Do you have a reliable network infrastructure in place for your business or building one? If you are yet to build the network infrastructure for your business, then choosing the right CAT6 cable for data and voice cabling installation is inevitable.
Wondering why only cat6 cable? It is because it is a popular choice for data and voice cabling installation and is known for its high performance and versatility.
But the question is- How to choose the right CAT6 cable? Look no more as we have got an answer for this.
This blog addresses the ways using which, you can choose the suitable cat6 cable and build a great network infrastructure for your business.
Cat6 Cable
Category 6 cable is a twisted pair of ethernet cables. Four twisted wire pairs have a frequency of up to 250 MHz. Cat6 cables are highly suitable for offices and businesses because of their high transferability speed.
The four pairs of cables working together are the reason why the cat6 cable has a high transferability speed. The connector port which it uses is RJ45. The maximum limit that can be transferred by cat6 cable is 10 Gigabit in a 55 meter.
Choosing Cat6 Cable For Data and Voice Cabling Installation
Knowing the cat6 cable usage in depth will save you time and money. Once you are done analyzing and understanding it, the next thing to do is to choose the CAT6 cable for the data and voice cabling installation of your business.
Cat6 ethernet cables have multiple types, distinguished as per the different requirements they are used for such as shielding, conductor and the list goes on.
Each cat6 cable has diverse features to accommodate specific uses.
On the basis of usage
Shielded vs unshielded cable
Shielded CAT6 cables are meant for spaces requiring high-speed data transmission like data centers and offices as they solely rely on data connections. It comes in a twisted pair, protected within a confined foil. The foil is meant to protect the data transmission from electromagnetic interference or other interferences. It ensures there are few errors during the data transmission.
The next is unshielded CAT6 cables. These cables offer you protection against radio frequency interference and electromagnetic interference by reducing noise interference and cross talk and providing lesser resistance. But it can never match the protection level that shielded cables offer. These are most commonly used in desktop communication applications.
Solid cable vs stranded cable
Solid cat6 cable is made up of a single copper wire but stranded cables, as the name indicates, have more than one copper wire twister together. Stranded cat6 cables have flexible movement because of the series of copper wires. As a result, stranded cables can be used at a desk and moved around.
Solid cat6 cables are not as flexible as stranded cables but these are durable because of the single large core. Solid cables are highly reliable for high transmission speeds and higher data rates.
When compared to solid cat6 cables, stranded cat6 cables have higher productive costs and should be kept close.
On the basis of jacket material
The cat6 cable jacket is also of utmost importance as it ensures the safety of the cable and enhances its performance. The three types of jacket materials are:
- Plenum
- Riser
- PVC
PVC jacket material cables are used outside as they are weather-resistant. The riser jacket material cable is used indoors as it is highly resistant to heat. Lastly, the plenum jacket material cable is the ethernet cable. It is weatherproof and highly resistant to fire.
On the basis of location
Cat6 cables are also chosen depending on the locations they’ll be used. Cat6 CM cables are mostly used in single-story or commercial buildings. The next is the CAT6 CMR cable used to prevent fires from spreading in the buildings.
Cat6 CMP cable is used where the cables are in enclosed spaces such as air ducts. It does not let toxic gases out due to the jacket made out of retard material.
On the basis of Length and color
Another thing to consider while choosing cat6 cables is their length and color. The cat6 patch cables are of shorter lengths such as 0.15m with the higher length being 55m to 61m.
Two factors are used to determine the cable length: the distance between the network devices and the extra length to accommodate times of expansion. Colors are also different but mostly, blue is preferred.
On the basis of Cost
In addition to the above-mentioned factors, the most important thing to consider is the cost. Go for the CAT6 cables with copper conductor if you have the budget. Otherwise, pick the cat6 cable with a CCA conductor if you want to make savings.
Wrapping Up
Bear all these tips in mind while selecting the right CAT6 cable for data and voice cabling installation. The next steps? Look for the Cat6 Cable Installation services to help you with your network infrastructure.
