What Is Cat 7a?

Date First Published: 26th May 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Data Transmission Technologies

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 5/10

Learn more about what Cat 7 is in this article.

Short for Category 7 Augmented, Cat 7a is an enhanced version of Cat 7 that supports data transmission speeds of up to 40 Gb/s, frequency transmission speeds of up to 1000 MHz, and 40 Gigabit Ethernet. It was introduced by ISO 11801 Edition 2 Amendment 2 (2010). The high-frequency transmission speed makes it suitable for applications, such as CATV, which requires a frequency speed of at least 862 MHz. Cat 7a has maximum data transmission speeds of four times faster than Cat 7. However, it is also more expensive.

Similar to Cat 7, the cabling consists of four pairs of twisted copper wires and shielding to cover the entire cable. They end in RJ45 connectors and can be identified by the printed text on the coloured rubber.

Maximum Length

The maximum length of Cat 7a cables is 100 metres. This means that they have the ability to extend to 100 metres between connected devices in both business and home networks. 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.

History

Cat 7a was introduced in 2010 with the aim of supporting the future 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40Gbase-T) and providing greater performance than Cat 7. However, there is no networking equipment that has the connectors supporting the frequencies that enable Cat 7a to reach high speeds as of 2017. Cat 7a is not supported by TIA/EIA standards.