Category 6 cable

[1] Whereas Category 6 cable has a reduced maximum length of 55 metres (180 ft) when used for 10GBASE-T, Category 6A cable is specified for 500 MHz and has improved alien crosstalk characteristics, allowing 10GBASE-T to be run for the same 100-metre (330 ft) maximum distance as previous Ethernet over twisted pair variants.

The design of Cat 6 required more stringent precision in manufacturing, which enabled reduced noise and crosstalk, thereby improving performance.

The industry has seen a rise in non-compliant or counterfeit cables, especially of the copper-clad aluminium wire (CCA) variety.

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.

This consists of 90 meters (295 ft) permanent link, which is typically solid horizontal cabling between two connectors, often the patch panel and the wall jack, plus 10 meters (33 ft) total of stranded patch cordage.

[14] Manufacturers have begun offering claims of supporting distances beyond 100 meters (328 ft) which would fall outside of the TIA 568–2.D standard.

Cable shielding may be required in order to avoid data corruption in high electromagnetic interference (EMI) environments.