g/networking • Posted by u/cat6_carlos • 3 days ago

Cat6A vs Cat6 for a new school build — is the upgrade worth it?

Bidding a new K-12 school, 800 drops. GC is asking why Cat6A is $0.55/run more than Cat6 (rough number).

My recommendation is Cat6A for three reasons:

10GBASE-T support to the edge as the standard runs become longer without recabling
Better alien crosstalk performance in high-density areas (school IDF closets are crowded)
25-year warranty expectations from school districts — Cat6A future-proofs better

The counterargument: current switching infrastructure is 1G edge, WiFi APs are 1G uplinks, and the budget is tight. Cat6 supports 1G fully and handles 10G up to 55 meters.

How do you frame this conversation with a price-sensitive owner?

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3 replies

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u/rack_and_stack_rob • 3 days ago

Also worth noting: Cat6A installation practices matter as much as the cable spec. Cat6A's performance advantage disappears if it's not installed with proper separation, bend radius, and termination technique. Make sure whoever runs it knows what they're doing.

u/fiber_splicer_faye • 3 days ago

I always tell price-sensitive owners: "The cable is 10% of the cost. The labor is 90%. If you go back in 8 years to recable for 10G, you pay 90% again." That usually closes the Cat6A conversation. Schools hold infrastructure for 20+ years. Cat6A is a no-brainer on a new build.

u/wireless_wendy • 3 days ago

Add to your argument: WiFi 7 APs are starting to ship with 2.5G and 5G uplinks. A school deploying WiFi 7 in 5 years (when their current APs age out) will want 10G to the edge. Cat6A is the right infrastructure for that.