Cat6a Data Cabling Pricing
How much is the cost of Cat6a cable? What is the difference in cost between Cat6 and Cat6a cabling? What are the differences between Cat6a and Cat7? We are regularly asked these questions as we conduct surveys as a data cabling contractor.
Cat6a Cabling Price per data point
Many of our clients inquire about the cost per point for an information cabling project. Consequently, the clarification explained in the following section is a suitable method for pricing purposes. Moreover, you can scale the numbers to suit your specific project and have a good starting point for overall costs.
The data below will show the cost per cabling outlet changes due to various factors. These numerous elements, therefore, change the overall price.
A decent gauge for Cat6a cabling cost per information point is £60.00 – £85.00 per point. However, the overall cost can change depending on numerous factors. For instance, elements concerning the structure, timings, and number of links inside the building project
Each project is tailored to the specific building and client. Therefore, depending on those specifics, the method and timings of installation will change. Furthermore, as these change, so does the quotation.
The primary consideration with any project is to ensure that all your requirements are taken into consideration. In many cases, we see quotations that are not like-for-like, with items not included, which then unsurprisingly increase your cost after you have committed to the work.
Is Cat6a expensive?
Whether it is expensive is relative, depending on your current needs and future requirements. Firstly, Cat6a is more costly than Cat6 and Cat5e because the materials for each component are more expensive.
Secondly, there is a slightly longer installation time for Cat6a compared to Cat6. Both of which make the cost price of Cat6a more expensive
However, if you require Cat6a performance in the future for 10 Gigabit, it will be more cost-effective in the long run to install the more expensive cable now than to pay for it again in the future, with the added disruption. In addition, with that disruption comes significant costs
Schools are now discovering this with the government's recommendation to upgrade to Cat6a, which, when installed in old buildings, comes at a significant cost.
NM Cabling has been involved in educational installations since 2001, starting with The London Borough of Barnet. Over that time, the recommendation to move to Cat6a has been the most significant change to installation practices.
Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges
Below are situations where the overall cost of your Cat6a cabling project can change
- The overall total of Cat6a cabling ports you require to have installed
- Whether the cable is Euroclass rated, LSOH, or basic PVC (i.e. does it adhere to the correct safety codes)
- The distance from the cabinet to the outlets for the Cat6a cabling runs
- The construction of the building and the routes within that building
- The density of the cabling. Are they grouped or spread far and wide?
- The building type, such as a listed building, warehouse, school, modern office, or residential home
- The presence of existing containment for the cabling to be contained in
- The requirement for new containment and the difficulties of installing that containment
- Are there false floors or false ceilings present
- Is any external work required for Cat6a cabling?
- The timings of the project. Will the work be performed during standard hours or outside of standard hours?
- The location of the project
- Limitations on working hours, access, and specific practices such as security clearances
- London Congestions, Parking, Travel
Cat6a Cable price – Structured cabling estimate
As a starting point, the average price of most Cat6a cable projects is within the range of £60.00 to £85.00 per point. The average is, therefore, slightly higher than Cat5e or Cat6 cabling installations.
We have assumed a minimum of 20-24 data cabling outlets for calculation purposes.
Of course, there will be projects where the cat6a price will be lower than the average range above and projects where it is higher.
The above list provides a good indication of the changes that affect the overall cost of Cat6a cabling. Therefore, the more positive elements present, the lower the overall average cost. Conversely, the more negative elements there are, the higher the average price will be.
What would cause the Cat6 data cabling price to fall into the lower pricing range?
The bullet points below are situations where you could expect the average Cat6a price to be in the lower range of £50.00-£65.00 per Cat6a outlet.
A larger number of cat6a cabling points
Labour costs remain steady in some instances when installing five, ten, twenty, or more cat6a cabling outlets. This is especially true if there is a high density of cables in one area. For example, pulling 20 cat6a cables to one desk cluster is a similar labour time to pulling in only 4. Of course, the termination time increases, but labour as an average reduces the more cabling outlets there are
Therefore, one hundred Cat6a cables will cost less on average per point than installing fifty cat6a outlets.
The difficulty of the cabling routes
Some buildings are better suited to easier structured cabling installation. For example, an office with false floors and ceilings will have a quicker installation time than a school with solid ceilings and no existing cabling routes. Therefore, the easier the routes, the quicker the cabling installation will be. This will result in fewer labour costs and, hence, a lower overall cost. This is especially true regarding the number of outlets available.
The density of the Cat6a cables
As we discussed above, pulling more data cables to the same area requires similar labour. Therefore, the more densely concentrated the wires are, the lower the installation time. A comparison would be 100 Cat6a outlets in an office with 25 desks versus 100 Cat6a outlets in an office with 50 desks. The 50 desks require 50 individual routes compared to only 25 in the other scenario. In this example, the installation time is higher, and other factors, such as containment and route-making, might also increase.
Estimating the Cost of Structured Cabling
Challenging cabling routes or requirements for some new containment
As previously discussed, false ceilings and floors facilitate easier installation. Cat6a cables can be freely installed throughout the length of the building and installed in larger cable looms. However, in some buildings, routes are blocked or complex, which increases the installation time.
Challenging routes can exist in the following
- Solid walls that require drilling
- Solid floors that require chasing
- Ceilings with solid finishes that require access hatches or significant route planning
- The requirement to install cables externally due to no internal routes
In the examples above, the routes are more challenging and may also necessitate new containment measures. Therefore, the installation time increases, and the cost and time for the new containment add to the project's total. Additional containment can sometimes result in a project rising by 50-100%
The location of the building and its access
The project's location can make a significant difference. For example, the Central London project incurs additional time and costs. The obvious ones are the congestion charge and higher parking charges. However, a lack of access to accessible parking results in extra time spent accessing materials and tools from the van. In open areas, they are located directly outside the project.
The flexibility of working times and access
Out-of-hours installation or difficult time scales can result in a higher price. However, working outside of hours can sometimes be the best choice. Working while the building is empty can sometimes speed up the installation time. However, when comparing like-for-like, out-of-working-hours installations move the pricing to the upper average bracket.
Containment that is not suitable for additional cables
Cat6 and Cat5e cables have similar installation requirements for containment, whether in dado trunking, false ceilings, or floors. However, Cat6a is a larger cable, and due to its construction, it has a more significant bend radius requirement. Therefore, when specifically installing Cat6a into dado trunking, the containment that was once suitable for cat5e or cat6 will no longer be large enough or appropriate. Furthermore, there will be a requirement for new or additional containment, which results in extra costs
What Increases the Cost of Cat6a Data Cabling?
- Non-standard Buildings
These would be the type of buildings where the installation process is more complex. These complex reasons can be due to the building's construction, size, or access.
Factors That Can Significantly Increase Data Cabling Installation Costs
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- Buildings with a requirement for numerous single Cat6a cables to a wide area of the building. Examples such as CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi outlets or Access Control
- Hospitality and Hotels. A hotel can have a significant requirement for data cabling, but it consists of many small cabling requirements. For example, a bedroom could have five Cat6a outlets, but all five would be located on different walls.
- Large Warehouses: The primary difference between warehouses and other storage facilities is the height inside. Therefore, cabling is typically installed from powered access lifts. Thus, installation is more complex and time-consuming
- Schools: Most schools are constructed with solid ceilings and rarely have any false floors. Therefore, internal cable routes are nonexistent. Complex routes are, therefore, common and time-consuming.
- Care Homes: Similar to schools, care homes typically have solid ceilings and walls. Thus, complex routing is required. Besides, care must be taken to work around the residents, and this results in additional installation time
- Smaller projects with only a few cables: If a project only requires a few Cat6a cables, the overall average cost will be higher. The installation labour remains the same, so the average cost of that labour over the smaller number of outlets is, therefore, higher. This would be in an installation of 5-10 outlets. For the comparisons above, the starting point is 20- 24 outlets.
How much is Cat6a cabling - Cat6a vs Cat5e
What is the difference between Cat5e and Cat6a? When compared to Cat5e, Cat6a has five times the bandwidth. Cat6a cables support bandwidth frequencies up to 500. Cat5e cabling only supports up to 100Mhz
Furthermore, over the industry-specified 90m maximum link, Cat6a can support 10 Gigabit. Cat5e is only suitable for 1 Gigabit.
A general guideline for Cat5e in the UK is £40.00 – £60.00 per point. [2024]
How much is Cat6a cabling- Cat6 vs Cat6a
Cat6 vs Cat6a Bandwidth and Speed
When compared to Cat6, Cat6a has double the bandwidth. Cat6a cables support bandwidth frequencies up to 500. Cat6 cabling only supports up to 250Mhz
Besides, as highlighted above, Cat6a can transit 10Gig up to 90m. By comparison, Cat6 can only transmit the same up to 55m. Cat6 is most suitable for a 1Gigabit link.
A reasonable estimate for Cat6 cabling price per data point is £50.00 – £70.00 per point.
Cat6 vs Cat6a Installation Comparisons - Is Cat6a Hard to Install?
The Outlets for the cables are generally different. For example, Cat6 installations are usually terminated with an all-in-one euro module. The patch panels are generally pre-made into 24 outlets across a single panel.
However, Cat6a terminations are terminated onto keystone jacks. These jacks snap into a shutter, such as a euro shutter, which fits in a faceplate. The Cat6a faceplate features 24 keystone slots. Therefore, only the cables that have been installed are snapped into the panel.
In addition, a Cat6a cable has a greater diameter due to its increased shieling and twists, resulting in less flexibility on pulls and fewer cables being able to follow the same route or access existing containment.
How long will the Cat6a cable last?
Most manufacturers offer a 20-25 year warranty on their components, including cables, modules, jacks, and patch leads. Therefore, you can be confident your cabling with the correct installation and environment will last more than 20 years
An example of a 25-year warranty can be viewed here from one of our data cabling manufacturers
How much is Cat6a cabling- Final considerations
Several factors influence the cost of Cat6a cabling. When considering your current technology and future requirements, it is essential to determine which cabling is most suitable. Therefore, avoid the requirements to replace the cabling once your technology supersedes the current installation. Thus, making an allowance for one hundred data points now to flood a whole floor instead of partially cabling fifty will only increase the overall cost less than doubling it.
However, if you install an additional fifty Cat5e outlets at a later date, the combined cost of the two projects will be more than double, due to the need to remove the old ones and work in a populated office. Therefore, resulting in additional time and cost
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