Technology

Cat5 Vs. Cat6 Cables: What are the Differences?

Cat5 vs Cat6

Choosing the right ethernet cable for your business network or home is vital. Not only cable category and type affect overall performance and speed, but it contains a drastic effect on the quality of your connection. The majority of people prefer to use wireless connections, but it is a fact that these networks are far more prone to interference than wired ones. Therefore, the wrong choice of cables can leave a negative impact on your performance.

There are two famous cables, Cat 5 and Cat6. Which one is better and can be suitable for you? Do you compare the costs? The majority of the people do the same, but both feature shielding and good quality.

What is Cat5 cable?

It comes in the category 5e cables that offer noticeably improved performance over the old Cat5 standards, including ten times faster speed and a great ability to transverse distances without being impacted by crosstalk. These are 24-gauge twisted pair wires that support Gigabit networks at segment distances up to 100m.

What is Cat6 Cable?

These are standardized twisted pair cable for Ethernet that is compatible backward with Cat3 and Cat5 cable standards. These are the most suitable ones to run the workstations. These are lightweight and very easy to install. With modern technology, these wires are manufactured.

Differences between both Cat5 and Cat6:

Several things are not common between the two. These are a direct reflection of the modernism of technological advancement and computer networking in recent years. Both the wires are used for different reasons but are used to connect servers to their respective ISPs and modems and network cables. The higher the quality, the better will be the performance. The prime difference between them is the faster speed in data transformation and connection and reduced crosstalk.

One more difference between them is the methods used to manufacture these wires and their features and capabilities. These wires share a similar end piece and plug that connects them to the end decision. This end piece is famous with the name RJ-45. These plugs can create a direct connection to the computer ethernet router or jack and have been an industry standard for years. It handles up to 10/100 Mbps at the bandwidth of 100Mhz. The Cat5 cables have been introduced 15 years back.

On the other hand, Cat6 has come into the market a few years before. No doubt, the new one is thicker and more robust. These are very easy to install and use.

Bandwidth:

Both the wires can handle the speed up to 1000Mbps. This is more than sufficient for most internet connection’s speed. The chance is lower that you have an internet connection with a speed up to 500Mbps. Therefore, you can use both cables, but the difference comes from seeing when you transfer data. Do you know Cat6 cables are suitable to operate frequencies up to 250MHZ compared to 100 Mhz? It means these cables can transfer more data quickly. If you are going to look for bandwidth and quick data transfer, then these cables can be your right choice.

Crosstalk

Both the cables are twisted and use copper wires with four twisted pairs. Cat6 provides 250MHZ performance. These are more flexible well as they are less noisy too.

Which Cable is suitable for you?

The sort of wire you select depends on how frequently you utilize the internet in your business. If you need fast-speed internet, then Cat6 can be your best friend. It decreases something called crosstalk. It reduces the signal transfers that can upset your communication channels.

Available in 5 colors white, red, green, blue, black.

Suitable for POE devices, VoIP phones, NAS, network media players, switch boxes, routers, printers, computer servers, PCs, and many more

  • It is lightweight and lengthy
  • Very easy to use on the ground 
  • Portable and easy to drag due to the flexible material
  • Waterproof and powerful item
  • Offers smooth run to drive
  • It is portable
  • Durable due to the strong material
  • Offers solidity with the help of the pure insulation

If you are satisfied with your current internet speeds, then Cat5 may be your right choice. It is less expensive as compared to Cat6. These days, more and more organizations are using cloud technology. If you have transformed your server to the cloud or you are thinking of switching to it in the coming future, then Cat5 is the suitable choice for you. It is easy to use and reliable and can do everything you need it.

On the other hand, if you are looking for wires that can optimize your performance, then Cat5 is the right option for you. Have you ignored the size of the wires? Cat5 wires are slimmer than Cat6.

Conclusion

Everyone appreciates both the models of the Ethernet cable because they fill the desire to have more, and they never feel a burden on the pocket due to the high style. This model is the item that provides a comfortable performance.

The affordable Ethernet cableis very easy to connect with other external drives due to the USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. It helps in the easy sharing of data, music, video, photos, and files without any cable connection.

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