add all device power requirements together.

For example:

• 4 IP cameras x 15W = 60W
• 2 Wi-Fi access points x 20W = 40W
• 2 VoIP phones x 7W = 14W

Total estimated requirement:

60W + 40W + 14W = 114W

In this situation, choosing a switch with exactly a 120W budget leaves very little additional capacity.

Selecting a model with some extra power headroom can provide more flexibility for actual device consumption and future expansion.

Why Choosing the Right PoE Switch Matters

A correctly sized PoE switch helps ensure that connected devices receive sufficient and stable power.

An insufficient PoE power budget may result in problems such as devices failing to power up, devices restarting unexpectedly, or difficulties when additional equipment is connected later.

Before choosing a PoE switch, therefore, consider:

• Number of PoE devices
• Power consumption of each device
• Total PoE power budget of the switch
• Maximum power available per PoE port
• Future network expansion

A little planning at the beginning can help avoid unnecessary network issues later.

Don't Just Count Ports. Count Watts.

When selecting a PoE switch, the number of ports is only part of the specification.

The PoE power budget tells you how much power is actually available for the connected devices.

So before selecting a switch, ask two questions:

1) How many devices am I connecting?

2) How much power will those devices require?

Understanding watts and PoE power budget makes it much easier to choose the right switch for CCTV, wireless, enterprise, ISP and other network applications.

DRCOM - Behind Every Connection.

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