Network Cables Archives - CablesAndKits Blog

This is part 1 of a series devoted to the most asked questions about Ethernet cabling and accessories. If you have a question that you would like answered or addressed, please leave a comment below or feel free to contact one of our Awesome CK team members either by Live Chat or Email. Now on to the FAQ’s!

What are the differences between Cat5E, Cat6 and Cat6A?
What is the difference between stranded, solid cable, and plenum rated cables?
What is the difference between crossover and straight through cables?
What is the definition of AWG? What is the AWG of Cat5E, Cat6 and Cat6A cables?
What are the differences between the connectors & couplers for Cat5E, Cat6, Cat6A?

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What are the differences between Cat5E, Cat6 and Cat6A Cables?

While a Cat5E Ethernet Cable is currently sufficient for most needs, it is predicted that Cat6 and Cat6A will take over in the future. Cat6 cables simply offer better performance.

Cat5E gives an available bandwidth of up to 350MHz, whereas Cat6 almost doubles that – with an available bandwidth of up to 550MHz. Cat6 is designed specifically for Gigabit Ethernet specifications. While most systems are not capable of running such speeds, many organizations are choosing to prepare for future needs by going with Cat6 cables.

Cat6 can run much faster speeds than Cat5E, and Cat6A only improves upon those abilities. Cat6 also benefits from improved insertion loss, return loss and several other improvements over the older Cat5E design.

Cat5E, Cat6 and Cat6A Ethernet Cables can all run about 300 feet reliably.

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What is the difference between stranded, solid cable, and plenum rated cables?

Cat 5E, 6 and 6a can all be purchased in stranded or [Read more…] about CAT5E, CAT6 and CAT6A Cables | FAQs

(This blog is an updated and extended version of a post, by our CEO, we released in September 2009)

If you’ve ever installed a network, either for your home, office or business, you’ve probably asked yourself- With so many different types of network cabling, what do I really need? Is it a CAT5, 5E, 6, 6A, shielded or unshielded, UTP or STP? Do I need a patch/straight through cable or a crossover cable? With so many different kinds of network cables to choose from, which one is right for your needs?

What types of network cable are available currently?

Cat5 has been replaced by Cat5E as the general standard networking cable in new installations, with the improved signal carrying capacity being the primary reason. A Cat5 cable can support Ethernet and Fast Ethernet. Cat5E (Cat5 enhanced) supports Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet speeds over short distances and is backward compatible with Cat5. Cat5E cable also has improved durability, due to improvements in the quality of the PVC protective jacket. It is more than suitable for most data cabling requirements.

Cat6 is one of the newest versions of network cabling, and is very similar to Cat5E, but specifically designed to consistently deliver 1 Gigabit Ethernet. It is used in installations where a Cat6 Certified Network is required.

While Cat5E and Cat6 can support Gigabit speeds, Cat6A (Cat6 Augmented) is certified to 10 Gigabit speeds and is backward compatible with the all the existing standards, and is suitable for industries utilizing high-performance computing platforms to support very high bandwidth-intensive applications. 10G/Cat 6A applications would be server farms, storage area networks, data centers & riser backbones.