Get pro tips and recommendations for installing Cat.6A

Over the past five years, Cat.6A adoption has increased dramatically, becoming the dominant media type for 10 Gb/s networks. Hospitals, schools, and other enterprise networks applications like wireless and power over Ethernet all rely on Cat.6A cabling for greater bandwidth to meet today's data demand. And when comparing costs per port of equipment, maintenance, and assembly of 10G Ethernet, Cat.6A with twisted pair has become significantly more costeffective than other technologies.

Cat.6A is backwards compatible with Cat.6 and 5e, allowing it to support gigabit Ethernet and provide a seamless migration path to 10 gigabit bandwidth in the future (10GBASE-T). Using Cat.6A in new installations prevents the need to recable when upgrading to 10 Gb/s, avoiding possible network disruption and additional project costs in the future. End users and building owners who are planning for network upgrades or new construction in the near future should consider Cat.6A as a way to extend the expected life of their cabling systems.

Cat.6A cables are larger and heavier than Cat.6 or 5e cables and may require some different routing and handling techniques. Leviton's Cat.6A Interactive Guide gives you a better understanding of these requirements to more efficiently plan, bid, and install a Cat.6A system.