When choosing cabling for your business, you want to find the optimal performance and price, just as you do with most aspects of your business.
Cabling might seem like an afterthought, but it’s an incredibly important component of your network. Your choice will determine how fast and efficient your network resources can be.
Here, we’ll discuss the different types of cabling, differentiate between Cat6 and Cat6a cablings, and explain why you might consider Cat6a cabling for your business.
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Everything About Cat6a Cabling
Cat6a (Category 6a) cabling is an advanced network cable designed to support data transmission speeds of up to 10 Gbps over distances up to 100 meters. It is ideal for high-speed and data-intensive environments such as data centers and enterprise networks.
It offers double the bandwidth of Cat6 (500 MHz vs. 250 MHz) and features enhanced shielding and tighter twists to reduce crosstalk and electromagnetic interference (EMI), resulting in better signal quality.
Cat6a is backward compatible with older cables like Cat6 and Cat5e, providing future-proofing for most modern networking needs. While it is thicker and more expensive than Cat6, Cat6a’s ability to handle faster speeds and reduce interference makes it a reliable choice for long-term network infrastructure.
What Is the Difference Between Cat6a Cabling & Wiring?
In short, Cat6a cabling and Cat6a wiring are often used interchangeably, but they differ. The terms cabling and wiring refer to different components of the cabling system.
Cabling typically refers to the entire cable, while wiring refers to the wires situated in the inner core of the cable.
Different Categories of Ethernet Cabling
Cat3
Cat3 can run at 10 Mbps and up to 16MHz. It’s an older type of cable that isn’t used as often today. However, it is still sometimes used for phone and alarm systems.
Cat5
Cat5 can run at 100 Mbps and up to 100 MHz. It’s an older and slower type of cabling, but it is still sometimes used in homes. This type of cabling is best if you have outdated hardware with standardized support for Cat5 cables. Otherwise, most businesses and commercial buildings should opt for cables supporting high network speed.
Cat5e
Cat5e can run at 1 Gbps and up to 100 MHz. It’s often used in homes and some small businesses, but it works best in smaller areas. It may not be the best choice if your business is large or you’re considering scaling in the future.
Cat6
Cat6 can run at 1 Gbps and up to 250 MHz. It’s a common cable used in commercial buildings and typically works well in small—to medium-sized buildings.
Cat6a
Cat6a can run at 10 Gbps and up to 500 MHz. It’s another common cable used in commercial buildings. Because it’s thicker and less flexible than Cat6 cables, it tends to work best in large industrial and commercial areas.
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Cat7, Cat7a, & Cat8 Ethernet Cables
Cat7 Ethernet cables support speeds up to 10 Gbps and 600 MHz, offering better shielding and reduced interference, making them ideal for data centers and high-interference environments.
Cat7a provides a maximum bandwidth of up to 1,000 MHz and is used in high-performance industrial applications, though it’s less common in commercial settings.
Cat8 is the fastest, supporting speeds up to 40 Gbps and 2,000 MHz. It is designed for data centers requiring ultra-fast connections and low latency, but it’s more expensive and unnecessary for most home or small business networks.
The other three Ethernet cable types are not currently approved for telecommunications and data transfer rates.
Cat6 vs Cat6a Cabling
Cat6 and Cat6a cables are similar, but Cat6a cables can run slightly faster and cover longer distances. They are also less susceptible to interference, which can increase both speed and coverage area. Overall throughput, the structured cabling gives them better performance than Cat6 cabling.
A Cat6a cable can cover a maximum length of 295 feet plus 16 feet patched onto either end. This leaves you with a cable length of 328 feet total. Cat6 cables, on the other hand, have a max length of 165 feet. With either type of cable, your connection speed will likely suffer if you try to extend the length.
Cat6 and Cat6a cables both have eight copper wire conductors wrapped together into four cable pairs. The wires in Cat6a cabling are wrapped tighter together, which increases the overall performance while simultaneously reducing interference on existing infrastructure.
Cat6a cabling performs better than Cat6 cabling, a major advantage, especially when covering longer distances. However, Cat6a cables have drawbacks as well. The twisted pair are thick, heavy, and not very pliable, making them more difficult and expensive to install.
How To Choose the Right Ethernet Cable
As cables increase in number, they increase in potential speed, but at a slight cost. Generally, cables that are higher in number are thicker, more difficult to install, and more expensive.
That’s why it’s important to understand the different horizontal copper cabling categories and choose the strongest one you need to accomplish your business’s daily operations without choosing a cable beyond your needs.
To ensure a cable can support your needs, choose one that can run at the maximum Wi-Fi speed. If you have Wi-Fi that can run at 1Gbps but only has a cat5 cable, you won’t be getting the most out of your connection and may be frustrated with slow speeds.
Similarly, choose cables that are compatible with your hardware. If your business uses older hardware, check if the cables are compatible with the connected devices.
FAQs
Is Cat6a cable thicker than Cat6?
Yes, Cat6a cables are generally thicker twisted pairs and have larger diameters due to the enhanced shielding and insulation required to handle higher data speeds, power delivery, and reduce interference.
Is Cat6a future-proof?
Cat6a cabling is considered future-proof for most current and upcoming network applications, as it supports 10 Gbps speeds, which is sufficient for any specific application on most business needs in the foreseeable future.
Is Cat6a cabling more expensive than Cat6?
Yes, Cat6a is typically more expensive than Cat6 due to its improved performance, increased shielding, and ability to support higher speeds over longer distances.
Is Cat6a Cable Right For Your Business?
When it comes down to it, the right cable for your business is the best one you can afford, and it’s important not to overdo it, as you’ll be wasting money with cable that is beyond your needs.
If your business needs cabling that can run at 10 Gbps and up to 500 MHz and covers a large area, Cat6a cabling is ideal.
Cat6a cabling is also ideal if you need Power over Ethernet (PoE) power standards when using ethernet cables for power delivery. This is often used for things like security cameras or motion lighting.
Of course, before choosing horizontal cabling, ensure your equipment and network can support the speeds offered by Cat6a cables. If they can’t and you’re not looking to upgrade your hardware any time soon, it wouldn’t make sense to choose Cat6a cables. In this case, Cat6 would be a wise choice for your business.
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