Before setting up your network some technical aspects need to be understood to secure your network and speed requirements. In recent times, networking cables connect multiple devices at home and businesses, but a question might arise in our mind, what is the maximum length of network cables?
In this article, let’s discuss, how far can a cat6 ethernet cable go and what are the length requirements of the cable for your network. Before jumping into the technical rabbit hole of knowing the maximum length of cat6 cables, let’s start with a brief introduction to cat6 cables and its salient features.
What Is Cat6 Ethernet Cable?
The Cat6 network cable is the next advanced category cable after the Cat5E. The cable is well-known for its speed and high bandwidth capacity.
This specification of this cable makes it ideal to adopt for network installations. The cable can provide you with a speed of up to 1 Gbits/s if the cable runs at a distance of 100 meters (328 ft), likewise, it can provide you with 10 Gbit/s speed over 50 meters (164 ft) respectively.
The cable has a tested bandwidth frequency of 550 MHz and provides your network stability and unbeatable conductivity, so you always get intact connectivity.
This is about the speed and frequency, there are other salient features of the Cat6 cables that you cannot ignore. The cable comes in shielded twisted pairs that are excellent in the environment with complex wiring structures to reduce the effect of crosstalk, EMI, and RFI. So you will no longer be thinking about the speed degradation or latency rate.
Some of the specifications of Cat6 are described in the below table for a better understanding.
| Specifications | Cat6 Cable |
| Cable Jacket | CMP, CMR & PVC |
| Wire Gauge | 23 – AWG |
| Temperature | 0° to 60°C |
| Frequency | 550 MHz |
| Pairs | 4 Twisted Pairs |
| Package | Easy Pull Box |
| Colors | Black, Blue, White, Red, Green, Yellow |
| Compliance Standard | ANSI/TIA, RoHS, and NEC |
These are the specifications of the cat6 cables which is considered the most premium quality cable in terms of speed and bandwidth.
Cat6 Ethernet Cable Length
So, while planning to buy Cat6 cable more often we ask the question about what is the maximum length of Cat6 network cable. To know the length specification properly we must know some factors before choosing the cable for network installation.
The signal has to travel a longer distance than the cable length, and the higher it will degrade ( a process known as attenuation) until it reaches its final destination or the receiving point.
Attenuation may also be caused by strong external interferences like EMI and RFI. Also, the cable with shielded twisted pairs is strongly recommended to minimize the noise effect and perform reliably over long distances.
The maximum length of the cat6 cables is about 295 ft (95 meters) and up to 16 ft (5 meters) of patch ethernet cable on either side of the cable, and a total of 328 ft (100 meters). A cable will work at its best within 100 meters, beyond this length you will start experiencing signal degradation, reduced speed, and reliability of connectivity.
Cat6 cable can provide good speed within the 100-meter length, the gigabit ethernet cable is also supportive to run fast ethernet applications.
Gauge
There is another factor that limits the length of the cable or data rate is the size of its conductors. The (AWG) American Wire Gauge refers to the size of the cable’s conductor.
The data transmission medium of ethernet cable is through electrical current so here the thinner wire shows great resistance in the transmission of data.
In simple words, we can say that the larger the size of the conductor the more easy electrons will pass through the cable while minimizing the resistance. For Cat6 cables the diameter of the conductor is 23 AWG, if we calculate the diameter of this cable it would be 0.0226 inches. The smaller the AWG size the larger will be the diameter of the cable.
How To Buy Cat6 Ethernet Cable
Ethernet cables look the same when on the ground and one cannot judge them while looking at them. Now how can anyone buy ethernet cable for its network setup?
Nothing to worry about we have covered your back. While choosing the ethernet cable keep these points in your mind and you will end up investing in a good ethernet cable for your network.
Data Rate (Speed)
This refers to the amount of data a cable can transfer per second if you see 100 Mbit/s on cable specs, it means it can transfer data over 100 million bits per second. In commercial setup, speed evaluated by the equipment attached to it.Â
Length Specification
Cable length is the second factor to think of before buying an ethernet cable. The ideal cable length is 100 meters but cables having additional insulation layers and thicker conductors can reach farther but there may be chances of errors.
If you are unaware of cable length it is more suitable to buy bulk Cat6 network cable for smooth installation.
Shielding
The next important factor is STP cables, shielded twisted pair cables have an additional insulation layer that wraps the 4 twisted pairs to minimize external interference.
S/UTP – Shielded/Unshielded twisted pair cable has the entire wire wrapped with an insulation layer and thus helps in minimizing the crosstalk and EMI.
So while planning make sure either you need UTP cables or STP cables for your cable environment.
Installation Location
Ethernet cables are also rated according to the fire safety nature of their outer jackets made up of either plenum or riser jackets.
The plenum and riser are the fire resistance material that protects the cable in case of fire and acts as self-fire extinguishers.
If there are fire safety restrictions in the building use riser or plenum-rated ethernet cables.
Quality Matters
Multiple buyers are offering the same ethernet specifications but choosing the quality cable is quite tough among several sellers.
One simple rule, read out the reviews if you are purchasing online, look for good options, and also visit your nearest market to know the price variation. If you are going to buy CCA cables instead of copper cables make sure to read the reviews as the cheapest options are sometimes the most expensive ones.
Advantages Of Cat6 Cable
The Cat6 shielded cable has some main perks that make this cable an ideal choice for buyers to choose for installation purposes.
Transmission Speed
The cat6 cable provides the fastest speed than its previous Cat5e cable and can be used in residential, commercial, and industrial setups. The cable can reach a speed of up to 10 Gbit/s thus allowing users to run fast ethernet applications.
Backward Compatibility
The Category 6 cable is backward compatible with its previous cable as it uses the same RJ45 connector at both ends. It means if you ever try to replace the network infrastructure. You could easily replace it without replacing the entire equipment.
High Bandwidth
Along with speed the cable also provides high bandwidth frequency for intact speed and connectivity. This high bandwidth enables the ethernet cable to support gigabit ethernet.
Shielding – Strengthen The Cable
The Cat6 shielded cables can reduce external interference to provide you with the best speed and seamless networking experience. This is because the additional insulation layer repels the external signals to disturb the signal strength.
Ethernet Cable For Your Network
As mentioned earlier, the cables of many types Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6a are the most demanding nowadays. But how to choose the best cable for your business network is the main thing.
The main aspects before choosing the right cable for a business network are the transmission speed, frequency, compliance standard to install cable, and the application you want to use.
These are the main aspects with whom you can buy cable according to your desire.
Final Thoughts
At the end of this article, the maximum length of the Cat 6 cable is the same as with every ethernet cable which is 328 ft (100 meters) and to get the right speed you should meet the length requirement of the cable.
Furthermore, Cat 6 ethernet is ideal to buy and to future-proof your network as the cable meets and exceeds the expectations of specifications. To know more about the guide on ethernet cable read out our other informative blogs for better understanding.
