Benefits of Installing Cat 6 cables {October 2020} >> Choosing the appropriate Ethernet cable for your office is important to ensure the best performance for your specific applications and operations.

While installing your hardware components and Ethernet cables for the official network, there are several cable categories, ranging from Cat 4, Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6, Cat 6a, Cat 7, and Cat 7a cables, to choose from. 

A Cat 6 cable is a great combination of outstanding performance, high data shifting speed and affordability, amongst many other qualities. So, what can be the benefits of installing Cat 6 cables for your network connections and business applications?  

Let us take a look in detail.

Cat 6 cables can manage high Gigabyte speeds

In this digital era, faster downloads and uploads can make a real difference in your business operations. Cat 6 cables are capable of communicating at faster speeds, like, bandwidth frequencies of up to 250 MHz. This makes it the perfect cable for your business networks as it supports 10 Gigabit per second data rates.

However, keep in mind that Cat 6 cables can only handle the 10 Gigabit per second speed at cable lengths less than 55 m or 164 feet.

Best choice for online streaming installations 

This brings us to the second benefit. Streaming better quality videos require comparatively higher broadband speeds. Cat 6 cables work best for installations and applications like WIFI, Power over Ethernet (PoE), VoIP phone system, and Audio/Video (AV) applications.

The internal construction of Cat 6 cables

Cat 6 cables come with a protective sheath that not only shields the wires from negative interference, crosstalk and signal leakage but also leads to better data transmission and higher speeds. This means that you can even install cables in areas where high electro-magnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference is present. The tighter twist on the Cat 6 cables also allows for two-way communication. 

However, a cable longer than 55 m (164 feet) could impact your transmission speeds.

Cat 6 cables are future-proof

With the speed at which technology is advancing, you would want to future proof your office network. Cat 6 cables are more compatible with advanced technology. 

So even if you have a plan to extend your business by upgrading your system or network, investing in a Cat 6 cable network makes your expansion plans future proof.

Cat 6 cables are backward compatible with Cat 5, 5e and Cat 3 cables

Cat 6 cables are also a sound investment because of their versatility in usage across Cat 3 and Cat 5 cables as well. The backward compatibility means they can also be plugged in to lower connections and ports. This results in benefits during any upgrades, as the future investments are restricted only to incremental expenses on the cables alone. 

Understanding the capabilities of each cable category is important when picking the right one for your office use. We hope this article will help you select and install the best Cat 6 cables for your business’ needs, be it a new installation or upgrade.