Cat6 Ethernet Cabling

CAT6 is the 6th generation of twisted pair Ethernet cabling, also known as Category 6. It is a cable standard defined by the Electronic Industries Association and Telecommunications Industry Association (commonly known as EIA/TIA).

CAT6 cable contains four pairs of copper wire and unlike CAT5 and CAT5e, it uses all four twisted pairs. CAT6 supports Gigabit (1000 Mbps) Ethernet communications at more than twice the speed of CAT5e.

Twisted pair cable like CAT6 comes in two main varieties; solid and stranded. Solid CAT6 cable supports longer runs and works best in fixed wiring configurations like office buildings. Stranded CAT6 cable, on the other hand, is more pliable and better suited for shorter distances or movable cabling such as "patch" leads.

According to technical experts, the use of CAT6 cables will supersede CAT5e cables in the near future. The fact that CAT6 link and channel requirements are backward compatible to CAT5e makes it very easy for consumers to select a CAT6 solution for all future upgrades and networks.