Hi friends！
How much do you know about network cables? This post will help you understand several common network cables.
Several common network cables
There are many kinds of network cables. At present, the network cables widely used are mainly divided into four categories:
Cat5e: superclass 5 network cable.
Cat6: class 6 network cable.
Cat7: class 7 network cable.
Next, let's introduce CAT5e / CAT6 / Cat7 network cable series in detail.
1. Cat5e network cable
Before we talk about Cat5e, we need to talk about Cat5. Cat5 cables support either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps rates. The 100 Mbps rate is also known as Fast Ethernet, and the standard for Fast Ethernet uses only two pairs of copper wires. CAT5e is an updated standard for CAT5. In CAT5e, e indicates enhanced. Compared with the CAT5 cable, the CAT5e network cable greatly improves the performance. It has the advantages of less attenuation and less crosstalk, higher attenuation crosstalk ratio (ACR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and smaller delay differences. Category 5E cables have a maximum bandwidth of 100 MHz and a standard 24 AWG cross-sectional area, which is applicable to gigabit Ethernet networks. In standard CAT5, there are 4 pairs of copper wires, of which only 2 pairs are used. When CAT5e is used on a Gigabit Ethernet network, two spare pairs of copper wires can be used to increase the bandwidth and performance of the cable.
2. Cat6 network cable
Compared with Cat5e, Cat6 has an insulated cross frame. Four pairs of twisted pairs are placed in the four grooves of the cross frame. Cat6 cables are thicker in diameter than Cat5e cables. CAT6 cables provide much higher transmission performance than Cat5e standards and are most suitable for gigabit network transmission applications. Compared with Cat5e cables, Cat6 cables have better performance in terms of crosstalk and return loss than Cat5e cables. Excellent return loss performance is extremely important for high-speed network applications. The transmission bandwidth of the CAT6 Ethernet cable is 250 MHz. As a result, it can deliver transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps. But Cat6 is best suited for applications with 1 Gbit/s transfer rates.
3. Cat7 network cable
Cat7 network cable is a shielded twisted pair cable, which is mainly applicable to the application and development of 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology. Cat7 cables provide at least 600 MHz bandwidth and 10 Gbit/s transmission rates.
How do we distinguish Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat7 network cables？
Generally, Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat7 network cables do not differ greatly from each other in appearance, but can be distinguished by using the following methods:
Method 1
You can distinguish the network cables based on the information on the jackets of the Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat7 network cables. Generally, related information is printed on the cables and outer packages.
Method 2
If the network cable has been severely worn, similar information cannot be seen on the jacket of the network cable. You can check the signal indicator of the network device. Many network devices now have different indicators for different network rates.
Method 3
Use a professional network cable tester.
What are the differences between Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat7 network cables?
Cat5e and Cat6 network cables work the same way, have the same type of RJ-45 plug, and can be plugged into any Ethernet jack on a computer, router, or another similar device. Despite their many similarities, there are some differences. Cat5e network cables are used in Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet and provide a transmission rate of less than 1000 Mbit/s. Cat6 cables can provide transfer rates up to 10Gbps.
On a network with a transmission rate of 1000 Mbit/s, the transmission distance of Cat5e and Cat6 Ethernet cables is 100 m. However, when using 10GBASE-T applications, Cat6 cables can travel up to 55 meters. The main difference between Cat5e and Cat6 is transmission performance. The Cat6 cable's internal splitter reduces interference or near-end crosstalk (NEXT), improves far-end crosstalk (ELFEXT), and lowers return loss and insertion loss compared to Cat5e cables. The Cat6 network cable performs better.
Cat7 cables support frequency bandwidths up to 600 MHz and support 10GBASE-T Ethernet, in addition to reducing crosstalk noise compared to Cat6 cables.
Cat5e and Cat6 network cables have RJ45 connectors. Cat7 network cables, however, have special connectors, that is, GigaGate45 (CG45). Cat5e and Cat6 network cables are applicable to homes. Cat7 network cables are applicable to enterprise networks and other scenarios that require high signal quality.
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