CAT6A vs CAT8

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › CAT6A vs CAT8

JoeTurksta

61 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 6

#275722 6-Sep-2020 16:17

So... Hoping someone will be able to help me out (one of you ALWAYS have an answer).

We're about to renovate our house, and with this, I'm finally installing some structured cabling into a rack and patch panel. I want to future proof as much as I can. Clearly the world isn't too far away from 10GbE Base T being the standard so I want to make sure I only have to replace equipment rather than rip my house apart to upgrade the cabling.

I've noticed that CDL don't sell anything Cat 8 related which is interesting. RS-Components do, and I'm guessing I could probably import some off AliExpress or AliBaba etc.

So... Cat6A or Cat 8? What's your view/advice?

Cheers,

Joe.

Jase2985

13735 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6216

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2557977 6-Sep-2020 16:48

what makes you want cat8?

"Category 8 has a maximum Permanent Link Length of 24m (78’) and a maximum Channel length of 30m (100’) when supporting 25Gbps and 40Gbps speeds."

Cat6a does 10GbE.

Ive just finished wiring my house with Cat6a F/UTP cable. Have tested it all and it all meets the TIA standard for 10GBASE-T and the longest run was 56.6m.

Scott3

4177 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2990

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2557983 6-Sep-2020 16:55

How much coin are you willing to throw at this?

Cat 6A can do 10G to 100m, so little point in spending more money if this is your goal.

You could consider the cheaper, more common and easier to install cat 6 which while not recommended for 10G, can do it over 55m.

Cat 8 seems like epic overkill, its for like 40GBps which in my eye's is some distance away. Will be hard to find cat 8 gear, and it will be both expensive and hard to find installers for.

If you are really keen on future proofing, consider putting in comms conduit from the roofspace (or underfloor depending on what is accessible) to ensure new cable can be pulled to the comms faceplates, in a time where cat 6A has become redundant.

It is hard to tell what the future will hold. 25 years ago, people were putting in a phone wiring to every bedroom because "everybody will have a computer in the future, and they will all need to access the internet". Well meaning, but dialup became redundant in short order. In my eyes there isn't really a clear progression path beyond 10G networking. Could well go the fiber route rather than copper. One think that does seem likely is higher frequency Wifi. Much faster, but less penetration power, requiring an AP in each room. Copper to ceiling mounted AP locations could be considered.

JoeTurksta

61 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 6

#2557988 6-Sep-2020 17:03

Cheers guys,

To be honest, I don't want to throw LOTS of coin (who does?), but was just doing research and after opinions as it has been a little while since I've looked deep into cabling, and was getting a little anxious of undercooking my cabling spec considering this reno is probably going to set us up in our location for another 15 - 20 years minimum.

CAT6A it is.

Jase2985

13735 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6216

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2558002 6-Sep-2020 17:31

FYI i have done all my wiring myself and i would have spent between $600-800 for about 20 jacks thought out the house along with the patch panel. That doesnt include any of the electrical stuff to go with it, ie switches and AP's etc.

I did get a reel of cable for free but needed some more, so i have about 200m left from one of the rolls.

richms

29104 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10222

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2558009 6-Sep-2020 17:41

Even 10 gig its looking like going SFP+ and fiber is a cheaper option for most cases than to use copper. I have put 2 lengths of pre made OM3 patch cable when I had some walls open, at the moment using a cheap SFP gigabit module on it in my switch, and a cheap media converter at the other end from aliexpress. Has a definate upgrade path to 10 gig there, and probably beyond and as it was pre-terminated patch cable, no hassles terminating fibre.

Richard rich.ms

fritzman

391 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 23

ID Verified

#2558182 7-Sep-2020 01:21

I agree that Cat6A will be adequate for the foreseeable future...

I recently ran dual Cat6 and used dual SFP+ cards at each end between a server and two video encoding PCs via an Aruba 10Gb switch, and they consistently maintained their 20Gb (teamed at each endpoint) speeds and move a lot of data very quickly.

Cat6A will be fine.

Sons Rig: Asus TUF Gaming X-570, Ryzen 9 3900X, G.Skill neo 2x16Gb 3600's, Sabrent Rocket 1Tb M.2, Win10 Pro, Phanteks case, EVGA G5 850W.

NAS: DS1819+ - 52Tb in Raid6

My rig: HP Elitebook X360 Lappy with a 2Tb SN850.. woohoo.. I've retired!

Heat under fritzman (152-0-0)

Mighty Ape

Shop now at Mighty Ape (affiliate link).

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9996

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#2558187 7-Sep-2020 07:17

The ability to easily retrofit cable should be the most important aspect - running conduit down walls is not a dumb idea as even using existing cable as a draw wire can be an absolute nightmare with insulation in walls.

The cost of fibre is so low now that running fibre is very cost effective, but isn't much use for hooking up things such as PC's.