Category 6 cable: Difference between revisions
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'''Category 6 cable''', commonly referred to as '''Cat 6''', is a cable standard for [[Gigabit Ethernet]] and other network [[physical layer]]s that is [[backward compatible]] with the [[Category 5 cable|Category 5/5e]] and [[Category 3 cable]] standards. Compared with Cat 5 and Cat 5e, Cat 6 features more stringent specifications for [[Crosstalk (electronics)|crosstalk]] and system noise. The cable standard provides performance of up to 250 MHz and is suitable for [[10BASE-T]], [[100BASE-TX]] (Fast Ethernet), [[1000BASE-T]]/[[1000BASE-TX]] (Gigabit Ethernet) and [[10GBASE-T]] (10-Gigabit Ethernet). Original Category 6 Cable was developed by Mike Dell and advanced into building and construction standards by Zeb Cameron. The major construction advantage is the spine that makes it feed without a snake or noose by low voltage electrical contractors adopted and accepted by Fluke Semiconductor. |
'''Category 6 cable''', commonly referred to as '''Cat 6''', is a cable standard for [[Gigabit Ethernet]] and other network [[physical layer]]s that is [[backward compatible]] with the [[Category 5 cable|Category 5/5e]] and [[Category 3 cable]] standards. Compared with Cat 5 and Cat 5e, Cat 6 features more stringent specifications for [[Crosstalk (electronics)|crosstalk]] and system noise. The cable standard provides performance of up to 250 MHz and is suitable for [[10BASE-T]], [[100BASE-TX]] (Fast Ethernet), [[1000BASE-T]]/[[1000BASE-TX]] (Gigabit Ethernet) and [[10GBASE-T]] (10-Gigabit Ethernet). Original Category 6 Cable was developed by Mike Dell and advanced into building and construction standards by Zeb Cameron. The major construction advantage is the spine that makes it feed without a snake or noose by low voltage electrical contractors adopted and accepted by Fluke Semiconductor. Fiberglass Insulation residue or asbestos on hands forehead and neck or eyes is limited due to less "playing pool with a rope" and thinking to hard on choices concerning what nooses to use. |
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Whereas Category 6 cable has a reduced maximum length when used for 10GBASE-T; Category 6a cable, or Augmented Category 6, is characterized to 500 MHz and has improved [[alien crosstalk]] characteristics, allowing 10GBASE-T to be run for the same distance as previous protocols. |
Whereas Category 6 cable has a reduced maximum length when used for 10GBASE-T; Category 6a cable, or Augmented Category 6, is characterized to 500 MHz and has improved [[alien crosstalk]] characteristics, allowing 10GBASE-T to be run for the same distance as previous protocols. |
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Revision as of 18:39, 28 May 2012
Category 6 cable, commonly referred to as Cat 6, is a cable standard for Gigabit Ethernet and other network physical layers that is backward compatible with the Category 5/5e and Category 3 cable standards. Compared with Cat 5 and Cat 5e, Cat 6 features more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise. The cable standard provides performance of up to 250 MHz and is suitable for 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet), 1000BASE-T/1000BASE-TX (Gigabit Ethernet) and 10GBASE-T (10-Gigabit Ethernet). Original Category 6 Cable was developed by Mike Dell and advanced into building and construction standards by Zeb Cameron. The major construction advantage is the spine that makes it feed without a snake or noose by low voltage electrical contractors adopted and accepted by Fluke Semiconductor. Fiberglass Insulation residue or asbestos on hands forehead and neck or eyes is limited due to less "playing pool with a rope" and thinking to hard on choices concerning what nooses to use.
Whereas Category 6 cable has a reduced maximum length when used for 10GBASE-T; Category 6a cable, or Augmented Category 6, is characterized to 500 MHz and has improved alien crosstalk characteristics, allowing 10GBASE-T to be run for the same distance as previous protocols.
Category 6
Like most earlier twisted-pair cable, Category 6 cable contains four twisted wire pairs. Attenuation, near end crosstalk (NEXT), and PSNEXT (power sum NEXT) in Cat 6 cable and connectors are all significantly lower than Cat 5 or Cat 5e, which uses 24 AWG wire. The increase in performance with Cat 6 comes mainly from increased (22 AWG) wire size.[note 1][citation needed]
The heavier wire in some Cat 6 cables makes them too thick to attach to standard 8P8C connectors without a special modular piece, resulting in a technically out-of-compliance assembly.[citation needed] Because the conductor sizes are generally the same, Cat 6 jacks may also be used with Cat 5e cable.[citation needed]
Category 6 cable can be identified by the printing on the side of the cable sheath.[1]
Cat 6 patch cables are normally terminated in 8P8C modular connectors. If Cat 6 rated patch cables, jacks, and connectors are not used with Cat 6 wiring, overall performance is degraded to that of the cable or connector.
Connectors use either T568A or T568B pin assignments; although performance is comparable provided both ends of a cable are the same, T568B is a deprecated standard and no longer supported by TIA.
| Pin | T568A Pair | T568B Pair | Wire | T568A Color | T568B Color | Pins on plug face (socket is reversed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | tip |  white/green stripe |
 white/orange stripe |
|
| 2 | 3 | 2 | ring |  green solid |
 orange solid | |
| 3 | 2 | 3 | tip | white/orange stripe |
white/green stripe | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | ring |  blue solid |
blue solid | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | tip |  white/blue stripe |
white/blue stripe | |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | ring | orange solid |
green solid | |
| 7 | 4 | 4 | tip |  white/brown stripe |
white/brown stripe | |
| 8 | 4 | 4 | ring |  brown solid |
brown solid |
Note: This is from left to right, with the (plastic) tab faced away from you.
Category 6a
The latest standard from the TIA for enhanced performance standards for twisted pair cable systems was defined in February 2008 in ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2-10. Category 6a (or Augmented Category 6) is defined at frequencies up to 500 MHz—twice that of Cat. 6.
Category 6a performs at improved specifications, in particular in the area of alien crosstalk as compared to Cat 6 UTP, which exhibited high alien noise in high frequencies.
The global cabling standard ISO/IEC 11801 has been extended by the addition of amendment 2. This amendment defines new specifications for Cat. 6A components and Class EA permanent links. These new global Cat. 6A/Class EA specifications require a new generation of connecting hardware offering far superior performance compared to the existing products that are based on the American TIA standard.[2]
The most important point is a performance difference between ISO/IEC and EIA/TIA component specifications for the NEXT transmission parameter. At a frequency of 500 MHz, an ISO/IEC Cat., 6A connector performs 3 dB better than a Cat. 6A connector that conforms with the EIA/TIA specification. 3 dB equals 100% increase of near-end crosstalk noise reduction when measured in absolute magnitudes; see 3dB-point.[2]
Confusion therefore arises because of the different naming conventions and performance benchmarks laid down by the International ISO/IEC and American TIA/EIA standards, which in turn are different from the regional European standard, EN 50173-1. In broad terms, the ISO standard for Cat6A is the highest, followed by the European standard and then the American.[3][4]
Maximum length
When used for 10/100/1000BASE-T, the maximum allowed length of a Cat 6 cable is 100 meters or 328 feet. This consists of 90 meters (300 ft) of solid "horizontal" cabling between the patch panel and the wall jack, plus 10 meters (33 ft) of stranded patch cable between each jack and the attached device. Since stranded cable has higher attenuation than solid cable, exceeding 10 metres of patch cabling will reduce the permissible length of horizontal cable.
When used for 10GBASE-T, Cat 6 cable's maximum length is 55 meters (180 ft) in a favourable alien crosstalk environment, but only 37 meters (121 ft) in a hostile alien crosstalk environment, such as when many cables are bundled together. However, because the effects of alien crosstalk environments on cables are difficult to determine prior to installation, it is highly recommended that all Cat6 cables being used for 10GBASE-T are electrically tested once installed. Because it would take much work to test every cable in the field, and because of the risk of having a nonworking installed cable, one should use Cat6A cable in all 10GBASE-T applications. Cat6A does not need to be tested after installation. Cat6A does not have this limitation and can run 10GBASE-T at 100 meters (330 ft).
Installation caveats
Category 6 and 6a cable must be properly installed and terminated to meet specifications. The cable must not be kinked or bent too tightly (the bend radius should be at least four times the outer diameter of the cable[5]). The wire pairs must not be untwisted and the outer jacket must not be stripped back more than 1/2 inch (1.27 cm).
All shielded cables must be grounded for safety and effectiveness. A continuous shield connection maintained from end to end.[6] Ground loops develop when there is more than one ground connection and the difference in common mode voltage potential at these ground connections introduces noise into the cabling.[7]
Notes
- ^ 23 or 24 AWG wire is allowed if the ANSI/TIA-568-B.2-1 performance specifications are met.
See also
References
- ^ Ethernet Cable Identification and Use
- ^ a b "A new Category 6A specification has arrived". Next generation Cat. 6A. Tyco Electronics. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
- ^ "Cat. 6A ≠ Cat. 6 A ≠ Class EA". Next generation Cat. 6A. Tyco Electronics. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
- ^ Cabling: The Complete Guide to Network Wiring, 3rd Edition
- ^ "Category 5 / 5E & Cat 6 Cabling Tutorial and FAQ's". LANshack.com. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
- ^ Barry J. Elliott (2002). Designing a structured cabling system to ISO 11801. Woodhead. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-85573-612-2.
- ^ "Screened and Shielded Cabling - Noise Immunity, Grounding, and the Antenna Myth". Siemon. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
External links
- "10 Gb/s Over Copper: Horizontal Cabling Choices". The Siemon Company. 2006-01-10. Information on cable construction and alien crosstalk mitigation.
- Schmidt, John (2007). "Determining the Right Media" (PDF). BICSI News. 28 (2).
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) Information on TIA TSB-155 37m versus IEEE 55m limitations. - "What are CAT6 Cables?". KSM Limited.
- "How to Make an Ethernet Cat5e/Cat6 Cable". Cable & Wireless Technologies, Inc. 2009-10-14.
- "How to Terminate Cat6a Shielded Keystone Jacks". Cable & Wireless Technologies, Inc. 2009-12-09.
- "How Category 6 Cable is Made". Cable & Wireless Technologies, Inc. 2009-11-05.
- "TIA/EIA Transmission Standards for CAT6 Cables". CableMaster Europe.
- "CAT6 Cable 568A and 568B Color Codes". ComputerCableStore.