Siemon Cat 6a Patch Cord 3M

Siemon Cat 6A Patch Cord — 3 Metre

The Siemon Cat 6A Patch Cord (3 metre) is a factory-terminated, individually tested augmented Category 6 patch cable for structured cabling environments requiring 10 Gigabit Ethernet performance. It serves as the equipment cord or work area cord within a compliant Cat 6A channel, connecting patch panels, network switches, servers, and workstations across equipment rooms, open-plan offices, and structured cabling consolidation points.

The 3-metre length addresses a distinct cabling scenario from the 1-metre variant. It accommodates mid-length equipment room runs — patching between panels and switches separated by a full rack bay, routing through horizontal cable managers with a controlled service loop, or reaching workstations and access points positioned away from the nearest floor outlet. Furthermore, when deployed as part of a complete Siemon Cat 6A channel alongside Z-MAX keystone jacks and Siemon Cat 6A horizontal cable, the 3-metre patch cord contributes to a warranted, Class EA-compliant end-to-end channel under ANSI/TIA-568.2-D and ISO/IEC 11801.

Performance and Bandwidth

The Siemon Cat 6A Patch Cord is rated to 500 MHz, meeting the augmented Category 6 performance ceiling. It supports 10GBASE-T (IEEE 802.3an) at the full 100-metre horizontal channel length and remains backward compatible with Cat 6 and Cat 5e infrastructure. In mixed-generation environments, the 3-metre Cat 6A cord can therefore be deployed without performance compromise regardless of the underlying channel category.

Each cord is individually factory tested against the TIA-568.2-D patch cord insertion loss, NEXT, and return loss limits before leaving the manufacturing facility. This individual testing regime — rather than batch sampling — means that every unit deployed in the field carries verified performance data. Consequently, the likelihood of a non-compliant cord causing intermittent link failures in a 10G environment is substantially reduced compared to field-terminated alternatives.

At 3 metres, alien crosstalk (AXT) contribution from the patch cord is a more relevant design consideration than at 1 metre. Longer cords run in parallel over greater distances within cable management systems, increasing the potential for PS-AANEXT accumulation in dense bundle configurations. Siemon’s controlled pair geometry and jacket construction limit this contribution, keeping the cord’s AXT performance within TIA-568.2-D Cat 6A patch cord limits.

Construction and Connectors

The Siemon Cat 6A Patch Cord uses 26 AWG stranded bare copper conductors across four twisted pairs. Stranded construction provides the flexibility required for patch cord use — the cord tolerates repeated connection cycles, re-routing through cable managers, and service loop bending without the conductor fatigue that solid-core cable would experience under the same conditions.

Each end is terminated with a Cat 6A-compliant RJ45 plug fitted with a snag-resistant moulded boot. At 3 metres, patch cords are more frequently routed through congested horizontal managers and around rack edges than shorter cords, increasing the mechanical load on the locking tab. The snag-resistant boot design reduces tab breakage during extraction from tightly packed patch panels — a maintenance cost reduction that compounds across large installations where cords are regularly moved.

The outer diameter of the Cat 6A Patch Cord is larger than a Cat 6 equivalent, reflecting the construction requirements of 500 MHz performance and alien crosstalk suppression. When planning cable management fill — particularly in horizontal managers shared with multiple 3-metre runs — this diameter differential should be factored into bundle capacity calculations.

Channel Integration

The Siemon Cat 6A Patch Cord integrates as the equipment cord or work area cord within a TIA-568.2-D Cat 6A permanent link and channel. The standard channel permits:

• Up to 90 metres of Cat 6A horizontal cable
• Two patch cords with a combined maximum length of 10 metres
• Termination at both ends via Cat 6A keystone jacks or panel ports

At 3 metres, this patch cord leaves up to 7 metres available for the complementary cord at the opposing end of the channel. This balance is well-suited to installations where the horizontal run is close to the 90-metre limit and the channel budget requires careful cord length management. Using matched Siemon Cat 6A components throughout the channel qualifies the installation for Siemon’s end-to-end performance warranty.

Supported Applications

The Siemon Cat 6A Patch Cord (3 metre) supports the following applications within a compliant Cat 6A channel:

• 10GBASE-T — 10 Gigabit Ethernet at full 100m channel (IEEE 802.3an)
• 1000BASE-T — Gigabit Ethernet (IEEE 802.3ab), fully backward compatible
• 100BASE-TX — Fast Ethernet
• PoE++ — Up to 90W per port (IEEE 802.3bt Type 3/4)
• PoE+ — Up to 30W (IEEE 802.3at)
• Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E Access Points — High-power PoE++ WAP patching at consolidation points
• IP Surveillance — 4K/8K camera backhaul within structured cabling channels
• VoIP and Unified Communications — Converged network infrastructure connections

Ideal Users

• Enterprise Network Technicians Managing Equipment Rooms — The 3-metre length suits cross-bay patching in multi-rack equipment rooms where switches and patch panels are not in the same rack unit column. It provides enough reach to route cleanly through horizontal managers without the excess slack of a 5-metre cord, keeping cable management tidy and auditable.
• Structured Cabling Contractors on Specification Projects — Pairing the Siemon Cat 6A Patch Cord with Siemon horizontal cable and Z-MAX termination hardware delivers the matched-component channel required for Siemon’s end-to-end warranty. On projects where channel certification and warranty documentation form part of practical completion requirements, using matched components at every layer simplifies sign-off.
• Open-Plan Office and Workspace Deployments — At the work area end of a Cat 6A channel, 3 metres provides sufficient reach from a floor or wall outlet to a workstation or docked device without requiring furniture cable management extensions. The cord length accommodates desk repositioning and sit-stand workstation height adjustment with a manageable service loop.
• Healthcare Facilities with High-Power PoE Devices — IEEE 802.3bt PoE++ support (up to 90W) allows the 3-metre cord to carry full power and data to demanding connected devices — including 802.11ax wireless access points, PTZ IP cameras, and digital whiteboards — within a single Cat 6A cabling infrastructure.
• Education Sector IT Departments — In classroom and learning space environments, 3-metre patch cords connect teacher workstations, AV equipment, and access points to wall outlets positioned across the room. Cat 6A ensures the cord supports both current Gigabit and future 10G switching upgrades without replacement.

Cable Specifications

Performance Specifications

Physical Specifications

Channel Integration Parameters

Certifications