Important Considerations for Upgrading to Cat6a – Part 2
As discussed in Part 1, your company’s cabling infrastructure must keep up with accelerating technological and business requirements. Selecting the right solutions will conserve time and resources, future proofing your network for up to a decade.
Current Network Infrastructure
One key factor when upgrading your network infrastructure is whether or not your company owns or leases the building. If you are the owner, you can determine the chief uses of the 10G network and what changes to the network infrastructure will be needed. If you are renting, the length of your lease will heavily influence your decisions.
Available Office Space
Cat6a cables function at 500MHz, doubling the frequency of Cat6 cables. As a result, Cat6a cables have a larger diameter to allow greater control of crosstalk and noise caused by higher frequencies.
Larger in size than earlier cabling, using Cat6a cables results in being able to fit fewer cables in the cable tray or conduit. This may be a significant issue when an older installation is being retrofitted. However, newer-style Cat6a cables are only 15% larger than Cat6 cables.
Larger Bend Radius
The larger diameter of Cat6a cables will make a larger bend radius necessary when routing. This is especially a challenge if the run will run within walls. This may require retrofitting existing cabling infrastructure or installing a new one.
Longer Installation Time
As mentioned previously, Cat6a cables are thicker than earlier categories of cables. This will result in extending the period of time necessary for preparing, installing, and terminating cables because it will be more difficult and complex.
Review Important Considerations
Although Cat6a is a sound choice for 10G networks, your company should first evaluate its current and future data and business requirements. This will help your team to make the proper selection of cabling for a network upgrade. An installation is a costly and time-consuming process that can disrupt business operations. Thus, it is worth spending an adequate amount of time on reviewing the important considerations previously summarized during the planning stage.
Progressive Office Cabling
Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking cost-effective solutions. Working together, Progressive teams are committed to getting your data cables installed and operating while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.
