Category 6 Ethernet Cable Speed

For example you ll see cables rated as category 5 category 5e category 6 category 7 and so on.

Category 6 ethernet cable speed.

Although the spline is not required in cat 5 cable some manufacturers include it anyway so cat5 or cat6. The category 6 augmented cable standard or cat 6a was created to further improve the performance of cat 6 ethernet cables using cat 6a enables 10 gigabit ethernet data rates over a single cable run up to 328 feet. Cat5e and cat6 cables are both backwards. 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.

The cable standard specifies performance of up to 250 mhz compared to 100 mhz for cat 5 and cat 5e. Ethernet cables are standardized into different categories. Cat 6 has to meet more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise than cat 5 and cat 5e. Category 6 cable cat 6 is a standardized twisted pair cable for ethernet and other network physical layers that is backward compatible with the category 5 5e and category 3 cable standards.

Although the spline is not required in cat 5 cable some manufactures include it anyway. Each cable with a higher number is a newer standard. And yes these cables are backwards compatible. Cat6 cable is otherwise called category 6 ethernet cable.

As a means of future proofing your network cat6 is generally a better choice and worth the small premium in price. In cat 6 cable the spline is not required either as long as the cable tests according to the standard. Many cat 6 cables also include a nylon spline which helps eliminate crosstalk says how to geek. When it comes to cat5 and cat6 ethernet cables there s no right or wrong choice.

We usually shorten these names to cat 5 cat 5e cat 6 and so on. Cat 6a the a in cat 6a stands for augmented. In the picture above the cat 5e cable is the only one with a spline. It consists of four pairs of copper wire which supports up to 10 gbps of ethernet connection.

While cat6 cable supports 37 55 meters depending on crosstalk when transmitting at a speed of 10 gbps. That speed comes with a price however as cat 6 cables are more expensive than cat 5 and cat 5e variants. It s theoretical top speed is 10 gbps over 100 meters. Many cat 6 cables also include a nylon spline which helps eliminate crosstalk.

Cat 6 supports 10 gigabit ethernet only up to 164 feet of cable length.