Panduit NK6APC4M NetKey Cat6A 10GBASE-T Patch Cord
The Panduit NK6APC4M is a 4-meter (13.1 ft) Category 6A U/UTP patch cord engineered for 10-Gigabit Ethernet installations in commercial security, data center, and enterprise environments. Built on Panduit's NetKey platform, this stranded-copper cable delivers verified performance to 500 MHz and supports Power over Ethernet applications up to the proposed IEEE 802.3bt Type 4 standard—making it ideal for connecting high-bandwidth IP cameras, Wi-Fi 6 access points, and managed PoE switches where both power delivery and multi-gigabit throughput matter.
Key Features
- Category 6A performance tested to 500 MHz—exceeds ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 and ISO 11801 Class EA channel requirements
- 26 AWG stranded copper construction for flexibility in tight rack spaces and frequent connect/disconnect cycles
- CM/LSZH jacket rating—low smoke, zero halogen for data centers and installations subject to fire-safety codes
- Supports 10GBASE-T Ethernet and IEEE 802.3af/at/bt PoE (including proposed Type 3 and Type 4 at 60–90W)
- Panduit tangle-free latch design and integral pair manager reduce snags during installation and cable-management work
- 50-microinch gold-plated contacts for long-term connection reliability in mission-critical deployments
Stranded-conductor patch cords like the NK6APC4M are the workhorse of professional installations. Unlike solid-core premises cable, the 26 AWG stranded design tolerates repeated flexing—critical when you're dressing cables into high-density patch panels or making field changes in live racks. The U/UTP (unshielded twisted pair) construction keeps the cable diameter slim, and the off-white jacket blends into standard rack and telecom-room aesthetics. Every cord ships with 100% factory testing for wiremap, near-end crosstalk (NEXT), and return loss, so you're not troubleshooting opens or shorts on a job site.
The 4-meter length hits the sweet spot for rack-to-rack connections, patch-panel-to-switch runs, and equipment-room cross-connects where 1-meter cords fall short and 5-meter+ runs create excess slack. In surveillance deployments, use this cord to connect your NVR or PoE switch to a network aggregation switch, or to tie high-resolution cameras into a local PoE injector when the camera mount is within 13 feet of the network closet. The cable's 500 MHz bandwidth and 10GBASE-T certification ensure you won't bottleneck a 12MP or 4K camera stream, and the IEEE 802.3bt PoE support means you can run PTZ cameras, multi-sensor models, or power-hungry access-control panels without a separate power supply—one cable does it all.
Panduit's NetKey line is purpose-built for integrators who need traceable performance and code compliance. The NK6APC4M meets ANSI/TIA-1096-A (formerly FCC Part 68), is cULus listed under UL 1863 and CSA C22.2, and carries RoHS certification for installations bound by environmental regulations. The CM/LSZH rating is particularly valuable in data centers, hospitals, and educational facilities where local fire codes mandate low-smoke cable—this single part number works in both standard commercial spaces (CM) and low-smoke environments (LSZH) without stocking two SKUs. The tangle-free latch isn't marketing fluff; Panduit's design uses a slender strain-relief boot that resists snagging on adjacent cables when you're pulling a cord out of a 48-port switch, and the boot is available in multiple colors for easy visual circuit tracing (this unit ships in off-white to match the jacket).
For installations where uptime and traceability matter—surveillance control rooms, access-control head-ends, enterprise Wi-Fi backhaul—the NK6APC4M gives you certified headroom. You're not running a cable at the edge of its spec; you're running a 500 MHz-tested Cat6A link in an application (typically 1 Gbps cameras or PoE devices) that uses a fraction of its capacity, which translates to lower bit-error rates, fewer packet retransmissions, and longer service life under continuous PoE load. The stranded construction and gold-plated terminations are built for the connect/disconnect cycles that happen during commissioning, MAC swaps, and after-hours troubleshooting. When the integration calls for a patch cord that won't be the weakest link in a 10-year infrastructure investment, this is the part number you spec.
