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Performance: Cat 6 supports Ethernet speeds of up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-T) at distances up to 55 meters, and can extend up to 100 meters for slower speeds like 1 Gigabit Ethernet. Cat 6a, a related enhanced standard, supports up to 500 MHz and allows 10GBASE-T speeds up to 100 meters.
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Design: Typically, Cat 6 cables consist of four unshielded twisted pairs (UTP) of copper wire terminated with RJ45 connectors. The cable often includes a central spline to separate pairs, reducing internal crosstalk.
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Conductor: The copper conductors in Cat 6 are thicker than in Cat 5e cables, typically 23 AWG (American Wire Gauge) compared to 24 AWG in Cat 5e, improving signal quality.
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Use cases: Cat 6 is suitable for networks running 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet), 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet), and 10GBASE-T (10 Gigabit Ethernet) protocols.
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Construction: High-quality Cat 6 cables use 100% solid copper conductors with insulation designed to minimize interference. High-grade cables feature snagless connectors, molded strain relief boots, and are often verified by certification tests like Fluke testing.
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Availability: Cat 6 cables are available in various forms including indoor/outdoor rated cables, shielded or unshielded variants (e.g., F/FTP, F/UTP, U/UTP), and lengths from patch cables (1.5 meters) to bulk spools (100 meters or more).
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Practical advantages: They offer improved noise resistance and support Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) applications reliably.
