The world is more wired than ever before, and whether you're
setting up a home network or in the process of setting up a major office
building's IT infrastructure, one thing that will be a near-certainty
is the need for quality Ethernet cable. For years, Category 5 cable has
been the standard. But today's higher speeds and more demanding
applications have helped the popularity of Cat6 cable grow. It's
becoming the standard for networks that have a high need for speed and
reliability, and learning more about it is worth doing.
Cat6 cable is very similar to older Cat5 in that it can carry data, video, or telephony signals. It's actually backwards compatible with Cat5, Cat5e, and Cat3 to simplify installation. However, the big difference with this type of cable is that it allows for much higher speeds. It's used in the installation of Gigabit Ethernet systems in particular, where high amounts of data and high speeds are a must. Because of this, it's become the standard for things like technology and research labs, medical facilities, data server companies, and other high-tech, high-speed businesses.
While Cat6 cable can provide faster network speeds, it's important to mention that it requires shorter maximum lengths than a Cat5 line would. If applied to 10/100/1000BASE-T systems, a Cat6 cable cannot exceed 100 meters, or roughly 328 feet. When applied to 10GBASE-T systems that length is even less, at just 180 feet or 55 meters. Exceeding these lengths results in major signal degradation and will drastically reduce effectiveness of the cable.
Additionally, in installations involving a large number of cables being bundled together this length decreases even further and drops to just 121 feet. The high rate of crosstalk in these installations will hinder performance even more, and as a result in large scale commercial installations Cat5 is still used frequently. When Cat6 cable is required, special steps must be taken to ensure that the length requirements are kept in mind.
Setting up a super-fast network relies on good servers, good bandwidth, and good Ethernet cable. If you're in the process of getting your system in place, going with Cat6 is a good idea since it will deliver fast speeds now. And even if your broadband speeds aren't up to its level yet, installing it now will ensure that you're ready when the time comes that your speeds match the cable's capabilities. It's easy to understand why this is the cable of the future.
Cat6 cable is very similar to older Cat5 in that it can carry data, video, or telephony signals. It's actually backwards compatible with Cat5, Cat5e, and Cat3 to simplify installation. However, the big difference with this type of cable is that it allows for much higher speeds. It's used in the installation of Gigabit Ethernet systems in particular, where high amounts of data and high speeds are a must. Because of this, it's become the standard for things like technology and research labs, medical facilities, data server companies, and other high-tech, high-speed businesses.
While Cat6 cable can provide faster network speeds, it's important to mention that it requires shorter maximum lengths than a Cat5 line would. If applied to 10/100/1000BASE-T systems, a Cat6 cable cannot exceed 100 meters, or roughly 328 feet. When applied to 10GBASE-T systems that length is even less, at just 180 feet or 55 meters. Exceeding these lengths results in major signal degradation and will drastically reduce effectiveness of the cable.
Additionally, in installations involving a large number of cables being bundled together this length decreases even further and drops to just 121 feet. The high rate of crosstalk in these installations will hinder performance even more, and as a result in large scale commercial installations Cat5 is still used frequently. When Cat6 cable is required, special steps must be taken to ensure that the length requirements are kept in mind.
Setting up a super-fast network relies on good servers, good bandwidth, and good Ethernet cable. If you're in the process of getting your system in place, going with Cat6 is a good idea since it will deliver fast speeds now. And even if your broadband speeds aren't up to its level yet, installing it now will ensure that you're ready when the time comes that your speeds match the cable's capabilities. It's easy to understand why this is the cable of the future.
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