Decoding Cable Categories: Understanding the Significance of CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6, and CAT7

In wiring, "CAT" stands for "Category." It is used to designate different standards for twisted pair cables, primarily in the context of Ethernet and other networking technologies. The most common categories are CAT 5, CAT 6, and CAT 7, each specifying certain standards for data transmission performance, bandwidth, and other characteristics. These cables are widely used in various applications, including local area networks (LANs) and telecommunications, to connect computers, devices, and network components.

CAT5, CAT6, CAT7...WHY SO MANY CATS?

You may have noticed or heard terms like CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6.? But what does this mean, and why is it important?

These terms are referring to a category of cable.? Category 5, 5e, 6, 7 all refer to a cable that has 4 twisted pairs. Meaning 8 total wires, twisted together in pairs, giving you 4 pairs of twisted wires.

Why is this important?? First off, the way they are twisted helps reduce interference between each wire.? The wires are used to send and receive data, which is an electrical signal.? This can inherently create interference with other signals.? The twisted pair helps to reduce this interference.?

You may ask why do we have CAT5 and CAT5e, and why do we need a 6 and 7 on top of that?

The answer to that is each of these is designed to reduce interference and handle different network traffic levels in a more affective way.? A CAT5 cable is only rated for a 100Mbps network.? A CAT5e is rated to handle 1Gbps networks at a length of 100m.? A CAT 6 cable has a better shielding and denser twist pattern and is rated to handle 10Gbps network at a length of 55m, and a 1 Gbps network at 100m.? CAT7 cables rely on a much more robust shielding and do not have as aggressive a twist as the CAT6 and are rated to handle 10Gbps networks up to 100m.?

There is a significant price difference between the different network cables.? So, if you are going to be wiring your home network, a CAT5e would be more than sufficient in most cases and cost less. You may ask, if a CAT5e and a CAT6 are both rated for 1Gbps at a max length of 100m, why use CAT6?? That is a good question, I’m glad you asked.? The answer would be the frequencies they are able to handle.? CAT6 can handle a much higher frequency rating at 100m length than a CAT5e would.? On a home network, with a few devices connected and demanding data at the same time you would not see much difference in your network performance.

However, in a corporate environment, where you have many connected devices, all demanding higher volumes of data, you would see an impact, and would benefit from the CAT6 cables’ higher frequency rating.? A 10Gbps network is most common in datacenters and storage networks where massive amounts of data transferred, and any reduction in speed would cause a huge impact, and in these cases, you would benefit by using a CAT7 cable.???

In conclusion, understanding CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6, and CAT7 cables is crucial. They consist of four twisted pairs, totaling eight wires, minimizing interference for efficient data transmission. The distinctions enable informed choices based on specific needs.