Cat6 Shielded Cables

Shielded CAT6 cables versus non shielded patch cables – the basics before you buy. Shielded twisted pair otherwise known as STP cables are ideal for use in a noisy environment where crosstalk and interference may cause problems. What does this mean you may ask, what it means is that if you have lots of cables in close proximity or are running them alongside over the top of power cables, light fixtures or really any other electronic signal that there may be a signal issue as a result. You see while your average cat6 patch cable does a great job at sending your signal from A to B, there is a good chance that it is not as strong as it was when it started due to many factors, chief among them, signal loss due to crosstalk. Basically the term “Crosstalk” is used when there is a disturbance caused by the electronic or magnetic field of one type of communication signal that affects another signal close by. Our Shielded CAT6 cables are built with a mylar foil which not only isolates the signal the stp cable is carrying but also shields against outside signals. Think of hearing part of another conversation on the phone, your tv or computer glitch a bit when your cell phone rings, or that simple hum in your sound system when a certain appliance is turned on. Well when you are not using a shielded cat6 patch cable this means a slower signal, packet loss or worse yet, none at all.

Our CAT6 shielded cables are backwards compatible which means if you’re not sure if you need them or not.. it doesn’t hurt to play it safe and use them. Think of them like snow tires, you may not need them, but if you ever do… it’s nice to know you have them in place. If you're still not sure if you need shielded Ethernet cables, consider reading this article.