Category 6
Like most earlier twisted-pair cable, Category 6 cable contains four twisted wire pairs. Attenuation, near end crosstalk (NEXT), and PSNEXT (power sum NEXT) in Cat 6 cable and connectors are all significantly lower than Cat 5 or Cat 5e, which uses 24 AWG wire. The increase in performance with Cat 6 comes mainly from increased (22 AWG) wire size.
The heavier wire in some Cat 6 cables makes them too thick to attach to standard 8P8C connectors without a special modular piece, resulting in a technically out-of-compliance assembly. Because the conductor sizes are generally the same, Cat 6 jacks may also be used with Cat 5e cable.
Category 6 cable can be identified by the printing on the side of the cable sheath.
Cat 6 patch cables are normally terminated in 8P8C modular connectors. If Cat 6 rated patch cables, jacks, and connectors are not used with Cat 6 wiring, overall performance is degraded to that of the cable or connector.
Connectors use either T568A or T568B pin assignments; although performance is comparable provided both ends of a cable are the same, T568B is a deprecated standard in the US and no longer supported by TIA. In Europe, however, EIA supports T568B only.
| Pin | T568A Pair | T568B Pair | Wire | T568A Color | T568B Color | Pins on plug face (socket is reversed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | tip | white/green stripe |
white/orange stripe |
|
| 2 | 3 | 2 | ring | green solid |
orange solid |
|
| 3 | 2 | 3 | tip | white/orange stripe |
white/green stripe |
|
| 4 | 1 | 1 | ring | blue solid |
blue solid |
|
| 5 | 1 | 1 | tip | white/blue stripe |
white/blue stripe |
|
| 6 | 2 | 3 | ring | orange solid |
green solid |
|
| 7 | 4 | 4 | tip | white/brown stripe |
white/brown stripe |
|
| 8 | 4 | 4 | ring | brown solid |
brown solid |
Note: This is from left to right, with the plastic latching tab facing away from the viewer.
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