When you are installing Gigabit Ethernet and need consistent network availability, Cat 6 may be the best option. As new multimedia applications and the demands for faster data rates increase, organizations will benefit form the higher bandwidth offered by Cat 6. Cat 6 is capable of transmission frequencies up to 250Mhz, as compared to transmission rates up to 100MHz for basic Cat 5 and Cat 5E. And the standard for Cat 6 has been approved for publication by the EIA (TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1).

Remember that your cabling is generally a 10 year investment and it may be called upon to support four or more generations of equipment during that time. If you need to pull out Category 5e cable to replace it with Category 6 it will be very expensive. Although Cat 6 components are backwards compatible with Cat 5/5e, performance in these mixed systems may be below that of a conventional Cat 5e system.

Interoptic Systems is Cat 6 Install Certified, which means we are well-versed in Cat 6 installations, including testing of sensitive Cat 6 cables and requirements for insertion loss, near-end crosstalk, and propagation delay. Contact us today for knowledgeable answers to your questions about Cat 6!