 What is CAT 6 cabling? Category 6 cable contains 4 twisted wire pairs and allows frequencies up to 250 MHz. It is used in 100Base TX, 1000Base T, Gigabit Ethernet, 10GBase T, 10GBit Ethernet, applications. CAT 6 also supports 10GBase T applications over the traditional limits of copper cabling. This is made possible with all 4 wires working together to handle the signal instead of just 2, which can be found in CAT 5E cable. It uses the same RJ45 connector as CAT 5E. However, CAT 6 can only transmit 10Gb Ethernet up to a maximum of 55 meters rather than the standard 90 meters of CAT 6A and above. What is CAT 6 cabling used for? CAT 6 is used for networking, data transfer, and phone lines. CAT 6 can support speeds up to 10Gb, so it has plenty of room to grow as technology changes and evolves. What are the specs for CAT 6 cable? Wire gauge, 23 AWG. Shielding, 100% aluminium mylar foil with tinned copper braid. Impedance, 100 ohm. CAT 6 pair colors. CAT 6 cable follows the standard of all other twisted pair cables with 8 strands, individually twisted 4 pairs of wires inside. The pairs for a standard CAT 6 cable based on the EIA 568 standard are as follows. 1. White and orange. 2. Solid orange. 3. White and green. 4. Solid blue. 5. White and blue. 6. Solid green. 7. White and brown. 8. Solid brown. What are the different types of CAT 6 cable? You may come across three different types of CAT 6 cable when looking around. 1. UTP, unshielded twisted pair. 2. FTP, foiled, twisted pair. 3. SFTP, screen foil twisted pair. A lot of industries specify using FTP when working with networking cables. This is because it offers better protection from EMI, electrical magnetic interference and RFI, radio frequency interference. Unshielded twisted pair, UTP, is the most commonly installed cable in the UK which consists of four pairs of wires inside a plastic sheath to protect them. However, many industries and countries will specify a different cable depending on the transmission requirements and the surrounding interference. 4. CAT 6 connector. A category 6 cable connector is in many ways similar to that of a CAT 5E connector. They are both made up of 8 pins to match the 568A or 568B termination standards. Color coding on modules, jacks and patch panels will be to match the cable to ensure the transmission is consistent end to end. The RJ45 CAT 6 connector is the 8 pin modular jack found in computer networking devices. This can be the input port of a PC, telephone, television, CCTV camera, or many other network devices. The maximum length of CAT 6 cabling. All twisted pair copper cabling is ratified to a standard based on a 90 meters permanent link from cabinet to user outlet. 5 meters patch leads are then allowed each end to connect to the devices. However, if you decide to have longer patch lead connections at either end it will result in having to install the cable in the permanent realm below 90 meters. An industry standard cabling tester such as a Fluke DSX will calculate these elements and confirm with a green tick or red cross whether that link passes the required standards. This then confirms if your technology transmission is at its most efficient. 6. UTP vs STP. Unshielded twisted pair UTP and shielded twisted pair STP cable are very similar in nature. However, the shielded cable features an additional layer of shielding around each bunch of wires or each individual pair of wires. Thus providing an additional shield against electrical, radio or external interference and electrical noise. The additional shielding increases the overall diameter of the STP cable and also the bend radius for installation. Therefore, less STP cables can be installed in the same containment compared to UTP. About NM cabling solutions, network cabling specialist. NM cabling is a technology and structured cabling integrator working throughout the United Kingdom. We have created a comprehensive knowledge center for our industry which can be viewed on the link below. For further assistance or a free survey, please email or call on the details below, and click like and subscribe if you have enjoyed this video.