What Are the Differences Between Cat6 and Cat6A Cables?

As we have often discussed, hardwiring is always the belter option than going wireless especially when adding Wi-Fi Access Points. This has led to a couple of clients asking what the difference between Cat6 is and Cat6A cables. To start, there are already established standards that differentiates Cat5 from Cat 6 cables such as higher bandwidth and better crosstalk suppression. Some of the differences between Cat6 and Cat6A cables include Bandwidth, Transmission Distance, Crosstalk, Shielding, and Cost. A Cat 6 cable provides a maximum bandwidth of 250MHz where as a Cat6A cable offers 500MHz bandwidth. Both cables can transmit data up to 100 meters at 10Gbps speeds, Cat6A will provide better performance margins. Cat6A cable provides better crosstalk suppression which results in fewer data transmission errors. Cat6 and Cat6A cables can both be shielded or unshielded, Cat6A cables are more often shielded because of the higher frequencies it can support. Since the Cat6A cables provide better overall performance Cat6A cables are more expensive. Overall if your network requires the higher performance and better crosstalk suppression, Cat6A is worth the additional investment. For help with upgrading your home Wi-Fi network, schedule a FREE consultation by calling 888-775-2673. Please visit our website @ www.wbsouth.com.