All You Need to Know About Cat6 Ethernet Cables

All You Need to Know About Cat6 Ethernet Cables In this era of the fast internet, your old ethernet cable might not be sufficient to match the current speed of the internet. With advancements in technology, you can find a cable that is speedy and less noisy for your internet connection. Well, it can be a little difficult to choose from a wide range of cables available in the market.

If your basic requirement for network application is in Gigabits then you can install Cat6 ethernet cables.

Cat6 ethernet cables are popular in the market these days. Let's understand Cat6 cables in detail.

What is Cat6 Cable?

Category 6, shortly called Cat6 is an ethernet cable standard defined by Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and Electronic Industries Association (EIA). Cat6 cable consists of four twisted pairs of copper wires surrounded by insulation material. These wires are tightly twisted together to reduce crosstalk. The termination or end of these cables is either by RJ45, patch, or keystone jack. The maximum speed of Cat6 network cable is 10 Gbps with a bandwidth of 250 Hz. The maximum length of Cat6 cable is 100 meters.

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Different Types of Cat6 Cables Cat6 cables can be divided into different types based on specifications. In terms of shielding types, there are shielded and unshielded twisted pair Cat6 cables. In terms of copper conductors used, there are solid and stranded Cat6 cables available. Let us have a look at them.

Shielded and Unshielded In shielded twisted pair cable (STP), individual wire pairs are wrapped in a foil.

These pairs are again wrapped in foil or mesh shield to provide double protection.

This shielding will prevent electromagnetic interface (EMI). It also prevents other technical issues that can compromise the integrity of the signal. These cables are ideal for high speed networks like data centers. Thus shielded Cat6 cables are suitable for running cables outdoors or inside the walls or places with high interference.

In an unshielded twisted pair cable (UTP), each pair of wires is twisted together.

These wires are then wrapped in a tube without any other protection. Here the wires are twisted to reduce noise and cross talks. These cables are less expensive than shielded cables. You can use unshielded Cat6 cables between your computer and wall.

Solid vs Stranded A solid cable has one copper wire for each electrical conductor. Solid cables are not flexible but are more durable. So, they are used for permanent installations, outdoors, and inside walls.

A stranded cable has a series of copper wires twisted together. They are more flexible. They can be used at a desk or anywhere where you need to move cable often. The length of solid cables should be kept less than 6 meters. It is mainly

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used for connecting network interface cards (NICs) and outlets or between concentrators and hubs, panels, etc.

Where to Use It Cat6 ethernet cables can be used for enterprise networks, labs, home network installations, etc. It has the potential to enable higher speed and more data transfer and less cross talk. Cat6 is slightly expensive compared to cat5e. But Cat6 is more reliable as it is compatible with 60W and 90W Power over Ethernet technologies (PoE) in the market.

Compatibility You can easily upgrade from Cat5e to Cat6 cables as they both use the same port.

The difference between cat5e and Cat6 cables lies in capabilities, material used, price, etc. With Cat6 cables, you will have reduced cross talk, speedy data transfer, and connection compared to cat5e. Cat6e is compatible with Cat6 as they both share the same end i.e RJ-45 jack.

Conclusion Now that you have a brief idea of Cat6 cables, all you need to consider while purchasing the cable is the quality. Always go for 100% copper cables. An inferior cable can cause network downtime. So, always purchase ethernet cables from authentic suppliers that provide guarantee on your cable quality. We hope this article is helpful for you while finding Cat6 cable.

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