What is Cat 8 Cable?
Cat 8 cable or category 8 cable is a shielded, copper twisted-pair communications cable. Cat 8 cable can be used to link television, computer data, video, audio, and other data systems to a given data center. While Cat 8 computer cable offers high speeds and strong connections, it is relatively short-ranged and designed for use in data centers, not office wiring and connection that require long-distance transmission.
Cat 8 computer cables can be used to strengthen a data center’s performance levels significantly with a bandwidth four times larger than the Cat 6A computer cable. On the other hand, it would not be practical to wire an office’s phones or computers with Cat 8 cable due to its length limitations. All other category cables have a length of 100 meters compared to Cat 8’s 30-meter length. Cat 8 is divided into two classes, class I and class II, or Cat 8.1 and Cat 8.2. The differences between the two being shielding types and connector compatibility.
It is the latest ratification of twisted cable systems, which was implemented under ANSI/TIA 568-C.2-1. The International Organization of Standards (ISO) equivalent is expected to ratify in either 2017 or 2018.
Cat 8 Computer Cable Specifications
- 2000MHz or 2GHz bandwidth
- Max data rate 25GBASE-T and 40GBASE-T
- Cat 8.1 utilizes 8P8C connectors and is backward compatible
- Cat 8.2 operates with TERA and GG45 connectors
- Can be used at a range of 30 meters (About 98 feet)
- Cat 8.1 uses F/UTP or U/FTP shielding
- Cat 8.2 uses F/FTP or S/FTP shielding
- Cord gauges come in 22, 23, 24, and 26 AWG
- Temperature range -10 to 60 degrees Celsius