With regards to mitigating Alien Crosstalk

Internal Crosstalk is a prevalent phenomenon that can affect all types of networking systems, including Cat 5e, Cat 6, and Cat 6A. However, it is specifically Cat 6A cabling that faces the unique challenge of Alien Crosstalk. Unlike Internal Crosstalk, Alien Crosstalk cannot be effectively addressed by the connectivity itself or chipsets present in the equipment. This becomes particularly critical when the bandwidth reaches 500MHz, as unwanted signals originating from neighboring ports start to significantly impact the bit error rate(BER) and can even lead to network downtime. Ignoring Alien Crosstalk at this stage becomes increasingly impractical and detrimental to network performance.

In counteracting Alien Crosstalk, Screened System simply works a lot better than Unshielded System since the screen effectiveness and shield integrity that works on EMI can also work effectively on disturbing signals generated from neighboring ports.

The provided chart clearly illustrates the reasons why Screened Systems are recommended, as they offer distinct advantages in terms of providing comprehensive immunity against Alien Crosstalk.

Screened is the BEST!

For shielded keystone jack, there are two key parameters that indicate the electromagnetic immunity – Transfer Impedance & Coupling Attenuation.

Transfer Impedance is the key parameter that determines shield effectiveness at lower frequency (less than 1GHz). Coupling Attenuation is a measurement of both noise emission and noise immunity performance of a shielded keystone jack. The Transfer Impedance and Coupling Attenuation chart provided below demonstrates the shielding conformance, as measured by the independent laboratory Intertek ETL:

Embrace the superiority of full metal jacket

HCI employs Die-Cast material in the design of all its shielded keystone jacks, incorporating an air-tight metallic mechanism that enhances shield integrity, resulting in superior prevention of electromagnetic interference (EMI). The use of Die-Cast material proves significantly more effective compared to plastic housing encased in a bronze shell.

For Power over Ethernet concerns

If Power over Ethernet is taken into account, Screened System provides better heat dissipation and attenuation performance for any future-proof utilization.

Cat 6A is excellent in handling high level of Power over Ethernet (PoE) without transmission downgrades. PoE built-in endpoints such as Wi-Fi APs, surveillance cameras, lighting systems are growing fast and demand for at least 60W (Type 3) and 100W (Type 4) nowadays. That means more power output translates into heat passing through each cabling run. 

Therefore, it is advisable to always opt for shielded connectors when considering future plans for Power over Ethernet deployment.

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