Understanding "Cat" meaning when using Ethernet Cable.

What Types of cable have you used?

  • Category 3

    Votes: 6 10.3%
  • Category 5

    Votes: 27 46.6%
  • Category 5e

    Votes: 43 74.1%
  • Category 6

    Votes: 32 55.2%
  • Category 6a

    Votes: 7 12.1%
  • Category 7

    Votes: 2 3.4%

  • Total voters
    58

HarriePateman

BSOD Analyst
banner1.jpg

(pinched that photo from the web)

Category 3:
It is commonly known as Cat 3 or Station Wire. It is used for voice cabling and 10 Mbps Ethernet with a possible bandwidth of 16MHz. Cat 3 is used in Telephone Wiring. It is used earlier in Computer Networking for 10BaseT Ethernet, Token Ring or ATM 25 Network.

Category 4:
It is also used in Telephone Network to transmit voice and date at 16 Mbit/s. It is used in Computer Networking for some Token Ring, 10BaseT and 100BaseT4 Ethernet.

Category 5:
It is currently an out-dated standard that provides support for up to 100Mhz operation. It can be used for 10/100 Ethernet without worry, however for longer runs of 1000 Mbps it is recommended to use Cat 5e or higher. It is suitable for 10BaseT, 100BaseTX(Fast Ethernet) and 1000BaseT \(Gigabit Ethernet).

Category 5e:
It is an enhanced version Cat 5 cabling that helps to prevent cross-talk. Category 5e cable provides support for frequencies up to 100Mhz. Cat 5e generally provides the best price for performance, however for future proofing Cat 6 or higher might be a better choice as it usually does not cost much more.

Category 6:
Like Cat 5e but with larger gauge wires, works for 10/100/1000 Mbps. This cable is better than Cat 5e for Gigabit Ethernet. Compared with Cat 5 and Cat 5e, Cat 6 features more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise. The cable standard provides performance of up to 250 MHz and is suitable for 10BaseT, 100BaseTX (Fast Ethernet), 1000BaseT/1000BaseTX (Gigabit Ethernet) and 10GBaseT (10-Gigabit Ethernet).

Note:
If Cat 6 rated patch cables, jacks and connectors are not used with Cat 6 wiring; overall performance is degraded to that of the cable or connector.
When used for 10/100/1000BaseT, the maximum allowed length of a Cat 6 cable is 100 meters or 328 feet.
When used for 10GBaseT, Cat 6 cable's maximum length is 55 meters (180 ft) in a favourable alien crosstalk environment, but only 37 meters (121 ft) in a hostile alien crosstalk environment.
Category 6a:
Category 6a (or Augmented Category 6) worked at frequencies up to 500 MHz twice that of Cat 6. Category 6a performs at improved specifications, in particular in the area of alien crosstalk as compared to Cat 6 UTP (unshielded twisted pair), which exhibited high alien noise in high frequencies. When used for 10GBaseT, the maximum allowed length of Cat 6a cable is 100 meters ( or 330 feet) without electronic testing.

Category 7:
Category 7 is the informal name for Class F cabling defined by a different standards body than Cat 6a and lower. It supports frequencies up to 600Mhz and may support the upcoming 100Gbps standard. It is fully shielded cable.

-------------------------------------------

Here is an example of Shielded (STP) and unshilded (UTP) Ethernet cable.

Because all Ethernet cables are twisted, manufactures use shielding to further protect the cable from interference. Unshielded twisted pair can easily be used for cables between your computer and the wall, but you will want to use shielded cable for areas with high interference and running cables outdoors or inside walls.
cable.jpg
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
CPU
Intel G3420 3.2GHZ Dual Core
Motherboard
Gigabyte H87-HD3
Memory
Kingson 8GB 1600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
MSI R7970 TF 3GD5/OC BE
Monitor(s) Displays
21" LG & "19 Vertical Samsung
Hard Drives
120GB SSD - Boot
1TB WD
350GB External
2TB External (Wireless)
PSU
Corsair CX 500 modular
Case
Zalman Z11 Plus (modified)
Cooling
Corsair H55, 2x 120mm SP Corsair, 1x 140 Coolermaster
Keyboard
Corsair K50
Mouse
CSL Gaming
Internet Speed
164Mbps
Antivirus
Avast, Malwarebytes
Browser
Google Chrome, IE, Firefox
+1 Good post with useful information.

Isn't this already in a repository tho?
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 8.1
CPU
Intel i5 3750k OC'd 4.0Ghz
Motherboard
P8Z77-V LX3
Memory
16GB Vengence Corsair
Graphics Card(s)
GTX 770 OC 2GB Windforce
Sound Card
C-Media 7.1 Surround Card
Monitor(s) Displays
Asus 3D 23" & BenQ 24" & LG 19"
Screen Resolution
1920*1080, 1920*1080, 1440*900
Hard Drives
Crucial 512GB SSD
WD 1.5 TB
WD 500Gb
PSU
850MW Silverstone
Case
inWin DragonRider
Cooling
4 * 140mm LED Akasa, One 140mm Fan Akasa
Keyboard
Corsair k95
Mouse
R.A.T 7 Contagion
Internet Speed
152 Mb Fiber Optic
Antivirus
ESET Nod32
Browser
Waterfox x64 / Chrome x64
Other Info
Freenas / Plex Media server
Q6600
6Gb DDR3
6TB ZFS Raid
500W PSu
2 x Intel NIC's
+1 Good post with useful information.

Isn't this already in a repository tho?

Possibly i didn't check to be honest :confused:
Though it could help people without much knowledge though :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
CPU
Intel G3420 3.2GHZ Dual Core
Motherboard
Gigabyte H87-HD3
Memory
Kingson 8GB 1600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
MSI R7970 TF 3GD5/OC BE
Monitor(s) Displays
21" LG & "19 Vertical Samsung
Hard Drives
120GB SSD - Boot
1TB WD
350GB External
2TB External (Wireless)
PSU
Corsair CX 500 modular
Case
Zalman Z11 Plus (modified)
Cooling
Corsair H55, 2x 120mm SP Corsair, 1x 140 Coolermaster
Keyboard
Corsair K50
Mouse
CSL Gaming
Internet Speed
164Mbps
Antivirus
Avast, Malwarebytes
Browser
Google Chrome, IE, Firefox
Great information! Love it! :cool:

Josh :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Built
OS
Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1 ; Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard
CPU
Intel Core i5 2400 @ 3.10GHz
Motherboard
Foxconn H67MP-S/-V/H67MP
Memory
8.0GB DDR3 @ 665MHz (2GBx4)
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon HD 6870
Sound Card
Realtek High Definition Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
AOC 2243W & SMB1930NW
Screen Resolution
1440x900 & 1920x1080
Hard Drives
977GB Seagate ST31000524AS ATA Drive (SATA)
250GB WD iSCSI attached Drive
PSU
750W Gaming PSU
Case
Novatech Night
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Dell Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse
R.A.T 07 Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
Download: 10 Mbps Ping: 30ms Upload: 0.81 Mbps
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Optiarc DVD RW AD-5260S ATA Device

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
CPU
Intel G3420 3.2GHZ Dual Core
Motherboard
Gigabyte H87-HD3
Memory
Kingson 8GB 1600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
MSI R7970 TF 3GD5/OC BE
Monitor(s) Displays
21" LG & "19 Vertical Samsung
Hard Drives
120GB SSD - Boot
1TB WD
350GB External
2TB External (Wireless)
PSU
Corsair CX 500 modular
Case
Zalman Z11 Plus (modified)
Cooling
Corsair H55, 2x 120mm SP Corsair, 1x 140 Coolermaster
Keyboard
Corsair K50
Mouse
CSL Gaming
Internet Speed
164Mbps
Antivirus
Avast, Malwarebytes
Browser
Google Chrome, IE, Firefox
Nice! :cool:
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Lenovo Desktop/Samsung Laptop
OS
Win7 & Win8 64bit
CPU
Intel i5
Internet Speed
Charter-20 Mbps
Antivirus
Avast
Browser
FF, IE9 and Chrome
Thank you all :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
CPU
Intel G3420 3.2GHZ Dual Core
Motherboard
Gigabyte H87-HD3
Memory
Kingson 8GB 1600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
MSI R7970 TF 3GD5/OC BE
Monitor(s) Displays
21" LG & "19 Vertical Samsung
Hard Drives
120GB SSD - Boot
1TB WD
350GB External
2TB External (Wireless)
PSU
Corsair CX 500 modular
Case
Zalman Z11 Plus (modified)
Cooling
Corsair H55, 2x 120mm SP Corsair, 1x 140 Coolermaster
Keyboard
Corsair K50
Mouse
CSL Gaming
Internet Speed
164Mbps
Antivirus
Avast, Malwarebytes
Browser
Google Chrome, IE, Firefox
I loved the cat fight! LOL!
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
CPU
Intel i7-3930K
Motherboard
ASUS P9X79 WS
Memory
Kingston HyperX Genesis 32GB Kit (8x4GB Modules) 1600MHz DDR
Graphics Card(s)
MSI R7850 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR
Sound Card
Asus Xonar Essence STX
Monitor(s) Displays
3x Asus VG248QE 24", Vizio 32" TV
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080, ?
Hard Drives
Samsung 128GB 840 Pro SSD (1),
Samsung 4TB 850 EVO SSDs (4)
Samsung 4TB 850 EVO SSDs (16) external backup drives used in 2.5" hot swap bays in the computer.
PSU
Corsair HX750w
Case
Antec Two Hundred v2 (modified)
Cooling
Cooler Master GeminII S524 120mm (fan replaced with a 140mm)
Keyboard
Logitech G510s
Mouse
Logitech M525 (two in use)
Internet Speed
=< 32Mbps down, 8Mbps up
Antivirus
AVAST!, MBAM, SAS, Spybot S&D (all but MBAM free) Glary Util
Browser
IE11
Other Info
LSI 9211-8i HBA card (8 SATA III ports), 2.5" & 3.5" Hot Swap Bays, HooToo HT-CR001 PCI-E to USB 3.0 Internal Hub + 6 Slot Card Reader, and LG Model CH12LS28 BD-ROM Optical Drive. Also, ScanSnap S1500 ADF duplexing scanner, Canon 9000F flat bed scanner, Corsair SP2500 2.1 speakers, Samsung CLP 415nw laser color printer, Cyberpower PP2200SW UPS
Hehe, this was one of my first posts :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
CPU
Intel G3420 3.2GHZ Dual Core
Motherboard
Gigabyte H87-HD3
Memory
Kingson 8GB 1600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
MSI R7970 TF 3GD5/OC BE
Monitor(s) Displays
21" LG & "19 Vertical Samsung
Hard Drives
120GB SSD - Boot
1TB WD
350GB External
2TB External (Wireless)
PSU
Corsair CX 500 modular
Case
Zalman Z11 Plus (modified)
Cooling
Corsair H55, 2x 120mm SP Corsair, 1x 140 Coolermaster
Keyboard
Corsair K50
Mouse
CSL Gaming
Internet Speed
164Mbps
Antivirus
Avast, Malwarebytes
Browser
Google Chrome, IE, Firefox
I was wondering about cat 7 cable. Where can you get it from? Isnt it more of a business network type cable then a residential type cable? As for the upcoming 1gb services being rolled out; cat 7 might be what is needed for that?
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
custom built
OS
Windows 7 ultimate 64-bit
CPU
Intel I7 2600K 3.4ghz
Motherboard
Asus Evo P8P67
Memory
Corsair 16gb ddr3 1600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia Geforce gt 430
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Titanium x-fi pci express
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell E198WFP
Hard Drives
1 western digital 2TB drive.
PSU
Antec 1200 watt
Case
Inwin Dragon Rider
Cooling
6 case supplied cooling fans
Keyboard
logitech mk700
Mouse
logitech m705
Internet Speed
25-50mbps download; 10mbps upload(i think)
Antivirus
avg free 2014
Browser
mozilla firefox
Other Info
Also have a pretty bad speaker setup which is a klipsch promedia 5.1 surround speaker setup with huge subwoofer and lg blu ray player/writer. Also a hp officejet pro 8600 plus wireless all in one and a logitech s7500 webcam.
Ethernet provides several advantages. It’s typically quicker and more trusted than today’s finest Wi-Fi routers and it’s generally less expensive.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 10
Were you aware you were responding to a year and a half old thread?
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
CPU
Intel i7-3930K
Motherboard
ASUS P9X79 WS
Memory
Kingston HyperX Genesis 32GB Kit (8x4GB Modules) 1600MHz DDR
Graphics Card(s)
MSI R7850 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR
Sound Card
Asus Xonar Essence STX
Monitor(s) Displays
3x Asus VG248QE 24", Vizio 32" TV
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080, ?
Hard Drives
Samsung 128GB 840 Pro SSD (1),
Samsung 4TB 850 EVO SSDs (4)
Samsung 4TB 850 EVO SSDs (16) external backup drives used in 2.5" hot swap bays in the computer.
PSU
Corsair HX750w
Case
Antec Two Hundred v2 (modified)
Cooling
Cooler Master GeminII S524 120mm (fan replaced with a 140mm)
Keyboard
Logitech G510s
Mouse
Logitech M525 (two in use)
Internet Speed
=< 32Mbps down, 8Mbps up
Antivirus
AVAST!, MBAM, SAS, Spybot S&D (all but MBAM free) Glary Util
Browser
IE11
Other Info
LSI 9211-8i HBA card (8 SATA III ports), 2.5" & 3.5" Hot Swap Bays, HooToo HT-CR001 PCI-E to USB 3.0 Internal Hub + 6 Slot Card Reader, and LG Model CH12LS28 BD-ROM Optical Drive. Also, ScanSnap S1500 ADF duplexing scanner, Canon 9000F flat bed scanner, Corsair SP2500 2.1 speakers, Samsung CLP 415nw laser color printer, Cyberpower PP2200SW UPS
Ethernet provides several advantages. It’s typically quicker and more trusted than today’s finest Wi-Fi routers and it’s generally less expensive.

Aye, an old thread though in terms of bandwidth... wireless is kind of getting ahead of traditional copper wired cabling it seems...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87dsbpi3iCw

Interesting video despite the cheesy-ness of it

Josh :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Built
OS
Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1 ; Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard
CPU
Intel Core i5 2400 @ 3.10GHz
Motherboard
Foxconn H67MP-S/-V/H67MP
Memory
8.0GB DDR3 @ 665MHz (2GBx4)
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon HD 6870
Sound Card
Realtek High Definition Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
AOC 2243W & SMB1930NW
Screen Resolution
1440x900 & 1920x1080
Hard Drives
977GB Seagate ST31000524AS ATA Drive (SATA)
250GB WD iSCSI attached Drive
PSU
750W Gaming PSU
Case
Novatech Night
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Dell Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse
R.A.T 07 Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
Download: 10 Mbps Ping: 30ms Upload: 0.81 Mbps
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Optiarc DVD RW AD-5260S ATA Device
"cat" means some people's cats chew through cable. if they chew 5 wires, it's CAT 5. If they chew through only 4 wires, it's CAT 4, etc.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP p6-2020t
OS
Win 7 Ult 64-bit
CPU
G620 2.6GHZ Pentium R
Memory
6 GB
Monitor(s) Displays
25" HPLV2311
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1200
Hard Drives
1 SATA, 1 exterior SATA
Case
HP
Cooling
PSU
Antivirus
Glasswire
Browser
Waterfox; Firefox; Chrome for work
Other Info
Firewall--Glasswire
Similar specs in Gateway DX4200
Verizon FIOS Wired network

1 other Win7 computer-- has SSD
Cat 6 is expensive and doesn't offer much of an improvement over 5e.
Info from a 40 year communications specialist (telephone & networking).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    Laptop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Toshiba
    OS
    Win7 x64
    CPU
    AMD
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    AMD based MB
    OS
    Win 7 Pro x64
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-970A-D3P
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GeForce 1060
    Monitor(s) Displays
    25"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    two SSD;
    two 4TB HDD
    PSU
    700watt Seasonic
    Internet Speed
    300MB up & down
    Browser
    Firefox
    Other Info
    BD Recorder
Back
Top