WIRING - INSTALLATIONS

Data cable installations:

• Category 5e (Cat 5e) – The obsolete yet widespread entry-level option

• Category 6 (Cat 6) – The standard for home and office use

• Category 6A (Cat 6A – Augmented) – The current enterprise standard

• Category 7 and 7A (Cat 7 / Cat 7A) – The shielded niche option

• Category 8 (Cat 8.1 and 8.2) – The top-of-the-line choice for data centers

• Beyond the category, when choosing a copper cable today, shielding is a key factor:

• U/UTP: No shielding (common for Cat 5e and Cat 6 in clean environments).

• F/UTP or FTP: Overall aluminum foil shielding (protects against external interference).

• S/FTP: Overall braided shield + individual shielding for each wire pair (standard for Cat 6A, 7, and 8; offers maximum protection but requires proper system grounding—otherwise, it acts as an "antenna" that attracts interference).