Cat6a data cabling
What is Cat6A Data cabling
Ratified in 2008, Cat6a data cabling has corresponding ClassEA standards. A Cat6a cabling system is a higher specification than Cat6.
Designed to meet all of the requirements of the 10GBaseT Ethernet over the full 100 metre.
4 connector channel, has additional and tighter twists, with additional insulation to reduce crosstalk.
Reduces EMI/RFI – Beneficial for Industrial & Healthcare networks.
Cat6a is backwards compatible with Cat6 and Cat5e.
Cable options
CAT6A cabling is typically available in two varieties: shielded (F/UTP) and unshielded (UTP). Shielded cables provide additional protection against electromagnetic interference (EMI), making them more suitable for environments with higher EMI risk. However, this protection requires that the cables are properly earthed. UTP cables do not require earthing and so do not face this requirement, however they are often more expensive than F/UTP.
Next Gen
The next generation of cable technology is likely to be based on twisted pair wiring. This provides higher speed, higher bandwidth and greater reliability. The benefit of twisted pair wiring is that it eliminates cross-talk or interference between cables and can also provide greater distance between cables. It is expected to be the standard for 10GB Ethernet and beyond, although it may not fully replace Cat6A just yet.
Wifi
The next generation of wireless technology is likely to be based on 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6. This offers higher data rates, better coverage and improved performance in congested networks. Compared to Wi-Fi 5 or 802.11ac, it should provide faster speeds and increased capacity.
Applications
The future of networking is going to be predominantly wireless, but the need for cabling will continue to exist for use cases such as media streaming and when running multiple applications. The use of Cat6A data cable wiring will help networks to keep up with the ever increasing demands of today’s digital world.
CAT6A is a higher performance standard of Ethernet cabling than CAT5e and earlier, designed to reduce crosstalk and system noise. It provides better performance at higher frequencies, up to 10 Gbps. This means that CAT6A can be used for a range of applications, including Gigabit Ethernet and 10-Gigabit Ethernet networks.
