What Is Cat 6?

Date First Published: 22nd May 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Data Transmission Technologies

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 5/10

Learn more about what Cat 6 is in this article.

Short for Category 6, Cat 6 is a type of Ethernet cable that supports data transmission speeds of up to 10 Gb/s and frequency transmission speeds of up to 250 MHz, unlike 100 MHz for both Cat 5 and Cat 5e. Because of this fact, it is known as a 10 Gigabit Ethernet cable. These types of wired Ethernet cables are capable of transferring data between two devices within a limited distance (100 metres). An enhanced version of Cat 6, called Cat 6a (Category 6 Augmented) was introduced in 2008 with increased frequency transmission speeds and improved reduction of crosstalk.

Cat 6 was defined by the Telecommunications Industry Association in 2002 and created as an advancement of Cat 5e with stricter specifications, reducing crosstalk and signal transmission issues. Cat 6 cables are made up of four unshielded twisted pairs of copper wires that end in RJ45 connectors and can be identified by the printed text on the coloured rubber. They were defined by ANSI/TIA-568. In addition, they are backwards compatible with categories that were introduced before it, such as Cat 5e and Cat 5. However, Cat 6 cables are more expensive than Cat 5e or Cat 5 cables, which is the main reason why a lot of people choose to buy Cat 5e rather than Cat 6. But, they are not as expensive as Cat 6a cables.

Note:

Cat 6 cables are supported by Ethernet networks, such as 10BaseT, 100Base-TX, and 10 GBASE-T.

Maximum Length

The maximum length of Cat 6 cables is 55 metres in 10GBASE-T with an unshielded cable and 100 metres in 10/100/1000BASE-T. This means that they have the ability to extend to 100 metres between connected devices in both business and home networks in 10/100/1000BASE-T and up to 55 metres in 10GBASE-T with an unshielded cable. Without the use of a bridge or other network device, exceeding this length could result in network difficulties such as data packet loss and transmission speed reduction.

Types Of Cat 6 Cables

• Cat 6 patch cable – These contain an 8P8C modular connector using a T568A or T568B pin assignment at the end of the cable.
• Cat 6-rated patch cable – Jacks and connectors are not used in the wiring, significantly lowering the performance and not meeting the Cat 6 performance specifications. The requirement of the Cat 6 specification is that conductors are pure copper.

What Is Cat 6e?

Manufacturers started to offer cables that were labelled as Cat 6e after Cat 6 was approved with the intention of advertising it as an unofficial upgrade to the Cat 6 standard. It was named after Cat 5e. Cat 6e is not a technically recognised standard and does not actually exist. The enhanced version of Cat 6 is known as Cat 6a. However, some manufacturers are selling cables labelled as Cat 6e.