Cat6A Junction Boxes in the US

Question

I'm looking around the internet and can't seem to find a Cat6A junction box available in the US. Is there a reason they aren't sold in the US?

Basically, I have a Cat6A cable that is run to the wrong spot in a wall, and in order to move it I'm going to need to extend it by a few feet. Is there any other way to do this other than a Cat6A junction box if they aren't available? I read somebody suggest something about soldering some cables together, but that seems a bit shoddy to me. I could use couplers, but as I understand it that will cause issues with a loose connection and oxidized connectors.

Answer 1

Horizontal cables cannot be spliced or extended in such a way, which is why there is a requirement is for a 10 foot service loop on each end of the horizontal cable. The proper way to do this is to run a new cable of the proper length. You are supposed to have a pull string, but if you didn't do that, you can use the old cable as a pull string, but be sure to use it to run a pull string along with the new cable.

The problem is that you will induce an impedance mismatch. This causes more return signal (reduces the return loss) than is allowed by bouncing signal back from the impedance mismatch. You will also need some untwisting of the pairs that will decrease coupling and increase crosstalk.

You will not get Category-6a to pass the category test suite if you splice more cable on the end. Even experienced installers have trouble installing Category-6a to pass the test suite without violating the cabling standards.

Answer 2

There is no requirement for a junction box in low voltage cabling. Assuming you cannot just reroute the existing cable to get to the new location (often times a service loop is secured in the ceiling for this purpose) you can in descending order of preference:

1. Run a new cable from your switch to the new location.

2. Pull the end of the cable back into the wall, add a length of cable sufficient to reach the new spot and couple it to the old cable's female jack by terminating a male RJ45 to the end. If you cant recess the cable in the wall, surface-mounted raceway may be used.

3. Use an extra long patch cable to run from the existing terminus to the new location.

Soldering seems extremely inefficient and Ive never seen that done. As for loose connectors and oxidation, with good quality hardware that really isnt an issue.