Why Cat 6A Cables Are Considered As Future Proof Products?
Choosing the right Ethernet cable is an essential thing to build up a system which is capable to deliver high speed and most importantly on-time data. To do so, it is advisable to choose the current in trend Ethernet products that is Cat 6A cables. These are the high-tech cables with advanced performance standards for twisted pair cable systems. Although, Cat5e and Cat6 Ethernet cables are still in use for installations as they cost less than the Cat6A. When we are heading towards Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology era, Category 6A cables will be the most suited products and are here to stay.
A wrong choice of cables for your system might demand you re-cabling. And according to industry reports, it consumes a lot of time and resources to re-cable the network of an entire building. This way, less expensive products might end up costing you more than its pricing. Instead, you should opt for better quality products as a one-time investment.
Here are some factors which explain why Cat 6A cables are the perfect solution which can be compatible with future technologies and your network systems:
Cat 6A Supports the Emergency Transfers
We need bandwidth-intensive applications at a speed of 100Mb/s to 1000Mb/s when it comes to transferring large data files like medical files containing high-quality videos and graphics. Now if your systems use Cat5e or Cat 6 cables, these transactions might create a great amount of load on them. Overall, one can say that using cables like CAT5e or CAT 6 take a minute to download the 5000 MB files at 1000 Mb/s. Whereas Cat6A cables can offer bandwidth up to 10G/bs.
High GBPS Delivery Speed
Cat5e cables transmit the Gigabit signals at 1Gbps speed for the distances up to 100m. These cables are a 24 gauge twisted pair. The Cat6A cables are thicker. They are a 23 gauge twisted pair which transmits signals at the speed of 10Gbps for the distances up to 100m.
Gauge
It is important that the Ethernet cable is wide enough to support electron currents while they pass through the wire. Because the thin cables slow down the flow and the signals might get scattered. Cables with wider diameter reduce the resistance so that the electrons have enough space to pass. Cat 6A (23 AWG) cables are wider than the Cat5e(24 AWG) cables. They ensure that electrons pass through the cables at a standard speed.
Distance
The major advantage of Cat 6A cables is the high-speed data transfer. They deliver at 10 Gbps speed which covers the distances up to 328 feet. If you opt for the Cat6 cables, they deliver at the same speed but only up to the distance of 164 feet. That’s not going to be a problem when you connect small footprints like an office, building or college lab. But when you want to cover larger areas, you will need to embrace these cables.
Shielding
Shielding is another factor that affects performance. Cables have the shielding or plastic sheets which prevent crosswalk. The crosswalk is an interface which slows down the signal passing. Cat 6A are shielded cables specially designed to prevent crosswalks.
Important Applications Which Require Cat 6A Cables
Wave 2 Wi-Fi Devices:
In order to support the fast data transfer, the Next-generation Wave 2 Wi-Fi devices would require data transfer rates which are close to 2Gb/s, and in a near future 4Gb/s. Nearly all enterprise businesses will adopt Next-generation Wi-Fi for high data transfer rates. Cat 6A cables are a viable solution to support such type of advancements.
HDBaseT:
The HDBaseT is an evolving technology that transmits the uncompressed full high definition video, audio, and other data files up to 100m with balanced twisted pair cabling. It also supports the power transfer up to 100 watts over 4-pair cables to powering HDTVs and other displays up to 100m. The Category 6A cables can handle such type of large data transfers for long distances.
IP Convergence:
Category 6A cables have the ability to handle the data load requirements. Therefore, they can support the IP Convergence which serves the big enterprises, from security to lighting and building automation systems which are connected with the network.
Why You Should Upgrade to Cat 6A?
In the future, all phone systems are likely to upgrade to VoIP. And your old cables would not be able to support the new technology. They cannot be compatible with the new speed standards in your systems. Although Cat6A is more expensive than the Cat5e and Cat6 cables, it can be your future solution and will stay longer to fulfill future requirements. Before opting for other relatively cheap options, you should also consider the maintenance value, which might cost you a lot more than the actual Cat 6A cable price. If you go with Cat5e or Cat6, you will need to replace them and upgrade your system sooner.
