What is Cat6 Cabling?

Understanding Cat6 Cabling

Category 6 cable contains four twisted-pair wires and supports frequencies up to 250 MHz. It is used in 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet), and 10GBASE-T (10-Gigabit Ethernet) applications.

Cat6 also supports 10GBASE-T applications over the traditional limits of copper cabling. This is made possible by all four wires working together to handle the signal, rather than just two, as in Cat5e cable. It uses the same RJ45 connector as Cat5e.

However, Cat6 can only transmit 10 Gigabit Ethernet up to 55m, rather than the standard 90m of Cat6a and above.

What is Cat6 cabling used for?

Cat6 is used for networking, data transfer, and phone lines. Cat6 can support speeds up to 10Gbit/s so it has plenty of room to grow as technology changes and evolves.

What are the specs for Cat6 Cable?

Wire Gauge: 23 AWG

Shielding: 100% Aluminium Mylar foil with tinned copper braid

Impedance: 100 Ohm +/- 15%

Cat6 Pair Colours

Cat6 Cable follows the standard of all other twisted-pair cables, with 8 Strands; Individually twisted Four Pairs of Wires Inside.

The pairs for a standard Cat6 cable, based on the EIA568 standard, are as follows

1. White/Orange
2. Solid Orange
3. White/Green
4. Solid Blue
5. White/Blue
6. Solid Green
7. White/Brown
8. Solid Brown

Different types of Cat6 Cable

You may come across three different types of Cat6 cable when looking around: UTP (unshielded twisted pair), FTP (foiled twisted pair) and SFTP (screened foil twisted pair). Many industries specify using FTP when working with networking cables. This is because it offers better protection from EMI (electromagnetic interference) and RFI (radio frequency interference).

Unshielded twisted pair (UTP), is the most commonly installed cable in the UK which consist of four pairs of wires inside a plastic sheath to protect them. However, many industries and countries specify different cables based on transmission requirements and surrounding interference.

Upgraded versions of Cat6 cabling include Cat6e and Cat6a. However, Cat6a is the recognised standard for 10 Gigabit Ethernet, while Cat6e cables are a manufacturer-specified enhanced Cat6 cable.

Key Features of Cat6 Cabling

Cat6 Connector

A Category 6 cable connectors in many ways similar to that of a Cat5e connector. They are both made up of eight pins to match the 568A or 568B termination standards. Colour coding on modules, jacks, and patch panels will match the cable to ensure consistent transmission end-to-end.

The RJ45 Cat6 Connector is the 8-pin modular jack found in computer networking devices. This can be the input port of a PC, a telephone, a television, a CCTV camera, or many other network devices.

Maximum length of Cat6 cabling

All twisted pair copper cabling is ratified to a standard based on a 90m permanent link from the cabinet to the user outlet. 5m patch leads are then allowed, with each end connecting to the devices.

However, if you decide to use longer patch lead connections at either end, you will need to install the cable in the permanent realm below 90m.

An industry-standard cabling tester, such as a Fluke DSX, will calculate these elements and confirm whether the link meets the required standards with a Green Tick or Red Cross. This then confirms if your technology transmissions are at their most efficient.

UTP vs STP - What's the Difference?

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)  and Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cables are very similar in nature

However, shielded cable features an additional layer of shielding around each bunch of wires or each individual pair of wires. Thus, providing an additional shield against electrical, radio, and external interference, as well as electrical noise.

The additional shielding increases the overall diameter of the STP cable and also the bend radius for installation. Therefore, fewer STP cables can be installed in the same containment than UTP cables.

Cat6 Cabling FAQs

Common Questions on CAT6 FAQ's: click here