A technician is installing an Ethernet network in a manufacturing facility with significant electromagnetic interference (EMI) from heavy machinery. The network must support Gigabit speeds and allow for a future upgrade to 10 Gbps without recabling. Which of the following cable types BEST meets these requirements?
Category 6 (Cat 6) cable is the minimum standard that supports 10 Gbps speeds, although it is limited to 55 meters. It is constructed with tighter twists than Cat 5e, and often includes a spline, which provides better resistance to crosstalk and electromagnetic interference (EMI). While a shielded (STP) version of Cat 6 would be optimal for a high-EMI environment, standard Cat 6 still offers superior EMI resistance over Cat 5e. Cat 5e does not support 10 Gbps speeds, making it unsuitable for the future upgrade requirement. Coaxial cable is an outdated standard for local area networks and does not meet the speed requirements. Plenum-rated cable refers to fire-retardant jacketing for air-handling spaces and does not relate to network speed or EMI protection.
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What does EMI mean and how does it affect network performance?
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Why is Cat 6 better for EMI resistance compared to Cat 5e?
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What is the difference between standard Cat 6 and shielded Cat 6?