{"id":1730,"date":"2016-04-12T14:19:18","date_gmt":"2016-04-12T19:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swildow.darktech.org\/wp\/?p=1730"},"modified":"2016-04-12T14:19:18","modified_gmt":"2016-04-12T19:19:18","slug":"differences-between-cat6-and-cat6a-cables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.wildow.com\/blog\/?p=1730","title":{"rendered":"Differences Between Cat6 and Cat6a Cables"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Differences Between Cat6 and Cat6a Cables<\/h1>\n

Digging Further Into the Mystery<\/h2>\n

BY: Shane Weaver<\/p>\n

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So hopefully by now you’ve checked out our article detailing the differences between Cat5, Cat5e and Cat6 cables<\/a>. If not, I highly recommend it. But here, we’re going to take it one step further. Follow me down the rabbit hole, if you will. What if I told you there were more than just three kinds of Cat cables? Would it blow your mind? Change your perception of reality as you know it? No? Oh. Okay. But still, it’s important to know what’s out there.<\/p>\n

In this article, we’ll be discussing the difference between Cat6 and Cat6a cables. It may sound like a single lowercase letter is all that sets the two apart, but that one little letter stands for augmented<\/em>, and represents a world of difference. In the previous article we mentioned that Cat6 is quickly becoming the go-to cable standard for network installers, but just when you thought you didn’t have to worry about technology becoming obsolete, Cat6a comes along and makes Cat6 look like the guy who showed up to the fancy red carpet event in last year\u2019s Ferrari. Basically, Cat6a outdoes its predecessor in performance, crosstalk prevention, and even size. But is it worth it to upgrade? CableOrganizer.com gives you the rundown on what makes these two sound-alike cables so different from each other.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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Performance<\/h2>\n

Let’s start with the basics: Cat6 and Cat6a<\/a> were designed for Gigabit Ethernet and other standard network protocols, so they can both handle 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-TX, and 10GBASE-T. The differences don’t become clear until you start looking at speed and distance.Cat6 cable is rated for 250 MHz, so it has a reduced maximum length (37-55 meters) when used for 10GBASE-T applications. Cat6a doubles that capability by performing at up to 500 MHz, which allows 10GBASE-T to be run over longer distances of up to 100 meters. Both Cat6 and Cat6a are backward-compatible with Cat3, Cat5, and Cat5e, but if you\u2019re still using Cat3, maybe to connect your Morse code telegraph machine or whatever, I question how you\u2019re even reading an article on this new-fangled thing called the internet. Get with the times!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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Crosstalk Prevention<\/h2>\n

Since we’ve been talking performance, we can’t neglect to mention crosstalk. Crosstalk, for those unaware, is the phenomenon in which a signal from one channel or circuit interferes with another channel or circuit’s signal. You don’t want that. And thanks mainly to better insulation, signal degradation from near-end crosstalk (NEXT), power sum NEXT (PS-NEXT) and attenuation is already far lower in Category 6 cable than it was in earlier versions like Cat5 and Cat5e<\/a>. Cat6a reduces this to an even lower level. In the realm of crosstalk, the most significant improvement of Cat6a over Cat6 relates specifically to alien<\/em> crosstalk (AXT), which sounds awesome, but just refers to cables interfering with the signals of other cables in close proximity. This tends to be significant in Category 6 cables exposed to high frequencies, but quite low in Cat6a.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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Size and Other Physical Properties<\/h2>\n

Back when the first wave of Category 6a cable came out in 2008, it was 50% larger than the average Cat6. Since then, many manufacturers have managed to slim down their Cat6a cables by up to 10%, but even with the slight loss of bulk, it\u2019s still the Big Bertha of cables. It also places an unprecedented emphasis on twist; while Cat6 combines tight pair twists with extra insulation to reduce crosstalk, Cat6a takes things even further by additionally twisting each pair around a flexible (and also twisted) central plastic support. It\u2019s like a DNA helix and a pretzel had a baby and that baby was a Twizzler…seriously, just so many twists.<\/p>\n

Seeing as how demands for greater bandwidth and less attenuation only increase over time, the general consensus among installers is that Cat6a is smart move toward the future, and its size and weight issues are more than made up for by its overall speed and resistance to crosstalk. There are just a few things to remember and plan for when you’re working with Cat6a:<\/p>\n