Network Cabling Cat5 Vs Cat5e Vs Cat6 - Which Should You Use? by Mark Allen

To explain it in a simple statement, the main distinction comes to the differences in how each delivery medium manages crosstalk, bandwidth and network support.

Cat5 vs Cat5e
Crosstalk – Crosstalk is when the signal from another line causes a harmonic effect or bleed over into another cable. When this happens you will notice that the speed of the network is hindered and it can even shut the signal out completely. Now with Cat5e (Category 5e) there is an improvement over the Cat5 (Category 5) cable and the crosstalk has been significantly lowered.

Bandwidth – Bandwidth is how fast data can be moved across a network. The more bandwidth you have the more quickly you can move data over a network. The rating for Cat5 is at 100Mhz where it is 350Mhz with Cat5e. With the extra speed and higher specs this make Cat5e ideal for network environments that are looking to use Gigabit Ethernet speeds.

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Network support – With Cat5 you have the support needed for networks running 10Base-T and 100Base-T, which in layman terms means the network can run at 10mbps or 100mbps (megabits per second). Cat5e is an improved and superior version of Cat5 with added provisions for crosstalk mentioned above. Cat5e is also backwards compatible with Cat5 and can be used in any way that you would use Cat5; yet Cat5e has the ability to support a Gigabit Ethernet and networks that run 1000Mbps (1000Base-T)

The bottom line here is if you plan on putting into operation a Gigabit Ethernet, then you should be sure to use Cat5e. The extra cost involved compared to using Cat5e over Cat5 is well worth it when you consider what is saved in the fact that you are “future proofing” the infrastructure of your network.

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Cat5e vs Cat6
At present there is still some discussion whether new installations of cable should use Cat5e or Cat6. It is often incorrectly assumed that if Cat6 is run then the ability for a Gigabit Ethernet is available. In truth to attain a true Gigabit Ethernet speed, then all components of the network have to be rated for gigabit. Items such as switches, network interface cards and hubs also need to be gigabit rated. That doesn’t mean that there is no difference from Cat5e and Cat6; the difference between these two is in the transmission capabilities. Where it is known that Cat5e can support gigabit speed, Cat6 is actually certified to manage Gigabit Ethernet.

Also, the specifications on Cat6 is better suited for the environment that is usually filled with twisted pairing cables and areas that you generally find with lots of items that cause interference, such as electrical rooms, phone equipment rooms, power lines and lights. For most applications you will find that Cat5e is still acceptable and even preferable to Cat6 because it is less costly and still performs nearly as well. If however you know for sure that all of the components of your network are gigabit rated and the amount of data that will be transmitted will require that you have certified gigabit capabilities, then Cat6 would be the preferred choice.

Mark is the Chief Revenue Officer of SCT Product Sales, Inc.