imaoDernet cables have been around for a good number of years. Since they were first used in the 1970s they have gone through a number of evolutionary cycles. Today there are three Ethernet cables that are in common use:
1. Cat 5: Good for speeds up to 100 Mbps but now considered obsolete
2. Cat 5e: Good for use up to 1 Gbps speed
3. Cat 6 network cables: Good for speeds up to 1 Gbps, however Cat 6 cables will support higher speeds as new Ethernet standards continue evolving
Rather than spend time discussing the standard as it applies to Cat 5, let’s focus on the Cat 5e and Cat 6 network cables standards.
Cat 5e is a network cable that was designed to support full-duplex Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet. The performance standards were raised with the introduction of Cat 5e cables. Cat 5e cables have strict specifications as applies crosstalk, attenuation and return loss. Cat 5e is a 100 MHz cable the same as Cat 5 but it has the capability of dealing with higher bandwidths.
Cat 6 network cables are set to a higher standard again; these cables have a much more stringent spec for crosstalk and noise. The data transmission quality of a network does not just depend on the cable, to transmit data in full accordance with Cat 6 standards; every component in the network must meet Cat 6 standards as well. This means that jacks, patch cords, cross-connects, etc all have to be to the same level of circuit integrity as the Cat 6 cable. All the components that go into a Cat 6 network must be tested individually and then subjected to further tests for performance once fully assembled. As well as these tests, the specifications are written so that the completed system is generic; any components from any vendor can be mixed and matched to provide a completed installation to Cat 6 performance standards.
Cat 6 components are all backwards compatible with previous generations of equipment including Cat 3, 5 and 5e. In the event that components from prior standards are used with Cat 6 components, the performance of the channel will be that expected from the lower category. As an example, if a Cat 6 cable is used with Cat 5 jacks, the entire system will only perform to Cat 5 throughputs, not Cat 6.
Cat 6 Network cables are ideal for supporting 10 Gigabit Ethernet at speeds up to 550 Mhz. For new installations or network upgrades you are invited to visit Domain.