Published on:2026-05-24 Click:23
Positively buoyant Cat6 ROV tether cable 4x2x24AWG. Foamed PUR, floating, for ROV Ethernet tether that floats at the surface during shallow ROV operations.
The positively buoyant Cat6 ROV tether (4x2x24AWG) uses Cat6 standard 24AWG pairs -- higher specification than Cat5e for improved Gigabit Ethernet performance -- within a positively buoyant foamed PUR jacket that floats at the water surface. Positive buoyancy is preferred over neutral buoyancy in shallow operations (under 50 m) where the surface tether section should ride at the waterline and not drag on the vehicle below. The foamed polyurethane (PUR) jacket uses a micro-cellular expanded jacket compound with a bulk density lower than seawater (~1.025 g/cm³), giving the cable near-zero or positive net buoyancy. This eliminates tether sag and reduces drag force on the ROV, improving vehicle manoeuvrability and reducing tether management workload during subsea operations.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Pairs | 4 x 2 x 24AWG Cat6 shielded twisted pairs |
| Standard | Cat6 SFTP |
| Conductor Material | Stranded tinned copper |
| Jacket | Foamed micro-cellular PUR (positively buoyant) |
| Buoyancy | Positive (floats at surface) |
| Bandwidth | 250 MHz (Cat6) |
| Ethernet | 1000BASE-T Gigabit |
| Custom | Shielding grade, buoyancy, length, Kevlar |
Request datasheet, custom length, or OEM pricing: sales@rovcable.com -- Shanghai Kabel Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd.
The jacket is manufactured from a micro-cellular expanded (foamed) polyurethane compound. During extrusion, a controlled foaming agent creates millions of tiny closed-cell air pockets within the jacket wall. These air cells reduce the bulk density of the jacket below that of seawater (~1.025 g/cm³), producing positive or neutral net buoyancy. The jacket retains all the abrasion resistance, oil resistance, and flexibility of standard PUR while achieving the buoyancy needed for ROV tether applications.
Cat6 (250 MHz bandwidth) exceeds Cat5e (100 MHz). For standard ROV applications using 100BASE-TX or 1000BASE-T, the practical difference is small -- both support Gigabit Ethernet. Cat6 becomes advantageous when the tether length exceeds 80 m (where Cat5e may struggle with 1000BASE-T) or when future upgrade to 10GBASE-T (10 Gbps at up to 55 m on Cat6) is planned.
