When you use Ethernet Cables, we hear the phrase CAT5e Cable and CAT6 Cable, so what exactly is the difference? Both these cables are referred to as twisted pair copper cable, they both have 8 individual insulated copper wires and are normally terminated having an RJ-45 connector. So what’s the large deal?
The initial Ethernet data standards used copper coaxial cable to transfer data for the early packet switched networks.
10Base5
10Base5 networks used fairly stiff 0.375 inch, 50 ohm impedance coaxial cable, and was often characterised by its Creamy Yellow external insulated coating. It absolutely was often linked to the wall such as a Dado Rail and it was referred to as Thick Ethernet. It had been built to pass Ethernet signals at 10 Mbps over a maximum distance of 500 metres, this also could be extended as much as 2500 metres using 4 repeaters.
10Base2
10Base2 networks utilised 50 ohm impedance coaxial cable that was much thinner and more flexible than 10Base5, but the Ethernet signals remained as meant to be transmitted over this medium at 10 Mbps, albeit over the much shorter distance close to 185 metres, that could be extended approximately 925 metres by having 4 repeaters. The 10Base5 and 10Base2 standards have grown to be largely obsolete and twisted pair cable is currently the regular wired network medium.
Twisted Pair Ethernet Cable
10BaseT originated in the early 1980s and it mainly used Category 3 cable for transmissions approximately 10 Mbs over distances approximately 100 metres. Ethernet standards evolved to feature faster data rate transmission and also the 10BaseTx 100 Mbps and 1000Baset 1000 Mbps standards were introduced. Cat3 cable was no longer had sufficient bandwidth response to deal with these faster technologies and the Cat5 and Cat5e cable standards were introduced which allowed data speeds at as much as 100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps respectively. The first Cat5 standard was for the 100BaseTx transmissions but was quickly superseded by Cat5e since the 1000BaseT standard became commonplace.
So what exactly is the gap between CAT5e and CAT6 Cable? Well the cables are constructed in a similar manner with 4 copper pairs, making 8 wires in total. Each set of wires are colour coded and twisted around each other in reducing Crosstalk. The Cat5e cable is rated up to 100Mhz and supports approximately 1 Gigabit Ethernet, and the Cat6 cable is rated around 250Mhz and may support 10 Gigabit Ethernet signals.
Cat6 Ethernet Cable has over 2 twists per centimetre whereas Cat5e Ethernet Cable has only 1.5 to two twists per centimetre. Consequently Cat6 Cable better protects against Crosstalk. Another difference could be that the sheath thickness is additionally greater comparing Cat6 with Cat5e. A number of the Category 6 cables actually have a Nylon Spine and also the combination of this spine and the thicker sheath protect against Near End Crosstalk (NEXT) and Alien Crosstalk (AXT), which could increase as the frequency increases.
Most Ethernet Cables available are UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair), because they will be the cables recommended to use between your peripheral devices for example computers along with the wall socket. STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) Cables are suggested for use for outdoor installations and also for cable runs inside internal walls.
Stranded cables tend to be more flexible and therefore are more often employed for computer to wall socket as well as for general home network use, but often businesses usually choose the solid cables when it comes to the wiring inside walls and wiring ducts because of its superior strength and enhanced network performance.
In summary, Category 5 enhanced cables are sufficient for the majority of applications for boosts one Gigabit per second, but if you anticipate the usage of 10 Gbps Ethernet down the road then Category 6 cable will future proof forget about the. Also Category 6 cable, even in the 1 Gbps speeds can give enhanced protection against errors.
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