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Sheet 08.2

Cat6  vs  Cat6A  for  an  office  or  warehouse  fit-out.

Cat6 carries 1 gigabit to every outlet at up to 100 metres, which is what most desks, phones and cameras use. Cat6A carries 10 gigabit over the same 100 metres, and it is worth specifying for access points, links between cabinets and any ceiling you do not want to reopen.

The difference between Cat6 and Cat6A is not the plug, which is the same. It is how much signal the cable carries cleanly, and what that costs in cable thickness, containment and termination time. Many fit-outs end up with both.
Sheet
Guide
Published
30 September 2026
Last updated
30 September 2026
Written by
Gentex AU
G-10

Cat6  vs  Cat6A,  row  by  row.

Figures are the published limits of the cabling and Ethernet standards, for a full link with patch leads included.

Rated frequency
Cat6: 250 MHz
Cat6A: 500 MHz
1 gigabit
Cat6: Up to 100 metres
Cat6A: Up to 100 metres
2.5 and 5 gigabit
Cat6: Up to 100 metres
Cat6A: Up to 100 metres
10 gigabit
Cat6: Up to 37 metres. From 37 to 55 metres it depends on interference from neighbouring cables
Cat6A: Up to 100 metres
Power over Ethernet
Cat6: Carries it. Runs warmer in a large bundle
Cat6A: Carries it. The category recommended for high-power PoE
Cable
Cat6: Thinner, bends tighter, quicker to terminate
Cat6A: Thicker, stiffer, slower to terminate

The 10 gigabit row is the one that matters. Cat6 was not written for 10 gigabit. The guidance for running it on existing Cat6 is that it should work to 37 metres, and from there to 55 metres it depends on how much signal leaks between cables bundled together. Nobody knows which side of that line a link falls on until it is tested.

Cat6A was written for 10 gigabit at the full 100 metres. That is the whole difference, and everything else on this page follows from it.

G-20

When  Cat6A  is  worth  it.

01 The cable to an access point.
Many current Wi-Fi access points have ports faster than 1 gigabit, and the cabling guidance for new installations recommends Cat6A to them. The access point will be replaced before the cable is. If you are planning business Wi-Fi, this is the first place to spend.
02 Links between cabinets.
The run from the main rack to a second cabinet carries everything plugged into that cabinet. Where it is under 100 metres, Cat6A keeps it at 10 gigabit. Where it is over, no copper category will do it: the run needs fibre or an intermediate cabinet.
03 10 gigabit to the desk.
Few desks need it. The ones that do move large files to a server on site: video, drawings, imaging. If that describes four desks, run Cat6A to those four.
04 High-power PoE.
A single cable can now carry up to 90 watts of power. Power heats the cable, more so in a large bundle, and Cat6A is the category recommended for that load.
05 A ceiling you do not want to reopen.
Behind set plaster, above a finished fit-out, or in a tenancy you have to make good, the cable has to outlast several generations of equipment. The labour to pull it is spent once. Choose the cable that will not need pulling again.
G-30

When  Cat6  is  the  right  answer.

  • Desks where the work is email, phones, accounts and a browser. 1 gigabit is more than those use.
  • Fixed cameras, door controllers and readers. Each uses a small fraction of a gigabit.
  • An open warehouse tray or a ceiling grid, where adding a cable later is a small job.
  • Cat6 that is already in the building and tests clean. Keep it and spend the money on the new runs.

A workable rule: Cat6A to access points, between cabinets and above any ceiling you cannot reopen. Cat6 to the desk and the camera unless one has a stated reason.

G-40

What  else  changes.

The cost difference between the two is not only the price of the cable. These are the drivers, without numbers, because the numbers come from your building.

01 Containment fills sooner.
Cat6A is a thicker cable. The same tray, conduit or wall cavity holds fewer of them, and a conduit sized for Cat6 may not take the Cat6A count. On a warehouse job, where the containment is the larger part of the work, that matters more than the cable.
02 Bends need more room.
A stiffer cable needs a wider bend behind the outlet and into the back of the patch panel. Shallow wall boxes and a full cabinet are where that shows up.
03 Termination takes longer.
Each Cat6A outlet takes longer to terminate than a Cat6 one, and shielded cable also has to be bonded to earth at the rack. Multiply by the outlet count.
04 Every part has to match.
A link performs at the level of its lowest-rated part. Cat6A cable on a Cat6 patch panel or a Cat6 outlet is a Cat6 link, and it will test as one.
05 The test is harder to pass.
A Cat6A link is tested to 500 MHz, not 250. A termination that would scrape through on Cat6 fails, which is the point of paying for it.
G-50

A  checklist  before  you  accept  a  cabling  quote.

Eight questions. If a quote cannot answer them, it is not yet a quote for your building.

Ask, or answer

  • Which outlets will carry more than 1 gigabit during the life of the fit-out?
  • Where do the access points go, and what speed are their ports?
  • How long is the longest run, and does any pass 100 metres?
  • Which devices take their power from the cable, and how much?
  • Can the ceiling be opened again without a builder?
  • Is there room left in the tray, the conduit and the rack?
  • Does the quote name the category of the cable, the outlets and the patch panel, not only the cable?
  • Is every link tested, and do you receive the results?

Site attendance and the itemised quote are at no charge. The cable category is named in it.

The category is one line in a cabling job. The containment, the rack, the labelling and the UPS are covered on our data cabling page, along with what is handed over when the job is commissioned.

If the cable is already in, send us what is printed on its sheath and a photo of the patch panel. We will say whether it is worth keeping before anyone quotes to replace it. That assessment is part of a data cabling site visit, which is at no charge.

G-90

Questions  we  get  asked.

Can Cat6 run 10 gigabit?

Yes, over short links. The published guidance is that it should work up to 37 metres, and between 37 and 55 metres it depends on interference between neighbouring cables. Past that, or where the result has to be certain, the cable is Cat6A.

Is Cat6A worth it for a small office?

Usually for the ceiling runs, and usually not for the desks. A small office on a 1 gigabit switch gains nothing at the desk from Cat6A today, but the access point cables are hard to reach later and are the ones most likely to need the speed.

Are all Cat6 cables the same?

No. Cable sold as Cat6 varies in whether the conductors are solid or stranded, whether it is shielded, and whether the sheath is made for indoors or outdoors. Fixed runs use solid cable, and a run outside or underground needs a sheath made for it. The category printed on the sheath is the start of the specification, not the whole of it.

Can Cat6 and Cat6A be mixed in one building?

Yes, and many fit-outs should. Both terminate on the same style of outlet and patch into the same switch. What matters is that each link is one category from end to end and that the labels and the as-built record say which is which.
G-95

Related  sheets.

Send  us  the  outlet  count.

A floor plan with the outlets and access points marked is enough for us to say where Cat6A earns its place. We are based in Tullamarine and enquiries are read Monday to Friday, 07:00–16:00.

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Gentex AU · Tullamarine VIC
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