Cat 6 cables are the newest standard in high-fidelity, twisted pair network cables. Twisted pair cables are used in data networks. In the case of Ethernet cables, that is what cat 6 cables actually are; the cable is made up from four twisted pairs, a total of eight individual conductors which can be either stranded wire or solid copper wire. Regardless of whether the twisted pairs are solid or stranded wire, they are all terminated in a modular jack known as an RJ45 plug. It is possible to join two sections of cable by using a pair of RJ44 sockets which in turn are mated with a RJ45 coupler, this arrangement maintains circuit continuity although it is extremely important that the wiring scheme is followed perfectly.
The cat 6 cables are engineered to greatly reduce any evidence of cross-talk and line interference thanks to the four pair of twisted conductors. These high specifications allow cat 6 cable to be applied in installations which demand performance as high as 250 MHz, such installations are fast Ethernet as well as 1 Gb and 10 Gb Ethernet. In most installations, unshielded cable is used and they are terminated in standard RJ45 plugs. When the cable is used as a patch cord going from a computer to a wall outlet, normally a cat 6 coupler is employed.
The individual conductors that are twisted into four pair are 24 gauge copper, these eight conductors are under an insulating jacket, this cable grouping is then under another outer jacket. The twisted pairs reduce interference and to ensure a good circuit, it is recommended that the conductors should only be relaxed from their twist at the point of termination in the connector. Although there is no industry standard, professional network installers will only untwist no more than ½”, strip the insulating jacket and them make the connection.
Over the years the Ethernet standard has gone from cat 3 to cat 5 and cat 5e. Cat 3 cable could only carry data at speeds not exceeding 10 Mbps, cat 5 was an upgrade to 100 Mbps and cat 5e could be used up to 1 Gb speeds. Cat 6 cables can carry speeds up to 10 Gb per second and can function in cable runs of up to 1,150 feet.
Cat 6 cables are ideal when it is necessary to support 10 Gb Ethernet installations. For cat 6 cables in a wide range of outer jacket colors you are invited to shop online at Cables.com.
