Ethernet Cable Category 5/5E/6/6E, Communication Cable

OVERVIEW

SPECIFICATIONS

CONSTRUCTION

PARAMETER

Overview

Category 5 – CAT5

Category 5 transmits at 100MHz frequencies, providing a rated line speed of up to 100Mbit/s and a max cable segment length of 100 meters. Most Category 5 cables, designed for early networks, only used two twisted pairs. Older Category 5 cables continue to make up the bulk of the world’s network infrastructure.

Category 5E – CAT5E

An improved specification to Category 5 was later introduced. By reducing noise and signal interference, CAT5E was capable of increasing rated transfer speeds to 350 Mbit/s over 100 meters. The new standard also required all cables to include four twisted pairs (all eight contacts). An optimized encoding scheme allows up to 50-meter lengths of CAT5E cable to perform at, or near, Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) speeds.

Category 6 – CAT6

The mainstream adoption of Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) required new industry-standard cables capable of transmitting at a higher frequency of 250 MHz. Category 6 cable uses thicker-gauge wire, increased shielding, and more pair twists per inch to reduce signal noise and interference. The tighter specifications guarantee that 100-meter runs of Category 6 are capable of 1000 Mbit/s transfer speeds. 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds are achievable when reducing cable lengths to less than 50 meters.

Category 6E – CAT6E

Category 6 Enhanced (6E) is an augmented specification designed to double transmission frequency to 500 MHz. By wrapping CAT6E in grounded foil shielding, full 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds can be reached without sacrificing the max cable length of 100 meters.

Application:

Category 5/5E/6/6E cable, commonly referred to as Cat 5/5E/6/6E, is a twisted pair cable for computer networks.

Approvals

ISO/IEC 11801, IEC 61156-5, EN 50173, EN 50288-3-1, TIA/EIA-568-B

Technical data

a.Temperature range:
during installation: 0 °C up to+50 °C
fixed installed: -20 °C up to+60°C
b.Nominal voltage: 300V
d.Minimal inner bending radius: 4D

Specifications

Low Voltage

UV Resistance

LSZH

construction

1. Conductor:

Copper conductor, single wire 24AWG

2. Insulation:

(PE), polyethylene

3. Taping:

plastic tape

4. Screen:

copolymer coated Al-tape, bonded to the PE-sheath

5. Sheath:

PE black, UV-resistant) (LSHF, LSOH, FRNC

parameter

ETHERNET CABLE PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

Specifications Comparison

ETHERNET CABLE PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
CATEGORY	SHIELDING	MAX TRANSMISSION SPEED (AT 100 METERS)	MAX BANDWIDTH
Cat 3	Unshielded	10 Mbps	16 MHz
Cat 5	Unshielded	10/100 Mbps	100 MHz
Cat 5e	Unshielded	1000 Mbps / 1 Gbps	100 MHz
Cat 6	Shielded or Unshielded	1000 Mbps / 1 Gbps	>250 MHz
Cat 6a	Shielded	10000 Mbps / 10 Gbps	500 MHz
Cat 7	Shielded	10000 Mbps / 10 Gbps	600 MHz

CAT5, CAT5e, and CAT6 UTP (Solid Cable) Specifications Comparison
	Category 5	Category 5e	Category 6
Frequency	100 MHz	100 MHz	250 MHz
Return Loss (Min. at 100MHz)	16.0 dB	20.1 dB	20.1 dB
Characteristic Impedance	100 ohms ± 15%	100 ohms ± 15%	100 ohms ± 15%
Attenuation (Min. at 100 MHz)	22 dB	22 dB	19.8 dB
Next (Min. at 100MHz)	32.3 dB	35.3 dB	44.3 dB
PS-Next (Min. at 100MHz)	no specification	32.3 dB	42.3 dB
ELFEXT (Min. at 100 MHz)	no specification	23.8 dB	27.8 dB
PS-ELFEXT (Min. at 100 MHz)	no specification	20.8 dB	24.8 dB
Delay Skew (Max. per 100 m)	no specification	45 ns	45 ns

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