Cat5 vs. Cat6 Cable with Their Definitions, Efficiency and Examples

Network cables - CAT5 and CAT6 are used in computer systems, access points, and devices connected to ports, routers, and connectors. The term "Cat" stands for "Category" and let’s focus on these two "Cat" cables now. The range following the "Cat" identifies the cable's manufacturer. In general, the greater the number, the faster the speed and frequency band in megahertz.

Cat5 or Cat6 cables are seen in workstations or servers. Picking which ethernet cable to choose might be difficult because these cables are often constantly changed to boost broadband transmission speed and minimize noise.

Cat 5 and 6 cables appear to be braided pairs of wires that have been used to establish connections, in general. They were popular in the pre-wireless era, and anyone who attended university or worked back then would recall what any of these connectors looked like.

Check out the Comparison Table

How Crosstalk and System Noise Affect Electronic Devices?

All electronic devices as well as their attachments such as cat cables generate their own transmissions. A system is made up of several cables that are placed close together where the transmitters interrupt each other. Crosstalk results tend to raise the odds of problems and cause other problems like system failures, low bandwidth issues, etc. Crosstalk and system interference is minimized with Cat 6 cables.

Both Cat5 and Cat6 cables demonstrate the advancement of connectivity and technological advancement in recent years. Let's look more closely at these variations.

What is Cat 5 Cable?

Cat 5 is an Ethernet cable that is long in the tooth. It used to be chosen for general-purpose LAN connections used to attach most of the computers to a network. It has been around for a long time and was used to be chosen for speed back in the day.

Cat5 is also known as "Category 5", and it is an Ethernet-defined connection for web servers that uses a twisted pair design. Cat 5 cables have a 100MHz bandwidth and can support data rates of up to 10/100 Mbs. A Cat 5 cable consists of eight connected wires in a certain order. If the cords are not connected in the correct order, the cable will not work.

There are two standard wire sequences: T568A and T568B. Each performs similarly and does not give one an advantage over the other. However, on both ends of the Cat 5 cable.

Cat 5e Cable has surpassed Cat 5 Ethernet cables, which are more impactful and feature-rich. It has a 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) bandwidth rate, a frequency of 100 MHz, as well as a maximum range of 328 feet.

What is Cat 6 Cable?

Cat6 cables are newer than Cat5 cables, having just been here for several years. Rather than being connected to individual workstations, these have been utilized as the core of network systems. Cat6 is an enhancement to the earlier Cat5e version. It is made up of four copper wires that have been twisted together. It offers a lot of other features.

A Cat6 cable, for example, has a network bandwidth of 250 MHz and can deliver up to 10 Gbps data transfer rate. It is entirely compatible with older models, like the Cat5 and Cat5e cables, and employs RJ-45 standard adapters. Cat6 cable lines are often cost-effective and their performance is ten times faster than Cat 5e cables. Cat 6 cables are appropriate for applications requiring high-speed data transmission because of their higher efficiency. 

Working remotely has become more popular these days, and the services that run it require high-speed internet. Cat 6 Ethernet cables are ideal for achieving these rates.

Internal speed limits are also supported by these connectors when editing images, video content, music recordings, 3d graphics, CAD (Computer-Aided Design) files, and so forth. If your organization demands high-speed data transmission, Cat 6 is the best option.

So, if we talk about the upgraded versions of Cat 6 cables, there are two, Cat 6a and Cat 6e. Cat 6a offers the same 10Gbps data transfer rate as Cat6, though at a distance of 328 feet and a frequency of 500MHz. On the other hand, CAT6e is a CAT6 enhanced standardization. Its purpose is to increase the frequencies from 250 to 600 MHz.

However, unlike CAT6 and CAT5e, there seems to be no TIA-approved definition for CAT6e.

Key Differences of Cat 5 Cable & Cat 6 Cable

CAT5 and CAT6 cables have many differences, including performance, speed, maximum lengths, type of jacket, and cost.

Comparison Table

 The diffrentiating points on the comparison table in elaborated on below -

• Bandwidth: Cat 5 Ethernet connections can handle rates of up to 10/100 Mbs at a frequency of 100 MHz, whereas Cat 6 Ethernet cables would handle speeds of up to 1000 Mbps at a frequency of 250 Hz. Cat 6 cables are suited for applications designed to provide high data transmission rates.

• Speed: CAT6 cables can enable up to 10GBASE-T or 10-Gigabit Ethernet rates, but CAT5 lines can only provide 1GBASE-T or 1-Gigabit Ethernet.

• Maximum Length: For 10BASE-T applications, the transmission line distance for Cable 5 is 100 meters. This length connects two power electronic devices and includes 90 meters of solid-core cabling, two stranded jumper cords of 5 meters each, and two connections. The maximum cable length for 10/100/1000BASE-T applications is 100 meters using Cable 6.

• End Piece: Cat 5 and Cat 6 cables always use the same connector to link to their end location, a router or switch box. The RJ-45 plug is used on the connections.

• Cost: Ethernet cable prices are influenced by a number of factors, the most important of which are size, durability, copper contents, and provider. On average, CAT6 cables are 10-20% more expensive than CAT5e cables.

Practical Example

When someone decides to settle up their essential documents, this is a great representation. Nina wishes to back up her study materials and resources totaling 20 GB (about 20,000 megabytes). Nina has now linked a PC to a NAS, where the file will be stored. The UTP Cat5 or Cat6 cables, not the connectors, are the barrier in this scenario, not the connectors. To do so, individuals should first figure out the difference between Bit and Byte. Information is always communicated in bits and is kept in bytes, with 1 byte equals 8 bits and 2 bytes equaling 16 bits.

Nina is creating storage with a Cat5 cable initially-

A Cat5 connection connects the workstation to the NAS. This cable has a frequency band of 100 Mbps. The equivalent of 20,000MB (byte) is 160,000 Mb (bit). 160,000 divided by 100 equals 1600 seconds.

With just a Cat5 cable, it will take 1600 seconds to create a copy with an actual amount of 20GB.

Nina is creating storage with a Cat6 cable-

A Cat6 connection connects the workstation to the NAS. This type of cable has a 1000 Mbps frequency band. 160,000 Mb is equal to 20000 MB (byte) (bit). 160,000 divided by 1000 equals 160 seconds. Therefore, with a Cat6 cable, a store of 20GB will take 160 seconds.

As the above example illustrates, data backup using a Cat6 wired network is ten times faster than a Cat5 connection.

Which One is More Efficient?

Cat 6 is, without a doubt, the superior ethernet cable of the two. Cat 6 cables, like every other product upgrade, come with a series of technological advancements that allow for quicker speeds and less crosstalk (interference).

Additionally, Cat 6's variants (6a and 6e) were enhancements on the basic Cat 6 cable. Though these cables were not major modifications in and of themselves, they generated more of an impact on the general consumer. Cat 6 lines would continue to be supported by Cat 7 and Cat 8 cables, just as Cat 5 was overtaken by Cat 6.