Comparison Of Utp Cat6 Cable And Cat6a Cabling

Six categories

UTP CAT6 Cable offers many advantages over CAT5E cabling infrastructure. When CAT6 was first introduced, it was about 50% more expensive than CAT5E, making many installations prohibitively expensive. However, the cost of CAT6 has dropped significantly over the years to almost the same level. CAT6 provides greater bandwidth than CAT5E and allows higher data transfer rates. Therefore, CAT6 is now the minimum standard for new cabling installations. In addition to being able to easily support 1 Gbps network speeds, CAT6 can also support higher data rates of 10Gbps. However, 10Gbps is only supported over shorter distances of 37-55 meters.

Six categories

CAT6A is capable of supporting data transfer rates up to 10Gbps with a maximum bandwidth of 500MHz. CAT6A has an extra and tighter twist and extra insulation to reduce crosstalk.

CAT6A is also backward compatible with CAT6 and CAT5E, however, the speed is always limited and can be used with the lowest category cable or connector installed in the link. CAT6A is fast becoming the most cost-effective solution as it is seen as a future-proof cable system. CAT6A components are used for Class EA networks as defined in ISO/IEC 11801 and TIA/EIA 568.

One of the obvious disadvantages of CAT6A is the physical size and weight of the cable. When it first appeared in 2008, the CAT6A was 50% larger in size. Since then, the cable size has shrunk by 10%. The extra weight gain also reduces the number of cables that can fit into the cable tray and where they can be placed. This results in larger cable trays and conduits and smaller bundle sizes. Additional space is also required for cable bend radii in cable trays, patch panels, and rear wall sockets.

Termination method and timing are also considered negative for CAT6A installations, however, new modular jacks and receptacles that can be terminated in around 2-3 minutes reduce installation time and cost.

One of the main arguments in favor of installing CAT6A infrastructure today is to future-proof the network. Therefore, if the planned life of a new cabling system is five years or more, CAT6A should be considered. If the planned lifetime of the network is ten years or more, CAT6A is the obvious choice.

In fact, when considering the use of CAT6A components in a 10Gbps, Class EA network, consider the following:

CAT6A recommended new installations in healthcare

CAT6A recommended new installations in education

CAT6A provides enhanced performance for Power over Ethernet (PoE)

CAT6A supports wireless systems that rely on 10Gig