Upgrade to Cat6 Cabling for a Faster Network

Due to rapid advances in technology, modern businesses enjoy ever-growing data capacity and processing power. As a result, businesses are able to achieve much more much faster and benefit from greater productivity and efficiency. Running your business more efficiently allows you to benefit from reduced costs and enables you to get ahead in an increasingly competitive environment. In order to meet these growing data requests, however, it is essential that you have adequate cabling in place. In this article, we will consider the benefits of upgrading to Cat6 cabling.

As the data in your business network increases, you need to ensure that your cabling infrastructure is able to meet your growing demands. Although Cat5 cables were sufficient for the needs of most businesses for some time, they have now been largely superseded by newer cabling standards that can deliver a much faster network performance. These days, many businesses have requirements for Gigabit speeds, which Cat5 cabling would struggle to support. Cat5 cables offer maximum speeds of 1000Mbits and are still sufficient for the needs of some businesses, but those with growing data demands that are looking to future-proof their business should consider upgrading to Cat6 cabling.

There are some design similarities between Cat5 and Cat6 cables. Both cabling standards are a twisted pair design and contain four pairs of copper wire. However, with Cat6 cables the design has been enhanced to incorporate a tighter twist, allowing for two-way communication on each pair of wires. When compared with Cat5 cables, Cat6 cables can deliver much faster speeds and are able to support a Gigabit network up to a distance of 164ft.

Cat6 cables are highly versatile, since they are able to support all forms of data (voice, data and video). This enables your business to have a combined network, which offers greater convenience and reduced costs. Cat6 cables can offer your business a greater bandwidth than Cat5 cables, with data speeds of up to 10,000Mbits. Once your Cat6 cables have been installed, they will last for many years and your business will be future-proof. You will have a cabling infrastructure that allows you to utilise new technologies as they emerge, without compromising on performance. With much faster network speeds, you will notice greater operational efficiency and reduced costs.

Cat6 cables also offer much greater immunity against crosstalk than Cat5 cables. Crosstalk is the name given to interference from other cables and devices in your network, which can cause problems and compromise your network performance. A reliable network performance is essential to maintain efficiency and business continuity. Upgrading to Cat6 cabling ensures that there is much less chance of signal degradation and you will benefit from a consistently reliable network performance.

Cat6 cables are completely backwards compatible with Cat5 cables, making it extremely straightforward to upgrade your network. This reduces the time it takes to carry out the installation and can, subsequently, reduce the cost. It also enables you to use Cat6 cabling alongside your current Cat5 cables, for an improved network performance where it’s needed the most. So, upgrading to Cat6 cabling could cost much less than you might think.

As a newer cabling standard, you will pay more for Cat6 cables than you would for Cat5 cables. However, they are a more cost-effective option because they are capable of delivering a greater return on investment through efficiency and productivity gains. A faster network performance will, ultimately, lead to reduced costs and increased profits. Once you have upgraded to Cat6 cabling, your business will be future-proof and you will be able to take advantage of new technologies when they emerge. Your cabling network provides the foundations for all of your business communications, so why not ensure that it provides the best possible performance by upgrading to Cat6 cabling?

For more information about the benefits of upgrading your cabling network, contact Midland Networks today on 0800 849 8585.