Fully structured data cabling – Cat5e for Gigabit Ethernet or Cat6a for 10 Gigabit
Cat6 Cabling
We are often asked “Why CAT6?” After all CAT5e superseded CAT5 because it would support 1000mbps (gigabit) networking so why the need for a higher standard? It is a legitimate question and to fully understand the answer it helps to understand the basics of network protocols.
Put simply, while CAT5e can facilitate the transmission of data packets at gigabit speed, it is limited in the amount of packets it can cope with, resulting in data loss. Because reliable protocols such as TCP resend lost packets this results in the user experiencing a slowdown over the network, for example when opening a large graphics file.
By utilising all four pairs within the cable, increasing the frequency of the twists in each pair and reinforcing the cable with a plastic spine, CAT6 reduces the amount of “cross-talk” that cause this level of data loss.
In other words Cat5e and CAT6 are like two highways with the same speed limit, but the CAT6 highways has many more lanes so traffic jams are less likely. Techies please excuse the over-simplification but as an analogy we think this works!
So who does need CAT6? Certainly anyone rendering large graphics fileS over a network.
Some 3D CAD programmes can produce files measured in gigabytes – such as architects, structural engineers etc. In fact any designers or technicians that work with large files.
Then there is also the issue of future-proofing. There is no doubt that networking has benefited enormously from the increase in data transmission speeds from 10mbps to 100mbps and there is no reason to believe that 1000mbps will not be considered the norm a few years from now.
CAT6 costs about 20% more than CAT5e, so is it worth the extra expenditure if all you anticipate using in future are internet, email and basic documents and spreadsheets.
It is also worth bearing in mind that data will only cross the network at the speed of the slowest network device which means possible investment in gigabit switches and NICs to enjoy the full benefit of gigabit networking over CAT6.
If in doubt about the standard that best meets your particular requirement don’t hesitate to consult us and we will be happy to talk you through the pros and cons and find the option that is right for you.