How to Choose the Best Copper Cabling Infrastructure for your Project

When it comes to your ideal structured cabling solution there are a few choices on the market for which type of copper cabling to use for your building’s infrastructure. The choice between them isn’t easy, as there are significant pros and cons for each. Often, the budget is the biggest factor at play when deciding what kind of copper cable installation to go for. With this guide, we hope to make that decision a little easier.

Cat5e cabling

Though the need for this steadily decreasing, there are still some companies out there who opt for Category 5 enhanced, or Cat5e, cabling. This is largely due to the fact that, as it’s quite an old piece of hardware, it’s the cheapest option. Cat5e cabling is faster than its predecessor, Cat5, and it was made to support 1000 Mbps gigabit speeds. However, as this technology is now over 6 years old, faster hardware is readily available. While this is suitable for large buildings who have a low budget, its use has decreased in recent years as Cat5e maintenance and support are becoming rarer.

Cat6a and Cat6 cabling

As the name might suggest, Cat6 cabling is a step up from Cat5e. Generally speaking, all new builds use Cat6a or Cat6 cabling installation, as it’s fast enough for the modern consumer and affordable enough to install in large buildings and big projects. It’s becoming increasingly important for residential properties to install future-proof cabling, as more and more residents are looking to technology to increase their quality of living. It’s therefore vital that homes be kitted out with the latest technologies. Cat6 structured cabling maintenance and Cat6 network infrastructure support are still widespread, so there will be many companies who can support this hardware for years to come. If you are opting for Cat6a, it’s important to note that it’s actually twice as fast as Cat6, which may make it more expensive.

Cat7 cabling

Cat7 cable is one of the newest copper cabling solutions currently available. The good news for anyone who wants to upgrade their cabling solutions, as the infrastructure still uses Cat6 components. However, it’s probably not the most ideal solution for most businesses, as it can incredibly expensive. Despite its expense it’s always valuable to install the most up-to-date network infrastructure into new builds, as their timelessness can be ensured and the technology it supports is set to last for a good amount of time, needing little network infrastructure maintenance and support as time goes on. Not only is it a future-proof cabling solution, but it’s also a faster, more secure one. Cat 7 cables can offer performance of up to 600MHz. This level of performance is six times faster than Cat5e and twice as fast as Cat6a.

Fibre optics

Of course, Nexsis Comms Ltd also offer fibre optic cabling installation, design and support. Keep an eye out on our blog a side-by-side look on the benefits of fibre opting cable installation vs copper!

How Nexsis Comms Ltd can help

For the past 10 years, we’ve seen the latest hardware become old hat and have welcomed the chance to change and evolve with the times as technology and consumer needs evolve. Our team have a wealth of knowledge and expertise on this subject, so feel free to drop us a call or get in touch to discuss more.