Cat6

The Cat6 Ethernet Category, also known as Category 6 or Cat6, is a standard for Gigabit Ethernet introduced in 2002 that is backward compatible with the Category 5 and 5e cable standards. Compared to its predecessors, Cat6 cables uses a wider bandwidth of up to 250 MHz to achieve gigabit speeds (1 Gb/s) over cable lengths up to 100 metres, and 10 Gb/s up to 55 metres. As for physical differences, Cat6 cables are more tightly wound than earlier categories and often have an outer foil or braided shielding. This shielding protects the twisted pairs of wires inside the cable, helping to prevent crosstalk and noise interference. Cat6 cables also have a longitudinal separator in the wiring which isolates each of the four pairs of twisted wire from each other. This separator results in less crosstalk, allowing for faster data transfer speeds.