The Limiting Noise Factor in Category 6A Channel Performance

Today's Category 6A systems are impacted by an increasing amount of noise. The typical environment for a data center is characterized by multiple Ethernet protocols running over a significant volume of different cable designs, performance levels and manufacturers' brands. All of these elements provide a very noisy environment for 10GBASE-T systems. It is generally understood by most in the Ethernet industry that active equipment is able to eliminate much of the internally generated noise within a 10GBASE-T channel. However, many in the industry are not aware that cancellation technology has improved, making alien crosstalk (AXT) the limiting factor in the overall noise level of 10GBASE-T systems.

Alien Crosstalk: The Limiting Noise Factor in Category 6A Channel Performance white paper explains that the overall noise level for CAT 6A channels can only be improved by adding additional immunity to AXT in the system.

"It was imperative to our customers that we evaluate the impact of alien crosstalk on cable performance, so that we could innovate and design a solution that would mitigate these potential performance issues," said Superior Essex. "It was also important that we be transparent about our findings so that our customers could make informed purchasing decisions when it comes to selecting cable for a particular project or installation." 

Based on its findings, Superior Essex created 10Gain XP CAT 6A cables, which are designed with a segmented tape shield to provide an additional 7 dB AXT margin over standard CAT 6A in order to mitigate the noise factors that can disrupt or decrease CAT 6A channel and system performance. 

You can read the full white paper here to learn more about alien crosstalk and 10Gain XP CAT 6A cables from Superior Essex.