Cat6a cable with a keystone design
Cat6a cable with a keystone design
Your setup is quite simple. You're currently using Cat5e patch panels and planning to switch to Cat6a. Whether you need to replace the keystones depends on your future needs—if you plan to upgrade later, you might want to ensure compatibility. For now, since you're only moving forward and using the same type of connectors (female to female), you can likely stick with Cat6 without changing the keystones. Just confirm your cable specs match the new standard.
Works well for everyday use. I connected all my Cat5e cables through a wall-mounted patch panel with a punchdown, following the provided instructions. Since the original Cat5e cable hasn’t been updated in about eight years, I didn’t need to use the grounding clamps. I’ve been using short sections of ready-made Cat6 cables to link to the switch, and everything has functioned smoothly so far. The slow internet speed means bandwidth is mainly used for streaming, but LAN tests confirm it can handle over 900 Mbps in both directions.
The only problems arose when attempting to push 5Gb and above under suboptimal conditions, requiring the use of shielded couplers or keystones for those situations. Otherwise, everything worked smoothly.