Filters
Search

Secure Checkout
No Sales Tax collected On Orders Shipping Outside NY State.
FREE SHIPPING FOR MOST ORDERS OVER $99
Same Day Shipping! For many in stock items if order received by 2PM EST.
No Sales Tax collected On Orders Shipping Outside NY State.
Search

What is CART ID?
Search
Your Shopping Cart Is Empty


Secure Checkout

Cables Blog

Shop Cables for Sale - Fiber Optic Cables, Network Cables, Outdoor Cables, Bulk Ethernet Cables, Cat6 Cables, Cat5 Cables, Cat5e Cables, Crypto Cables and Data Center Cables.



Differences Between Outdoor and Indoor Cat6 Network Cables

by VIKAS DAYAL • May 01, 2020

Network Patch Cables, Cat5e / Cat6 Cables, Cables.com, Network Patch Cords


Enjoying the speed of a wired network gets a bit complicated when users work in several buildings of an office campus or stay in multiple cabins at a family vacation compound. Keeping everything wired means running cable outside and possibly underground. The current standard for speed in Ethernet cables is category 6, or cat6. The differences between indoor and outdoor cat6 network cable are important, as are the differences between regular outdoor cat6 and direct bury cat6 cable.

Indoor Cat6

Ethernet cable has improved in speed and/or capacity with each subsequent generation. Cat6 cable is the current standard network cable for speed and bandwidth. Cat6 cable can carry a 10G signal at full strength up to 164 feet and carries on at 1G for the rest of the standard 328 feet (100 meters). It is made of the usual twisted pairs of copper cable and may come in shielded or unshielded varieties. Unless there are sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI) close to the cable (large machinery, multiple appliances, high-tension wires, etc.), regular unshielded cat6 should work fine. Never, however, use indoor cat6 cable outdoors. Although the PVC jacket commonly used for indoor cables provides flexibility, it becomes brittle when exposed to sunlight and cannot stand up to the moisture and temperature extremes of an outdoor environment.

Outdoor Cat6

There are actually two versions of outdoor cat6 cable: regular and direct bury cable. Both have jackets made to better withstand sunlight, moisture, and temperature extremes, but don’t bury regular outdoor cable unless it is placed within conduit, such as PVC pipe. Outdoor cables also attract lightning strikes and need surge protectors. Outdoor cat6 cables have a LLDPE Outer Jacket, and many use Water-block Tape to further seal the inside of the cable from water. They have a double layer jacket to provide waterproofing and resistance to deterioration caused by sunlight. Some outdoor cables use an additional layer of gel surrounding the wires inside to provide further protection against moisture.

The primary differences between indoor and outdoor cat6 cables are obvious in their names. However when selecting outdoor cable, consider how far the cable must run and whether making the wired connection to another building requires burying the cable. For buried installations, direct bury cables will withstand moisture and even wildlife best.


HDMI vs. DisplayPort Cables: What’s the Difference?
Are we living in another IT bubble, and is it about to burst?

Recent Cables.com Posts

The Ins and Outs of Hospital-Grade Power Cords
What Do Fiber Optic Cable Colors Mean?
USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 Data Cables at Cables.com
HDMI Cables and Accessories at Cables.com
What Are the Best Outdoor Ethernet Cables?
Buy the Best Category6 Ethernet Cables at Cables.com
When Should You Buy a Coaxial Cable?
Should You Buy Category 7 Ethernet Cables?
Why Are Fiber Optic Cables Blue?
How Fast is Fiber?: Fiber Optic Cable Speeds

Categories

> A/V Cables
> Adapters
> AI
> Apple Products
> Artificial Intelligence
> Audio/Video Cables
> Bulk Cable Company
> Cable Company
> Cable Experts Online
> Cable Suppliers
> Cable Vendors
> Cable Warehouse
> Cable Wholesalers
> Cables on Demand
> Cables.com
> Cables.com News and Information
> Cat5e / Cat6 Cables
> Category 7 Ethernet Cables
> Cell Phone Cables
> Custom Cables
> Custom Fiber Optic Cables
> Data Center
> Datacomm Cables
> Fiber Optic Cables
> HDMI Cables
> Integrator
> Internet of Things (loT)
> Keystone Jacks
> Market Reports
> MIT Technology Review
> Network Patch Cables
> Network Patch Cords
> Network Topology
> New York Cable Company
> NY Cable Company
> Online Learning
> Outdoor Cables
> Patch Finder
> Patch Panels
> Power Cables
> Power Cords
> RapidRun
> Reseller
> Shielded Ethernet Cable
> Signal Conversion
> Solution Provider
> Supply Chain
> USB 3.0 Cables
> VAR
> Wholesale Cable
> Wholesale Cable Supplier
all

Network Patch Cords

What Are the Best Outdoor Ethernet Cables?
Buy the Best Category6 Ethernet Cables at Cables.com
Should You Buy Category 7 Ethernet Cables?
Why Are Fiber Optic Cables Blue?
Weather-Resistant Cables in Rain or Shine
Shielded Cables for a Secure Network
When Should You Buy Booted Ethernet Cables?
Cables in Large Quantities: Buying Multi-Pack and Bulk Cables
Flat Ethernet Cords and Slim Network Patch Cables
Why Purchase Category6 Ethernet Cables?

Archives

February, 2024
January, 2024
December, 2023
November, 2023
October, 2023
September, 2023
August, 2023
July, 2023
June, 2023 more archive dates
archive article list

RSS


Easy Product Returns within 30 Days and Secure Shopping for your safety.