Cat5e - Cat6 - Whats the difference

Dr Zoidberg · 23 Feb 2009 at 00:22

I am looking at replacing some network cables, it needs to be gigabit capable,

As i understand it Cat5e is suitable for gigabit so what benifits are there to Cat 6?

Also i am looking to make these cables my self to get better fitting lengths that what can be acheived from buying pre made, so if i go with Cat 6 cable do i still just buy standard RJ45 plugs for it or am i looking for some thing different? as i thought i read some thing about one of the main differences between 5e and 6 being in the plug?

Thanks
Keith

Sin_Chase · 23 Feb 2009 at 00:41

Cat 6 is mostly shielded.

Useful depending on the environment. Sources of 'noise' for example can cause havoc.

It uses a RJ-45 like terminator, its just better made for dealing with noise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat6

^ all the info you should need

NiCkNaMe · 23 Feb 2009 at 00:54

If your looking at a long term upgrade solution then go for Cat6. Might as well go the full haul if your replacing cables.

Dr Zoidberg · 23 Feb 2009 at 01:12

Thanks for the replys,
As it is patch panel to switches i am re-cableing and the panels to end points are not being re cabled (currently 5e) i dont think there is any benifit from going to cat 6 at this time,
I am trying to put together the cheapest option i can find for doing it, and it looks like finding cat 6 plugs on the cheap is not as easy as finding 5e plugs.

Thanks

sidethink · 23 Feb 2009 at 08:35

Cat 6 is a little more difficult to work with than Cat 5 especially for those inexperienced in its use or without the correct tools.

Cat 5e will do you for a while but in commercial environments, anyone flood wiring without Cat 6 is being slightly short sighted IMHO.

Dr Zoidberg · 23 Feb 2009 at 08:43

sidethink said:
Cat 6 is a little more difficult to work with than Cat 5 especially for those inexperienced in its use or without the correct tools.

Cat 5e will do you for a while but in commercial environments, anyone flood wiring without Cat 6 is being slightly short sighted IMHO.

If i / we was replacing the lot from the panels to the end points it would be Cat6 no questions asked,
But as it is only from the panels to the switches to tidy things up, and the chances of the rest being replaced is slim at best 5e should be fine, and with what i have costed to do i have kept the price very low.

MT01XP · 9 Mar 2009 at 22:05

Sin_Chase said:
Cat 6 is mostly shielded.

Not true. I'd dare to say that most cat6 installations are unshielded. Sheilded cabling is a real pain in the ass to install properly (so not any unskilled thumb monkey can do it!) and there is no way to certify the shieldings effectiveness.

Perhaps you are getting confused with cat6A which is available in unshielded and sheilded but most manufacturers offerings are sheilded to overcome the alien crosstalk issues of running at 10 Gigabit?

MT01XP · 9 Mar 2009 at 22:19

Dr Zoidberg said:
I am looking at replacing some network cables, it needs to be gigabit capable,

As i understand it Cat5e is suitable for gigabit so what benifits are there to Cat 6?

Also i am looking to make these cables my self to get better fitting lengths that what can be acheived from buying pre made, so if i go with Cat 6 cable do i still just buy standard RJ45 plugs for it or am i looking for some thing different? as i thought i read some thing about one of the main differences between 5e and 6 being in the plug?

Thanks
Keith

Cat5e is suitable for gigabit ethernet up to 100m but it's pushing it to the limit.
Cat6 will run gigabit ethernet very comfortably up to 100m.

The next step up from Gigabit is 10 Gigabit and to run that over any serious distance you're looking at Cat6A or Cat7 for copper or even better: fibre.

Some people like to think that just because Cat6 is a more modern development they are somehow future proofing their network but as you're limited to Gigabit with Cat6, you're not really getting much for all the extra material and installation costs.

Cat5e and Cat6 both use RJ45 plugs that look exactly the same, however the Cat6 RJ45 plugs are made to a slightly higher spec.

Going back to your specific circumstance, for patching switches in a cat5e architecture, cat6 will offer you no tangible benefits.

I hope this helps.

Mr_T · 9 Mar 2009 at 22:36

From my experience when working with Cat6 it's been a much tougher cable to manilpulate because it seemed to have farm more twists in the pairings. Although thinking about it, it's probably because the cable had this + shape plastic seperator running through the centre of the entire cable.