Cat6 vs Cat6a vs Fibre: Choosing Cable for a New Build

Cat6 cabling comfortably handles gigabit speeds over standard run lengths and is the most common choice for cameras, access points and general network drops within a building. It's cost-effective and well understood by installers, which makes it the sensible default for the majority of structured cabling.

Cat6a supports higher speeds over longer distances with better resistance to interference, which matters for high-bandwidth applications (multiple 4K camera streams) or runs in electrically noisy environments like near industrial equipment. It costs more and is a thicker, less flexible cable to route, so it's usually specified selectively rather than throughout a whole building.

Fibre is the right choice for long runs between buildings or floors where copper's distance limits become a problem, and for backbone links carrying heavy aggregated traffic from multiple switches. It's immune to electrical interference entirely, which also makes it the right call for any run near high-voltage equipment or outdoor exposure to lightning risk.