CAT6 Cable

CAT6 Cable Overview: 

Short for Category 6, CAT6 cable is the sixth generation of twisted pair cabling. It is network cabling that consists of four twisted pairs and is either terminated by an RJ45 or terminated on a patch or keystone jack. The Electronic Industries Association (EIA) and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) sets a higher standard for category 6 cabling, including crosstalk and noise specifications. Whereas its predecessor ran 100Mhz speeds, CAT6 Ethernet standards are set at 250 MHz. When used for 10/100/1000 Base-T, the maximum length must be 328 Feet (100 Meters). Our CAT6 cable test up to 550 MHz. It can be used for voice, video, data, security, LAN, token ring, and 10/100/1000 Base-T networking. Category 6 Cable supports 1 Gbps speeds.

CAT6 Cable

Again, CAT6 cable is known as a twisted pair cable, and it comes in either solid or stranded types. It is designed for the requirements of fast broadband applications and is the most popular cabling for new installs used today.

Solid CAT6 cable – Our standard cable for high-speed networks. Solid cable supports long cable runs and is designed for fixed cabling situations like homes, offices, and buildings. 23 AWG diameter solid bare copper conductors and a durable PVC Jacket.

Stranded CAT6 cable is more pliable and better suited for shorter-distances. Stranded CAT6 cable is commonly used for patch cables or crossover cables.

CAT 6 Plenum and Riser Cable

Category 6 Plenum Cable is based on the EIA/TIA 568 Commercial Building Telecommunications Wiring Standard developed by the Electronics Industries Association as requested by the Computer Communications Industry Association in 1985. The National Electric Code specifies the standards in cabling installations while UL ensures that the cable is tested and made to quality. In plenums, air ducts, and other areas with environmental airflow, plenum (CMP) cable and/or riser (CMR) cable must self-extinguish and produce a low amount of smoke and toxicity.

CAT6 CMR – Riser rated cable is certified to run between floors in non-plenum areas. Riser cable is also known as CMR cable. Our riser cable meets or exceeds Category 6 T568B standards, and is either UL listed or ETL verified. These CAT6 Ethernet cables are designed to self-extinguish in a fire, and pass the vertical burn test.

CAT6 CMP – CAT6 plenum cable which adheres to higher standards than riser cable, passing the UL 910 Steiner Tunnel Test. This ensures that the CAT6 cable will not spread flames and fumes.

CAT6 Shielded CMR – Riser cable rated for floor-to-floor runs and riser closets. Similar to CAT6 Solid CMR, except with shielding. The shielding will give you better crosstalk and attenuation characteristics.

CAT6 Shielded CMP – Shielding layer in additions to have a plenum rated jacket that is intended to self-extinguish and product a low amount of smoke and toxins. Shield will protect you from electromagnetic interference and give you better signal characteristics.

CAT6 Outdoor Cable

Some cables are "UV rated" meaning they can be exposed to outdoor UV radiation without significant destruction. The materials used for the mantle are usually PVC. Any cable which contains air spaces can breathe in moisture, especially if the cable runs between indoor and outdoor spaces. Warm moist air can cause condensation inside the colder parts of the cable outdoors. It may be necessary to take precautions such as sealing the ends of the cables. Some cables are suitable for outdoor and direct burial, but this usually requires that the cable is gel filled in order to hinder moisture migration into the cable.

CAT6 Outdoor/Direct Burial Cable – This cable is an Ultraviolet Polyvinyl Chloride (UV PVC) jacketed Ethernet cable that is designed to withstand sun and rain. PVC is a thermoplastic material, meaning that it can be melted repeatedly without losing structural integrity and is designed to withstand harsh temperatures. It comes with either gel-filled or water blocking tape insulation.

CAT6 Shielded Cables

Shielded CAT6 cables are useful for environments where proximity to power cables, RF equipment, or high power equipment may introduce crosstalk. Works great where electromagnetic interference may be of concern.

Shielded CAT6 CMR – Basic CAT 6 with signals up to 550 MHz. Shielding will protect your from EMI.

Shielded CAT6 CMP – Shielded CAT6 with a Fire-Retardant Jacket for any fire concerns that you may have.

Shielded Stranded Cable – Excellent for making shielded patch cables to work with your patch panels, servers, and Ethernet Switches.

CAT6A Cable

Short for Category 6 Augmented, CAT6A Ethernet cable designed to perform at twice the speed of CAT6 cable. Our augmented CAT6 cable features solid bare copper conductors and is rated to 10G. CAT6A cable can not only run up to the maximum length of 328 feet (same as CAT6 Ethernet), but maintains a stronger signal as well. Additionally, CAT6A has improved specifications, particularly in the area of Alien Cross-talk (AXT) as compared to CAT6 UTP which exhibited high alien noise in high frequencies

Solid CAT6A – The 23 AWG diameter solid bare copper conductors are unshielded, and are intended for indoor applications. The high density polyethylene insulation protects the conductors from moisture buildup.

Plenum CAT6A – CAT6A cable that intends to self-extinguish and will generate minimal smoke in the event of a fire. Although plenum cable is more expensive than non-plenum cable, it contains advanced materials ensuring that it self-extinguishes in a fire.

Shielded CAT6A –The ultimate purpose of the shield is to conduct and ground any electromagnetic interference that the cabling picks up. Shielding is the most effective way of controlling and preventing electromagnetic interference (EMI).

Additional CAT6 Products

CAT6 Patch Panels – Its performance level exceeds ANSI/TIA-568 Category 6 standards, and comes configured for T568A/B wiring. CAT5E patch panels are available in both horizontal and vertical orientation. We have CAT6 patch panels offering from 12 ports to as many as 96 ports, for a large enterprise.

CAT6 Keystone Jacks – CAT6 keystone jacks, or RJ45 connector is a standardized unit for terminating and connecting Ethernet cable. The RJ45 connector is commonly used for twisted pair and multi-conductor flat cable. CAT6 jacks are an integral part of any reliable, high speed network. We carry different styles of CAT6 keystone jacks including: H-style jacks, U-style jacks, MIG+ jacks, tool-less jacks, inline couplers, component rated jacks, and shielded keystone jacks.

Modular Plug/RJ45 – Modular plugs are designed to terminate cable in order to connect your cable to keystone jacks, patch panels, and other RJ45 inserts. Our line of plugs offers a variety of constructions, such as our shielded CAT6 plugs and our EZ-RJ45® CAT5E Connector.

Making a CAT6 Patch Cable - Ethernet Cable Wiring Guide

We have received many requests from our customers for information on how to make a Category 6 cable. So below we will discuss the basic instructions for creating your own CAT6 patch cables. We hope you find the instructions informative

• Strip the cables Jacket back one full inch
• Untwist the wires back to within 1/8" of the jacket
• Arrange the wires in the order in which you want to crimp them. You can choose from either the 568-A or 568-B wiring methods, however the 568-A is the most commonly used.
• Grasp the wires firmly, between your thumb and forefinger, flatten them, and even wiggle them a bit, to take out the curliness, (concentrate your efforts on the bottom 1/2") the wires must lay flat and together, aligned as close as possible.
• While holding the wires firmly, cut off the the wires 1/2" from the cables jacket (Cut the wires with some sharp wire strippers or even high quality scissors, avoid wire cutters that flatten the ends of the wires insulating material, this makes stuffing the wires very difficult.)
• Stuff the wires into the connector, making sure the wires stay lined up. Push moderately hard to assure that all of the wires have reached the end of the connector. Be sure that the cable jacket goes into the back of the connector by about 3/16".
• Place the connector into a crimp tool, and squeeze hard so that the handle reaches it's full swing.
• Repeat the process on the other end. For a straight through cable, use the same wiring.
• Use a cable tester to test for proper continuity

How to wire a CAT6 (EIA 568-B*) Cable.

How to wire a CAT6 (EIA 568-A*) Cable.

The only real difference between 568A and 568B is that the White/Orange-Orange/White and White/Green-Green/White pairs are swapped.

How to wire a "Crossover" Cable. (EIA 568-B*)

USOC crossover cables are like this: