Ultimate guide to Cat6a Plenum Bare Copper Cable

  • Last modified: December 28, 2023

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Ultimate guide to Cat6a Plenum Bare Copper Cable

There are a bunch of ethernet cables available for setting up a new high-speed ethernet network or upgrading an old one. But one cable surpasses all others in terms of performance, safety, and affordability. That is cat6a plenum bare copper cable. 

 Bulk Cat6a Plenum Cable has a data transmission speed of up to 10 gigabits per second over 100 meters of run length and provides a bandwidth capacity of 750 MHz. Additionally, these cables are EIA/TIA verified and comply with ISO/IEC-11801. 

If you are looking to buy bulk cat6a ethernet cables or just want to learn everything about it, this is your ultimate guide.

What is Cat6a plenum bare copper cable?

Bare copper Cat6a cables are ideal for applications in high-performance office and home networks. They can support all high-speed ethernet applications such as 10 Gigabit Ethernet, 100BASETX, 100BASEVG ANY LAN, 155ATM, 622ATM, NTSC/PAL Component or Composite Video, AES/EBU Digital Audio, and AES 51, RS-422.

The plenum-rated makes this cable safe for installations in indoor spaces where air circulates freely. It is available in shielded and unshielded variants, which will be discussed in detail in the following parts. 

Speed and Bandwidth

As mentioned earlier, the Cat6a plenum cable has a data transmission speed of up to 10Gbps. This is pretty fast given the speed requirements of ethernet applications used in office and home networks. 

The bandwidth capacity of this cable is 750MHz. It is a voluminous bandwidth capacity for all sorts of high-speed ethernet applications. The speed and bandwidth capacity of the 6th augmented category of ethernet cables are ideal for almost all ethernet network applications. 

Plenum-rated Jacket of Cat6a cable

Plenum-rated jackets or Communications multipurpose (CMR) jackets are made out of fluorinated ethylene polymer (FEP). It is ideal for indoor spaces where air can circulate freely, plenum-rated spaces, in other words. 

In plenum-rated spaces such as dropped ceilings or raised floors, the risk of fire hazards is higher due to the free circulation of air. That is why it is important for your cables to have a CMR-rated jacket.

Bare copper conductor: Cat6a ethernet cable

Just like plenum-rated jackets, the conductor is also an important part of cat6a ethernet cables. It ensures the high performance of the cable and also contributes to the ultimate safety of Cat6a cables. 

Bare copper conductors are pliable, ductile, more resistant to interference, and highly efficient at transmitting data. Additionally, bare copper conductors are corrosion resistant and therefore long-lasting. So, cat6a cables with bare copper conductors are as good as they can be. 

Shielded vs Unshielded Cat6a cable

Shielded cat6a plenum solid copper cables have an extra protective sheath around the conductor wires. It helps in keeping the data transfer rate at a maximum by reducing the electromagnetic interference (EMI) and crosstalk away from the cables. 

Unshielded cables do not have this extra protective sheath around the conductors but rest assured they are also just as fast as the shielded cables. The reason for that is the quality of materials used in the manufacturing of the cables.  The bonus point is that unshielded cables are more affordable compared to shielded ones. 

The difference in the performance of both types of cables is almost unnoticeable in the average home and office Ethernet networks. 

Cat6a ethernet cable features

The features of Cat6 plenum bare copper cable can be summarized as follows. 

  • The data transfer rate and bandwidth capacities are 10 Gbps and 750 MHz respectively. 
  • The CMR-rated jacket is made out of the FEP compound and is used in indoor plenum spaces.  
  • Bare copper conductor makes this cable, the ultimate cable for all high-speed ethernet applications including, PoE, PoE+/++. 
  • Bare Copper Cat6a plenum cable is available in both shielded and unshielded variants.
  • Apart from the high-speed data transfer and reliability of this cable, it is also verified by EIA/TIA and complies with ISO/IEC-11801 standards.

Conclusion

Cat6a plenum bare copper cable is ideal for all home and office Ethernet networks. With it, you can use all sorts of applications, such as audio/video streaming to bolt speeds internet connections. 

Buy ethernet cables and accessories from NewYork Cables now and get free shipping on orders above $299.99. NewYork Cables is the leading brand of networking cables and hardware. Our cables meet and exceed all market safety and performance and undergo rigorous testing to ensure customer satisfaction. 

Specification Cat5e Cat6 Cat6a
Cable Jacket Plenum, Riser & PVC Plenum, Riser & PVC Plenum & Riser
Wire Gauge 24-AWG 23-AWG 23-AWG Highly Twisted
Frequencies 350 MHZ 550 MHZ 750 MHZ
Installation Temp 0°C to 60°C 0°C to 60°C 0°C to 60°C
Pairs 4 Twisted Pairs 4 Twisted Pairs 4 Twisted Pairs
Package Easy Pull Box Easy Pull Box Wood Spool
Colors Black, Blue, White, Red, Green, Yellow Black, Blue, White, Red, Green, Yellow Black, Blue, White, Red, Green, Yellow
Standard Compliance ETL, FCC, CE, CSA, ISO/IES, RoHS FCC, CE, CSA, ISO/IES, RoHS ETL, FCC, CE, CSA, ISO/IES, RoHS
Sarah Moon

Sarah Moon, our Cat6a expert, demystifies high-speed connectivity with a fresh perspective. Her concise blogs make advanced technology accessible to all.


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