Data Communication

Ethernet, as a kind of computer networking technology, is commonly used in local area networks (LANs) and metropolitan area networks (MANs). And the rapid development of Ethernet has realized 100Gbps transmission data rate in today’s applications. As the transmission media of Ethernet network, Ethernet cables also have been improved over time. This passage is going to introduce four types of Ethernet cables: Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat7.

Cat5 cable can handle 10/100 Mbps speed (Fast Ethernet) at the bandwidth up to 100 MHz. Cat5 cable is the oldest of these three kinds of cables. Over the years, Cat5 cable was majorly used in networking especially when pairing older routers, switches and other myriad networking devices. Nowadays it’s not used for too many installations.

As the name implied, Cat5e is an enhanced version of Cat5 cable and it provides improved crosstalk specification. The crosstalk is the electromagnetic interference existing sometimes between wires inside a cable. With this feature, Cat5e can better keep signals on different circuits or channels from interfering with each other. In a word, Cat5e cable can provide a faster, more reliable and steady network than Cat5, and Cat5e is also compatible with Cat5 cable. Cat5e is designed to support 1000 Mbps or gigabit speed with bandwidth up to 100MHz, and currently it’s the most popular cable used in new installations. Here is a figure of Bulk Cat5e Cable.

Cat6 is an improvement over Cat5e. It can support the speed up to 10 gigabit and the bandwidth up to 250 MHz over long distances. It also supports the 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T, and 10GBASE-T standards. In addition, it can provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio, and is better suited for environments in which there may be higher electromagnetic interference. When taking any possible future updates to your network into consideration, Cat6 is the wisest choice. Here is a figure of Bulk Cat6 Cable.

Cat7 cable is designed to be used in Gigabit Ethernet. It can support speed up to 10Gbps and bandwidth up to 600 MHz. It greatly improves the capacity and reliability of Cat6. Another big advantage of Cat7 is the shielding of its twisted pairs, which significantly improves noise resistance. And because of this shielding, it is thicker, more bulky, and more difficult to bend. Cat7 is regarded as the most durable cable and has a longer lifespan than Cat 5 and Cat 6. Here is a figure of Bulk Cat7 Cable.

There are three factors that you should take into consideration: price, the performance of the cables and network environment. When deploying a network, the cost of Cat5e cable is much cheaper than Cat6 cable; Cat6 cable costs less than Cat7 cable. From the above content, we can easily find that Cat5 is enough for home network use with 10/100Mbps speed; Cat5e cable is run for the business telephones with 1000Mbps speed; Cat 6 is suited for broadband video and digital video applications with 10Gbps speed; Cat7 is great for data centers, server rooms, and telecommunication rooms with 10Gbps speed. When you plan to purchase bulk Ethernet cables, you can make a comparison between these cables and choose a cost-effective solution according to your need.

Ethernet cable which can provide cost-effective solutions is being widely used in short distance applications. These years, Ethernet cables are keeping upgrading with the development of Ethernet, from Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6 to Cat 7, and even Cat 8, which is said to provide 40 Gigabit Ethernet. And I hope this passage can help to know more about Ethernet cable and make a suitable choice in your network application.