Ethernet Cable

Ethernet Cable

There a few different categories of ethernet cables, the classifications are based on the amount of bandwidth and data transmission speeds. The complete category list, for now, is 3, 5, 5e, 6, 6a, 7 and 8.

There are major differences in speed and bandwidth over these categories. Also, cables that are below Cat 6 are not shielded, meaning they are affected by cable-crosstalk and other electromagnetic interference. Shielding is a foil-earthing-wrap inside the cable which protects it from interference keeping the signal purer.

The category speeds and bandwidths

A Cat 3 cable can handle 10Mbps of max speed and 16MHz of bandwidth. Cat 5 is capable of 10-100Mbps and a 100MHz. A step further into Cat 5e takes the speed up to 1Gbps but has the same bandwidth as the predecessor, at 100MHz.

Cat 6 ethernet cables are where shielding starts. The speeds with Cat 6 are 10Gbps for up to 55 meters and the bandwidth goes up to 250MHz. Cat 6a has the same 10Gbps speeds but the bandwidth is at 500MHz.

With Cat 7, the speed takes a huge jump to 100Gbps for 15 meters, with a bandwidth of 600MHz. Cat 7a retains the speed at 100Gbps for 15 meters while the bandwidth goes up to 1,000MHz.

The latest, for now, Cat 8 is the fastest. It can handle speeds of 40Gbps up to 30 meters with a bandwidth of 2,000MHz.

Comments

These Ethernet cables are produced by many different brands, some are even unnamed. The known names include D-Link and 3M.

The price depends on the length of the cable in question and what category it is rated as; the longer it is or the higher the category the more it costs. Generally, ethernet cables are not an expensive item to purchase.