Cat6 vs Cat6a, how to choose?
In general, 10GbE Cat6a cables have better network performance than 10GbE Cat6 cables. Cat6a 10GBASE-T cabling from wholesale UTP CAT6 Cables can provide 10G performance with higher frequency (500 MHz) and longer link length (100 m) than Cat6 cabling (250 MHz, 55 m). Cat6 Ethernet cables only support 10GBASE-T within a distance of 37 to 55 meters, depending on the alien crosstalk environment.

Compared with Cat6, Ca6a has a stronger sheath, which reduces external crosstalk and improves the signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, the use of Cat6 cable at 10Gbps can not take advantage of the power-saving short-distance mode. When using Cat6 of 30 meters or less, the short-distance mode can reduce the power consumption of each port by 1W. Therefore, 10GBASE-T cable Cat6 is not cost-effective and environmentally friendly for 10GBASE-T applications. More importantly, Cat6 cables cannot dissipate heat like Cat6a 10GBASE-T cables, because Cat6 10GBASE-T cables have a smaller conductor diameter.

10GbE cabling via Ca6 or Cat6a

The cost of 10GbE Cat6 cabling is indeed lower than that of 10GbE Cat6a cabling. However, suppose you are betting on 10Gbps speeds running on Cat6 cabling, then you must replace all Cat6 components when it does not work, which will be much more expensive than using Cat6a cabling directly.

In short, 10GBASE-T cable Cat6 vs Cat6a, due to its limitations, it is not recommended to use the former in some 10GBASE-T applications. The minimum cabling level deployed in a 10GBASE-T network should be Cat6a cable. As for which Cat6a 10GBASE-T cable to use, you can refer to how to choose a suitable FFTP CAT6A Cables Manufacturers Category 6a cable for your 10G network.