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Everything You Need to Know about Cat6a Ethernet Network Cabling

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Ethernet network cabling standards are common for anyone in the cabling industry. If you are a professional, you will need to have certain knowledge about these cabling solutions. In addition to that, you also need to know about the various categories and their use cases. For example, you can use older categories like cat5 and cat5e for domestic purposes.

Similarly, newer categories like bulk cat6 cable 1000ft Ethernet network indoor outdoor plenum and cat6a are ideal for data centers. These cables can handle a high-speed data transfer rate along with a secure connection. These Ethernet cables are responsible for the internet of things IoT. In this article, we’ll talk about the cat6a cable and what makes it a unique one among the rest.

Introduction

As the name indicates, this cable belongs to category 6. The “a” in the name stands for augmented. Furthermore, this cable is a successor of cat6. Not only this cable has more bandwidth, but it also can cover a longer distance. Since this cable has extra shielding, you will not have to worry about crosstalk.

We can further divide this cable into two categories; shielded & unshielded cable. If there is an extra layer of foil shield around the twisted pairs, then it is a shielded cable. In addition to that, if there is not a layer around pairs, then this cable would be unshielded. If you are looking to buy this cable for your data centers, we would recommend you buy the shielded one. This way, you will not have to worry about crosstalk and other types of interference.

Internal Structure of Cat6a

Just like any other network cable, the cat6a has eight copper conductors. Furthermore, there are four pairs of these wires. As we have mentioned before, these pairs can be shielded or unshielded. In addition to that, this cable has the capacity to offer 750 MHz data transfer rate. This is a remarkable speed considering it is a category six cable.

The wire gauge of conductors inside the cable is 23 AWG. It means that this cable has thin wires. The manufacturer twists these wires tightly to avoid crosstalk. Lastly, you can use this cable for the Internet of Things.

Cat6a Outer Jacketing

You may be familiar with Ethernet network cabling jackets. This cable is no different when it comes to outer jacketing. There are three types of jackets that this cable comes in. You need to know about these types before getting a cable for your network. Furthermore, this will help you get the perfect cable based on your installation space.

Cat6a plenum – it means that this cable has a plenum-rated jacket. You can use this cable for plenum space in your building. In addition to that, it will be safe against fire and other incidents. Since this jacket has fire retardant qualities, it will help to stop the fire. You can also get a cat6 plenum with the same specs.

Cat6a riser – as the name indicates, you can use this cable for riser spaces. These are vertical spaces of your building. You can also use a plenum-rated cable in these spaces but not the other way around.

Cat6a PVC – polyvinyl chloride or PVC is for outdoor installations. This type of cable can withstand extreme temperatures and weather conditions. Furthermore, it will not affect your signal strength.

Termination

Just like bulk cat6 plenum Ethernet network utp cables and cat6 solid copper, this cable also has RJ45 termination on both ends. It means that you can use the standard connector with this cable. Since this has become a universal connector, you can use this cable almost any cable. Secondly, this cable is backward compatible; you can use it with older categories like cat6 and cat5e.

Conclusion

Getting the right cable has become somewhat of a hassle these days. Since there are several cables outer there, you must have certain knowledge before choosing the right cable. In addition, the right cable will surely elevate your network in terms of speed and signals. If you are looking to buy Ethernet network cabling for domestic purposes, we would recommend you buy cat6 or lower categories. These cables are not very expensive, but they will fulfill their purpose. In addition to that, these cables will be within your budget. Lastly, if you are looking to buy cables for your data centers, you should go cat6a or higher. Even though these are expensive cables, they will guarantee speed and a smooth connection.

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