With all the different types of network cables out there today, you may be wondering which one is right for your application. Today I will be going over the different types of cables and what their intended use is.
Unshielded vs. Shielded – When you see a cable defined as an unshielded cable, this simply means that there is no metal wrap around the wires under the plastic jacket. Unshielded cables are generally less expensive than shielded cables and are most comonly used in homes and offices. Shielded cables will most likely be found in industrial applications close to a lot of electrical interference such as large motors.
CAT5 – This is the first generation of Ethernet cables. Most likey you will no longer find these at your local retail store. CAT5 cables are capable of transmitting data at speeds up to 100mbp/s to a distance up to 100 meters. These cables operate at a frequency of 100mhz and can support power over ethernet devices.
CAT5e – This is the newer standard of the CAT5 family. The only difference between CAT5 and CAT5e is that CAT5e can transmit data at up to 1000Mbp/s or 1Gbp/s.
CAT6 – This type of cable causes the most confusion. The general misconception about this cable is that it will make your connection “faster”. This simply is not always true. Like CAT5e, CAT6 cables can transmit data at up
to 1000Mbp/s or 1Gbp/s up to a distance of 100 meters. However, they are also capable of transmitting data at 10Gbp/s up to a distance of 55 meters at a frequency of 250mhz and can also carry power over ethernet.
CAT6a – This is probably one of the least common cables. It is identical to CAT6 except this cable operates at the 500mhz frequency.
Keep in mind, just because you use a cable rated at 1Gbp/s, you will only be able to achieve that connection speed if your network devices support it. For example, you have a Sony Playstation 3 that supports Gigabit Ethernet, you use a CAT5e cable to connect it to your Gigabit Switch/Router. All this means is that you are connected to your local network at 1Gbp/s. Communications with your internal network devices running at 1Gbp/s will be quick, but your online gaming connection is still limited to the speed of your internet connection. Just like team members, a network is only as fast as it’s slowest member.
Written By: Amardeep Juneja
