Cat 6 cables came out only a few years after cat 5e.
Cat5 vs cat6 cable.
A cat6 cable is similar to a cat5 ethernet cable it consists of four pairs of twisted copper wire.
Cat5e cable is completely backwards compatible with cat5 and can be used in any application in which you would normally use cat5 cable.
Cat5 has become obsolete in recent years due to its limitations compared to cat5e and cat6 cables.
Although the cat5 cable can handle up to 10 100 mbps at a 100mhz bandwidth which was once considered quite efficient the newer versions of cat cables are.
Cat5 cable cat5 cable is broken into two separate categories.
The main difference between cat5 and cat5e cable is data transfer ability in case of communication.
A cat6 cable has a bandwidth capacity of 250 mhz for example and it offers you speeds of up to 10 gbps.
Most people can get acquainted with cat 5 and cat 6 cable.
Cat5 vs cat5e.
Network support cat 5 cable will support 10base t and 100base t network standards that is it supports networks running at 10 mbps or 100 mbps.
Cat 5e has been defined by the tia eia 568 b and is recognized by the same.
Cat 6 ethernet cable.
Cat6 cables also called category 6 or cat 6 cables provide lower crosstalk a higher signal to noise ratio and are suitable for 10gbase t 10 gigabit ethernet while cat5e cables support only up to 1000base t gigabit ethernet.
This cable gave the ability to have a 10 gigabit network.
However it provides you with much more functionality.
Cat 5e is an enhanced version of cat5 that adds specifications for crosstalk see below.
It supports high speed ethernet communication up to 10 gbps.
The cost is about 20 35 higher than cat6 but the maximum cable length is 100 meters across all systems and conditions for gigabit ethernet.
Cat 5e was already handling gigabit speed cat 6 was further improved to offer a bandwidth of 250 mhz.
Cat7 cable is otherwise called category 7 ethernet cable.
Cat 5e cables are typically 24 gauge twisted pair wires which can produce a gigibit network at distances up to 328 ft including patch cables at both ends.
As a means of future proofing your network cat6 is generally a better choice and worth the small premium in price.
Cat 6 was developed with advancement in technology and the need to transfer more data at faster speeds.
It offers a 100 meter 4 connector channel using shielded cabling and has been designed to transmit signals at a frequency of 600 mhz.
The cat7 cable is backward compatible with cat6 cat5 and cat5e cable categories.
In the article i will talk about the cat5 vs cat5e cables with comparison chart details.