The internet is here to stay, no question, but how can you ensure that you are getting the most out of your internet experience? One way is to know if you have Cat6 ethernet cables in your home or building in Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, McHenry, Buffalo Grove, Rockford, or the surrounding areas. The team from Network Technology Innovations can help to explain the differences in the different wiring and why having Cat6 wiring is the smart move. Contact us today to learn more.
History of Category Wiring
While Category 6 wiring is now coming into its own, it has been around for more than a decade. As you might expect, there are lower-numbered categories of wiring that stretch all the way back to the 1970s when Category 1 wiring was used primarily for telephone communications. As each category of wiring was upgraded and introduced, it allowed for faster speeds of data transmission. Many buildings in the 1990s had Cat3 wiring installed for business communications as computers were being used heavily and were becoming more interconnected with the introduction of the internet for commercial purposes.
Introduced in 1995, Cat5 wiring became the defacto standard for ethernet communications wiring in homes and businesses. There were various enhancements to this protocol with Cat5e being the most recent iteration of this category of wiring. This wiring even began to be used in homes, being run in the walls of homes like electrical wiring so that various devices could take advantage of these connections. This wiring has a transmission speed of up to 1 Gbps when used in shorter lengths.
Cat6 wiring is capable of up to 10 Gbps when used in shorter runs of less than 120 feet. With the proliferation of fiber optic cabling around the country, having the capacity to take advantage of these increased speeds of data transmission means Cat6 wiring will be here for many years as workhorse wiring in a wide range of applications.
Uses of Cat6 Wiring
The most common use for Cat6 wiring will be to connect your computer to a router that is connected to the internet. Wireless connections, while widely used, can be intercepted and interrupted, whereas using a wired connection is more secure and will be unlikely to be interrupted. In buildings it will be used in the same manner, only the number of devices connected to the network will be larger than at your home. While most people will think about common printers connected in an office, this wiring option can also be used with security cameras, and your office telephones will also likely use these cables.
When you are looking for assistance with your building wiring and whether Cat6 wiring is the right move in Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, McHenry, Buffalo Grove, Rockford, or the surrounding areas, be sure to contact Network Technology Innovations. We can help make sense of what you need for your continued growth.
