Need info about cat6+

[GalaxyTraveler]

Hello,
I have worked on several nice home theater builds over the last year.

Cat6A UTP 10GB solid copper was installed for the in wall backbone of the systems.
Now I am sourcing plugs and sockets also certified for Cat6A.

I keep running into materials rated for Cat6+.
However I am unable to locate (Google) any information about the Cat6+ standards.

Does anyone know what Cat6+ is all about, is it above Cat6A or below it, is it even a standard yet or someone mislabeled Cat6A?

Thanks for your help.😀

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Hello,
I have worked on several nice home theater builds over the last year.

Cat6A UTP 10GB solid copper was installed for the in wall backbone of the systems.
Now I am sourcing plugs and sockets also certified for Cat6A.

I keep running into materials rated for Cat6+.
However I am unable to locate (Google) any information about the Cat6+ standards.

Does anyone know what Cat6+ is all about, is it above Cat6A or below it, is it even a standard yet or someone mislabeled Cat6A?

Thanks for your help.😀

It's not a "real" standard. The electrical specifications probably exceed Cat6, but it can depend on the vendor and manufacturers involved.

A lot of vendors also marketed Cat6e as a "better than Cat6" product, but again, the real standard is 6A.

If the bid and subcontracting agreement, there should have been materials requirements. Hopefully it at least "Meets or Exceeds" the Cat6 standard. Test the hell out of it.

 

[Eug]

Yeah, just cable that's claimed to exceed CAT6 standards, but which does NOT meet CAT6a standards. But often that claim is utter bull.

I'd take name brand CAT6 over noname CAT6+ or noname CAT6e any day. I once bought a spool of noname outdoor cable just because it was really cheap. I didn't need great quality, as long as it worked, since it was just for an IP camera running at less than 10 Mbps and internet access. I couldn't use regular cable since the cable needed to be buried, and exposed to the elements, and name brand outdoor cable was several times more expensive.

Interestingly, the spool itself was labeled CAT5e, but the cabling was labeled CAT6e. It seems they just slap whatever name on it they want, but it doesn't really mean much.

Guess what? For a couple of runs I made (inside, for secondary runs in easily accessible spaces, just because I had that extra cable sitting around), they didn't work at all at any speed, even after I re-terminated the ends. Only worked after I replaced the cable. This was never a problem with the Belden CAT5e I bought.

 

[GalaxyTraveler]

Hey Thanks for the input Mr. dave_the_nerd and you as well Eug.

So that would explain why the more I tried to research it the fuzzier it became.
Hot air is always confusing.

I will stick to solid industry name brands with the specs clearly printed out.
Thanks.