Cat6 vs Cat6a: What's the Real Difference?

Cat6 supports 10 Gigabit up to about 55 meters. Cat6a supports 10 Gigabit all the way to 100 meters, with better crosstalk shielding. For offices and commercial buildings where drop lengths can easily hit 80+ meters, Cat6a is the right choice. For homes, Cat6 is almost always sufficient and meaningfully cheaper to install.

The cable cost difference is modest. The real cost difference is installation time — Cat6a is thicker, stiffer, and harder to terminate.