If the cable is marked with the SFTP symbol. It means that an additional layer in the form of foiled tape before being wrapped in an overall flexible strong braid screen has been added to provide superior protection against all types of crosstalk. Cat6 Shielded Plenum with SF/FTP rating provides the most shielding. Because it is accompanied by a foil shield and braid shield, it offers maximum safety against crosstalk, alien crosstalk, and RFI/EMI.
The name itself speaks for itself. The term “unshielded” refers to a cat6 plenum 1000ft cable that does not have an additional layer or layers of protection. These cables are labeled UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair). UTP cables have eight copper conductors that are bundled together in four twisted pairs to increase signal strength, just like STP cables. Twisting and then pairing the conductors together reduces crosstalk and EMI, two factors that can severely degrade network performance. While also maintaining signal strengths over longer distances.
Which Cable Should You Buy: Shielded or Unshielded?
If you are going to install ethernet cables in a location or environment with a lot of crosstalk and EMIs, Cat6 Shielded Plenum is the way to go. It’s because they offer superior and additional protection against these annoyances. If you are installing ethernet cables in an environment with no or minimal crosstalk or EMIs, this is the cable to use.
Then Cat6 Unshielded Plenum is the way to go. Cat6 Shielded Plenum is on the higher end of the price spectrum, while the Cat6 Unshielded Plenum is on the lower end. To summarize, if your environment has no or very little crosstalk, investing in shielded cables is a waste of money. Also, both shielded and unshielded data transfer rates are the same.
Cat6 Plenum Bare Copper 1000ft family transfers data at a speed of 10Gbps over a distance of up to 50 meters (more than sufficient for all existing applications). These cables can transfer data at 1Gbps over a distance of 100 meters (again, sufficient for all existing applications). Installing any of these cables, on the other hand, will allow you to upgrade in the future.
Why Should You Buy Plenum Shielded Cat6 Cable?
- Cat6 plenum shielded ethernet cables are the way to go if you’re planning to install ethernet cables in place or surroundings with a lot of crosstalk and EMIs.
- The data transfer rate of the cat6 family is 10Gbps. Over a distance of up to 100 meters, these cables can transport data at 1Gbps. The cat6 plenum shielded cable is an ethernet cable that is designed to be used in areas with a lot of airflows. EMI is a term that refers to each and every type of signal interference that can disrupt your cable.
- Shielded cables are commonly used in doctor’s offices, hospitals, labs, factories, and other locations with EMI.
- In commercial buildings, the plenum is a space for heating and cooling airflow between floors or above office levels. If an office were to catch fire, a fire could easily spread to other floors or the entire building through this plenum area.
- To reduce toxicity in the event of a fire, plenum-rated cables have a fire-retardant plastic jacket made of low-smoke polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or fluorinated ethylene polymer (FEP).
- Despite the ongoing technologies, many people actually prefer flame-retardant cables over plenum cables for safety reasons. Cat6 cables are one of the most popular Ethernet cable types.
It can help you avoid unnecessary costs and risks. The jacket is one of the reasons why these cables are suited for interior use. When compared to an outdoor cat6 cable jacket, it is much thinner. Outdoor Cat6 Ethernet cables are used in outdoor network cable runs, as the name implies. In comparison to indoor cables, these cables have a thicker jacket.
This jacket is waterproof and can withstand extreme temperatures. It can also be used as a cable for direct burial. If it is necessary for the network you are constructing, you can bury it underground. With its heavy-duty characteristics, the Cat6 network cable is long-lasting, strong, and simple to use.
When should Cat6 be used indoors?
Let’s go into the subject of when and where to use an outdoor and indoor cat6 cable now that you know what they are. Of course, it’s intended to be used indoors, but for what purposes?
Let’s pretend you’re putting together a network for a typical office building. Security cameras, smart TVs, PCs, and other smart devices all require cable runs. You’ll need to run this cable in this situation. It will be able to handle all of the office’s high-speed, heavy-duty applications.