Here you will find in the article, the common
differences between various types of computer and telephone (CAT) cables
available in the market, especially the difference between Cat5, Cat5e and
Cat6. The primary differences between the cables are made based on the
conveyance media that handles bandwidth, network support and crosstalk.
Comparison between Cat5 and Cat5e
Bandwidth:
The
bandwidth of the conveyance media refers to the capacity of carrying
information. The data transmission speed of a system is depend on the bandwidth
like it can push data across the network faster if the bandwidth of the system
is greater and if the bandwidth is low then the data transmission speed will be
slow. Cat5 cable is rated at 100MHz where as Cat5e cable is rated as 350MHz.
Cat5e is couples with other more strict specifications that make it suitable
for the network that plan to operate at gigabit Ethernet speed.
Network
Support: Cat5 cable generally supports 10BASE-T and 100BASE-T
network standards which mean it supports the networks running at 10 Mbps or 100
Mbps. Cat5e is the improved version of Cat5 that adds the characteristics of
crosstalk. Cat5e cable can be used in all those applications where Cat5 is
used. Cat5e cable also has the potential that it can be used in the Gigabit
Ethernet or 1000BASE-T network standard which means networks running at 1000
Mbps.
Crosstalk:
Crosstalk
refers to the “bleeding” of signals between one cable into another due to a
induction process. This effect can slow down the network transfer speed or can
completely block the signal transferring over the cable. In that case Cat5e
cable is the enhanced version of Cat5 in which crosstalk has been greatly
reduced.
Bottom
line: Cat5e will be the right choice if you are planning
to implement a Gigabit Ethernet. Though Cat5e is little expensive as compared to cat5, but using it will be future
proofing the cabling infrastructure of your network.
Comparison between Cat5e and Cat6
There is a great debate among people about whether
cat5e should be used in case of new cabling installations or Ct6 should be
used. There is wrong assumption in many people that they will have a Gigabit
Ethernet by just running a Cat6. Each and every component on a network such as
hubs, switches and the network interface cards must be gigabit rated in order
to achieve the true Gigabit Ethernet speeds. It does not mean that there is no
difference between Cat5e and Cat6, the general difference between these two
cables is in the transmission performance. Cat5e cable can support gigabit
speed where as Cat6 cable is certified to handle Gigabit Ethernet. The
environments that are not friendly with twisted pair wiring and the areas that
have lots of interference from lights, power lines and manufacturing equipments
can use Cat6 specifications. Still in most of the applications Cat5e is
perfectly suitable and preferable than Cat6 because it is more economical and
performs almost as well. However if all the components on your network are
gigabit rated and the data transmission volume has certified gigabit
performance then you can go for Cat6.
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