What Are the Pros and Cons of Augmented Category 6 (Cat6a) Cabling?

Introduced in 1997, Category6 (or Cat6) networking cable offered significant improvements over its predecessor, the Cat5ecable. It offers data transfer speeds up to twice as fast as a Cat5e and with less attenuation and EMI problems. It is also backward compatible, so even if your equipment is only capable of 10/100 speeds, you can replace all your Cat5e cable with Cat6. You won’t get the benefits of Cat6, but you’ll still be in business. 

2008 brought an improvement to Cat6, with Cat6a, or Augmented Category 6. This standard is defined at frequencies up to 500 MHz which is twice that of its predecessor, the Cat6.

The purpose of Cat6a is to support 10GbE networking, and it is capable of supporting this speed for up to 100 meters. Speed is really the only benefit of Cat6a over Cat6 and Cat5e. (Although a tenfold increase in speed is a huge improvement!)

There are several drawbacks to Cat6a cables including:

Price

Cat6a is a more expensive product, running generally anywhere between 30 to 50 percent more than Cat5e or Cat6. In a large scale renovation, it may be a reasonable choice to go with Cat6a, particularly for large businesses that deal with huge amounts of data and those that would benefit from the enhanced speeds.

Equipment

With enhanced capabilities in cabling comes the necessity to upgrade equipment, thus adding to the overall cost of the upgrade. You could use Cat6a cables, but you’ll never achieve 10GbE with the same old 10/100 or 10/100/1,000 network cards or switches and, desktop network cards with that kind of support are still rather expensive.

Sure the cables will transfer your data, but the data is only going to travel as fast as your slowest piece of equipment. It’s like buying a moped (do they still make mopeds??) and only using the pedals.

Cable Size

Perhaps the biggest drawback of the Category 6a cable is it’s thicker than Cat6, by almost 100 percent. It’s nearly the size of a Coaxial cable. In the case of new construction, or extensive renovation, this isn’t such a big deal, as old cable trays can be replaced or areas where thinner cables were run can be widened. However, if you’re looking to replace old wiring with Cat6a, you may run into trouble due to the cables’ width. 

The cable size also impacts other aspects. The weight of the cable can be a problem when it comes to installing or hanging runs. When cables hang, they stretch, which will degrade the signal. This may require upgrading cable raceways or hanging racks. If this solution is cost prohibitive, the tendency is to use more zip ties. However, this cable is also much more sensitive to damage. Over-tightened zip ties will cause signal reflections, causing the signal to degrade more so in the Cat6a than in earlier standards.

Also, due to size and width, the Cat6a cable has a larger minimum bend radius. Any network cable’s performance will degrade if runs take too sharp a turn. The Cat6a cable is affected even more acutely by tight turns than its predecessor.

Should I Upgrade to Cat6a?

The most important question to ask yourself when considering changing to Cat6a is, “Am I going to need to support 10GbE?” If you run a business with a few hundred employees, then maybe not. A datacenter or an ISP though, may benefit from upgrading their backbone to something capable of these speeds.

At CZ Labs we are always on-hand to answer your questions via live chat or call us at 800-423-2322.

We carry a large lineup of Cat5e and Cat 6 products at wholesale bulk discount pricing. We cater to businesses and IT companies that need bulk quantities. Please do visit our online store for more information and to learn more about our products.

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Breakdown of Category 5, 5e, 6 and 7 Cables

Most of us have come across a network cable in our travels. It’s the cable that plugs into the computer at work, or perhaps at home that’s shaped like a telephone cable, only bigger with a wider connector. Truth be told, they’re not a whole lot different from the cables that connect our phones to the wall, with the exception of having twice the number of wires inside, and a fatter connector. 

Over the years this cable has been improved upon although you wouldn’t necessarily know it to look at one vs. another. Here, we breakdown category 5, 5e, 6 and 7 cables.

Cat5
 

The network cable you first met was likely a category 5 (Cat5). This cable was the first to be able to move data at 100MHz, and has very nearly become the standard network connection cable all over the world. Loved for its effectiveness and low cost, it’s the most readily available network cable anywhere.

This is the “go to” cable for 10/100 networks, as it easily provides data at 100Mbps. 

Cat5e
 

You may have also heard of category 5 enhanced cable, or Cat5e. The “e” (as alluded to above) stands for “Enhanced.” Slightly different than their predecessor, the Cat5e cables were created to help make gigabit networks (10/100/1000)* a reality. Essentially, these are just a better version of Cat5, offering a higher degree of reliability and throughput.

Cat6
 

Much more advanced than Cat5/5e is the Category 6 cable. This is made of up of the same elements as 5/5e, (i.e. twisted copper cables), however, these cables are separated by what’s known as a “longitudinal separator” This greatly reduces “Crosstalk.”

Think of four people sitting around a small round table. Each of these people has a cell phone to their ear, and they are holding conversations; each their own different discussion. One of these folks is on the phone with you, and you can clearly hear bits and pieces of all four conversations, making it difficult to hear the person you’re talking to.

Enter the longitudinal separator. This is little more than a partition between the four talkers, greatly diminishing the crosstalk and making it easier for you to pay attention to your conversation.

Forward thinking would suggest going with Cat6 is wise as technology marches on and the quest for a clearer, stronger signal is never ending. These cables are backward compatible, and have doubled the bandwidth of Cat5/5e, weighing in at 10 gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000/10,000). 

Cat7
 

The latest standard of Ethernet interconnections, Cat7 cables were not widely embraced. Although performance was enhanced, it was not an earth-shattering enhancement, and this cable does not use the same connectors as its predecessors, rendering its use more expensive. There are plans to make it backward compatible, but it will require a different connector, which may not be able to perform as well.

More Information
 

While Cat7 is a very recent standard, Cat8 standards are currently emerging, proving as stated above, that indeed technology marches on!

*a bit about the designation of “10/100” in an apples to apples comparison: When you purchase home Internet, and your provider tells you “You’ll get 30Mb download speed!” This is what we’re talking about. The Cat5 can support up to 100Mb. It’s seldom that your ISP will fully utilize a network speed of 100Mbps, but in a corporate environment, where files are moved from one place to another routinely, this sort of bandwidth is quickly consumed!

CZ Labs sells at the category 5, 5e & 6 cables you're looking for--and in bulk! We invite you to visit our online store and start saving and also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.