What is a Category for Data Cable

Ethernet cables are grouped into sequentially numbered categories (“cat”) based on different specifications; sometimes the category is updated with further clarification or testing standards (e.g. 5e, 6a). These categories are how we can easily know what type of cable we should use for our needs. The current specifications and most widely used ethernet cable types are category 5e and category 6 (Cat 5 and Cat 6)

What is the Difference – Cat 5 / Cat 6

The main difference between category 5e and category 6 is in the performance of transmission, and extra available bandwidth from 100 MHz for category 5e to 200 MHz for category 6. This includes better transmission characteristics such as insertion loss, near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss, and equal level far end crosstalk (ELFEXT). These improvements provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing higher reliability and higher data rates.

The differences in cable specifications is not as easy to see as physical changes; so let’s look at what each category does and does not support. Below is a chart for reference when picking cable for your application based on the standards for that category.

	Max Length	Max Speed	Power Over Ethernet	Max Freq
CAT 5	100m	100Mb/s	Yes	100Mhz
CAT 5e	100m	1Gb/s	Yes	100Mhz
CAT 6	100m or 55m for 10Gb/s	10Gb/s	Yes	250Mhz
CAT 6a	100m	10Gb/s	Yes	500Mhz

As the category number gets higher, so does the speed and Mhz capability of the wire. This is not a coincidence, because each category brings more stringent testing for eliminating crosstalk (XT) and adding isolation between the wires.

What Category Cable Should You Use?

The general rule of thumb is to use the highest category available at the time, presently it is Cat 6a. This will allow for future network upgrades at higher data rates or be sufficient for the data network speeds standard at the time.

If there are budget constraints then you should analyse the type of speeds required for your day to day business. A normal office environment that handles mainly text and image files will be adequate at 100Mb/s. However a media type business that handles large video and audio files would need a minimum of 1Gb/s.

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