What is the difference between cat5 and cat5e cable

Despite this similarity, however, there are some subtle yet very important differences that can change which one you will end up using. Before we begin, it is important to mention that Cat5 is the older type of network cabling that used to be the industry standard before the newer Cat5e cabling came along 15 years ago.

This means that Cat5 is widely considered to be an outdated technology that is no longer relevant in the IT industry. As you read each of the differences between the two cables, the reasons for this will become apparent.

You cannot tell them apart based on thickness, color, or the material used. The only way to identify them is to look at the text that is printed on the cable and see for yourself. With that being said, some manufacturers have gone out of their way to improve the durability of the PVC protective jacket on the Cat5e cables. This makes them better suited for frequent use over a period of several years, if not decades.

An alternative and unneeded way to tell the two apart would be to cut open the cables and inspect the wiring inside. In general, the wires in Cat5e cables are twisted far more tightly than those in the Cat5 cable. This is what allows Cat5e cables to be more resistant to crosstalk, as you will discover in the next section.

There are two types of classes that these cables fall under: stranded and solid. Stranded cabling consists of several thin strands of copper wiring, which gives it a flexible property that allows it to be functional when it is bent out of shape. The tradeoff with this arrangement is that you experience lower performance when using these types of cables.

Solid cabling consists of rigid copper wiring that can only be bent so much before it begins to break. The upside to this is that it offers greater performance across larger distances in comparison to stranded cabling. CROSSTALK For those of you who might not know what this word means, crosstalk can be defined as the interference that occurs between cables via the emission of electromagnetic signals when they are close to one another. This leads to errors in data transmission that can prove to be fatal when it comes to the transmission of important and sensitive information.

This is relevant because Cat5e was specifically designed to have a reduced amount of crosstalk compared to Cat5 cables.

If would like to find out more about how Cat5e cables can benefit your business, contact us today on The differences between Cat5 and Cat5e cables Cat5e cabling is a newer specification for Cat5 cabling. There are several differences between these cables, including: Network support — Cat5e cables offer a superior network performance compared to Cat5 cables.

Bandwidth — Bandwidth is the capacity of a system for carrying information so, in this sense, it is directly related to network support. Cat5e cables are rated at a frequency of MHz, which is a significant increase on the Cat5 rating of a maximum frequency of MHz. A greater bandwidth allows for an increased capacity for carrying information, so it is this increase that allows Cat5e cables to support Gigabit Ethernet speeds. Protection against interference — Cat5e cables offer enhanced protection against crosstalk compared to standard Cat5 cables.

The cost for each cable varies by manufacturer and vendor, but usually, Cat5 cable is cheaper than Cat5e. Most existing installations are still running Cat5 cables to connect their network devices, but as the technology around them evolves, so does the cables need to change. Cat5 is not recommended for new installations and in terms of cost-efficiency and speed, Cat5e is the best option for now.

Category 5 Cat5 cables have been already running for a while. But these cables are already getting short in terms of bandwidth capacity. They cannot support the speeds that new networks demand.

So what is the difference between Cat5 and Cat5e network cable? In a nutshell: Cat5e twisted pair cable is newer and supports faster data transmission rates than Cat5. Offer you speeds of up to 10 Gbps. The "a" in Cat6a stands for "Augmented". Cat6a Ethernet cables are able to maintain higher transmission speeds over longer network cable lengths. With a stronger sheathing, the Cat6a cabling is better suited for industrial environments.

However, compared to Cat6 cables, Cat6a cables are thicker and less flexible. Cat7 cables do well in reducing signal attenuation and they are relatively stiff when compared to the older versions like Cat5e or Cat6a cables.

The newer "Class F" cable is an ideal choice for application environments where transmission of frequencies up to Mbps is required. The Cat8 Ethernet cable can eliminate crosstalk and enable higher data transmission speeds by wrapping each twisted pair in foil. Cat8 cable is able to support 25GB and 40GB Ethernet, which represents a significant leap in data transfer speed. So, the Cat8 cable is more expensive than previous generations of Ethernet cable.