Category 6 cable, also commonly known as network, LAN or Ethernet data cable, is a 4 twisted pair sheathed copper wire cable that can support data transfer rates of up to 1 gigabits (1,000 megabits). This higher bandwidth allows for quick transferral of large files in an office network.
It is compatible with fast Ethernet 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX and Gigabit networks, and is backwards compatible with previous iterations, such as Cat5/5E and Cat3.
Either end usually has an eight-position eight connector (8P8C) RJ45 jack which is used to connect two devices together with the Cat6 cable. It’s important to use jacks that meet the Cat6 rating in order to get the full performance it delivers.
As with all Ethernet cables, it can be identified by the labelling on the outer sheath.