The difference between Category 6 and  Super Category 6 network cables

Category 6 network cable usually refers to category 6 unshielded network cable, which is the sixth-generation standard Ethernet network cable, which complies with Category 6 standards of ISO / IEC 11801: 2002 and EIA / TIA 568B, and its bandwidth is twice that of Category 5 network cables. And the transmission performance of Category 6 network cable is much higher than that of Super Category 5 network cable, which is most suitable for Gigabit network transmission applications.

Super Category 6 network cable is an upgraded version of Category 6 network cable, so it is also called "enhanced Category 6 network cable" and meets the standards of ISO / IEC 11801: 2002 and EIA / TIA 568-B.2-1. Performance in other aspects is better than Category 6 network cable. Compared with Category 6 cables, Super Category 6 cables have a larger outer diameter, heavier weight, and a larger minimum bending radius. The maximum transmission distance of Category 6  network cables is 100m.

There are two types of Super Category 6 network cables: shielded (UTP) and unshielded (FTP). The two have obvious structural differences.

1. Unshielded Super Category 6 network cable

The method of increasing the distance between the cores and non-metallic fillers is often used to reduce alien crosstalk. Therefore, the diameter of the unshielded super Category 6 network cable is very large. The advantage of unshielded Cat6e cable is that because there is no shielding layer, the termination is simpler and more convenient, and it saves time. In addition, the price of unshielded Cat6  network cable is lower, and the price of unshielded patch panels used with it is also lower.

Unshielded Super Category 6 network cable

2. Shielded Super Category 6 network cable

There are two types of shielded Super Category 6 network cables: U / FTP and F / UTP.U / FTP does not have a total shielding layer. This shielded network cable has high anti-crosstalk performance, but it is troublesome when terminating. You need to deal with each aluminum foil wire to the shielding layer before terminating.

Shielded Super Category 6 network cable

The F / UTP total shielding layer is aluminum foil shielding, and there is no wire-to-pair shielding layer. The production process of this kind of network cable is more complicated, but its diameter is smaller than that of U / FTP network cable, and the termination process is simpler and saves time.

From this point of view, Super Category 6 shielded network cable has more advantages in the promotion of application fields than Super Category 6 unshielded network cable, and it is currently a relatively good wiring standard solution.

The difference between Category 6 network cable and Super Category 6  network cable

1. Speed and bandwidth of Category 6 network cable and Super Category 6 network cable

Category 6 network cable is mainly used for 1Gbps network connection, and Category 6 network cable is used for 10Gbps network connection, and the bandwidth performance of Category 6 network cable is higher, and its transmission frequency is twice as high as Category 6 network cable, such as Category 6 network cable. The bandwidth is 250M, and the bandwidth of Super Cat 6 network cable is 500M.

2. Structure of Category 6 network cable and Super Category 6 network cable

Both the Category 6 network cable and the Category 6 network cable have an insulated cross-frame design, but the Category 6 cable uses a gear-like wire groove shape.

3. Design of Category 6 network cables and Category 6 network cables

The super-category 6 network cable has a tighter core pitch and thicker conductors, so its outer diameter is larger than that of the category 6 network cable. In addition, due to the higher transmission frequency of the super category 6 network cable, the external crosstalk problem will be more serious. Therefore, the super category 6 network cable has adopted a more strict shielding design. Generally speaking, super six types of network cables can be divided into F / UTP network cables and U / UTP network cables. Application of category 6 network cable and super category 6 network cable

As mentioned above, the transmission performance of Super Cat 6 cable is undoubtedly higher than that of Cat 6 cable. The IEEE standard also clearly states that Cat 6 cable can support 10Gbps network connection. In practical applications, some people have tried to use six types of network cables in 10G networks, so is this feasible?

In fact, some people have indeed proved that the Category 6 network cable can reach a transmission distance of 37-55m at a transmission rate of 10Gbps when the external crosstalk is very small. But this is difficult to implement in practical applications. First of all, the deployment of network cables is usually dense, so the external crosstalk cannot be very small; second, the thermal performance of Category 6 cables is not very good, just like Super Category 6 cables, and the network cables will inevitably heat during the transmission of data. Reduce the transmission rate of the network cable. In general, it is not recommended to use Category 6 network cables in 10GBASE-T networks, but should use Super Category 6  network cables.

How to distinguish Category 6 network cable from Super Category 6 network cable?

Method one: distinguish by the appearance of Category 6 network cable and Super Category 6 network cable. Generally speaking, relevant information will be printed on the network cable and the outer packaging. For example, "CAT6" is marked on the sheath of Category 6 network cables, and "CAT6a" is marked on the sheath of Category 6 network cables. In addition, since Category 6 network cables support 10G Ethernet network transmission, the appearance of these products will generally have a similar logo of 10Gigabit. 

VS

Mark on the two types of network cable

Method 2: Use a professional network cable tester to test.

We also provide other cable products, such as: USB cable 2 in 1, fiber optic sensor cable, M8 Cable, etc. If you want to buy our products, please contact us as soon as possable.