Ethernet is one of the most popular internet technology standards. An Ethernet cable is an integral part of a LAN network. This is a cable that links devices within a network. There are different types of Ethernet cables, each with limitations with respect to the distance and speed they can carry signals effectively.

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Here is a look at the differences between CAT5e, CAT6, CAT7 and CAT8 Ethernet cables.

CAT5e

CAT5e is an improvement of the CAT5 standard. The word ‘e’ represents enhanced. While both CAT5 and CAT5e cables can transmit data through a series of networks and counter radiation influx, CAT5e has advancements that result in a better communication process. CAT5e can handle situations like crosstalk and EMI better than the CAT5 standard.

CAT5e are twisted pair cables that come with a maximum frequency of 100MHz. CAT5e cables are used for telephony and video signal transmission.

CAT5e cable can transmit 100 Mbps Ethernet at a distance of 100 meters. It is the least expensive modern Category cable, but as Cat6 cable continues to decrease in price, the cost savings for Cat5e may not be worth the slower speeds.

CAT6

CAT6 is the sixth generation of Ethernet cabling used in business and home networks and the current “typical” cabling standard used in modern office buildings. CAT6 is backward compatible with CAT5e and CAT5 standards that came before it. These cables support Ethernet data rates of up to 1 gigabit per second. CAT6 cables can also accommodate 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections for a limited distance of about 55 meters.

The Category 6 Augmented cable, also known as CAT6a, improves the CAT6 Ethernet cables. CAT6a supports data rates of 10 Gigabit for the full 328 feet distance. CAT6a is thicker and more expensive than CAT6.

CAT6 supports a frequency of 250MHz. The main difference between CAT6 and CAT5e is transmission performance. CAT6 has an thicker gauge and tighter twist, which reduces interference. It also has a more improved return loss and insertion loss and equal level far-end crosstalk than CAT5e. This means it has a higher signal-to-noise ratio when compared to CAT5e.

CAT 7

You may have heard of Category 7 cabling and assumed it is the latest and greatest, faster version of Cat5e or Cat6 cabling. However, Category 7 is not an actual IEEE cabling standard, but a proprietary design that does not have an official blessing from the networking industry. It does not use RJ45 connectors, but a proprietary connector. Without official IEEE or EIA standardization, any “Category 7” cabling you purchase will be different from manufacturer to manufacturer.

If you’re looking for a faster copper alternative to Cat6A, then Category 8 is your answer.

CAT 8

Category 8 is the official successor to Cat6A cabling. It is officially recognized by the IEEE and EIA and parts and pieces are standardized across manufacturers. The primary benefit of Cat8 cabling is faster throughput over short distances: 40 Gbps up to 78’ and 25 Gbps up to 100’. From 100’ to 328’, Cat8 provides the same 10Gbps throughput as Cat6A cabling.

Due to these distance limitations, the best use case for Cat8 would be inside a data center to connect network equipment to each other. It would not be cost-effective to use Cat8 for an office build out as the distance would quickly decrease the speed throughput to that of Cat6A, which is cheaper to procure and install for the same performance.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Ethernet Cables

There is a lot that goes into choosing an Ethernet cable. The main factors you need to consider include function, speed, distance, and environment. CAT5e, CAT6, and CAT8 cables have differences that make them suited for different circumstances.

The first thing you need to think about when choosing an Ethernet cable is its function. Think about the type of device that will run on the cable. For example, a wireless access point will have many devices sharing one or two cables. Cat6A would provide a larger “pipe” and faster speeds than Cat6 or Cat5e. For a connection to a user’s workstation (computer and phone), Cat6 cables would suffice since each device has a dedicated cable for it.

Speed is another critical feature of Ethernet cables. You should have cabling that is equivalent to what will be running on it. For example, if you have data equipment that supports speeds of more than a gigabit, you will not get the most out of the network by using CAT5e cabling. It would be more efficient to use CAT6 and CAT6A cabling. You should also think about how you will be using the internet. Streaming movies, video conferencing, and high-volume downloads require a high-speed internet connection.

Distance is crucial when choosing data cabling. All Category cabling has a distance limitation of 328 feet or 100 meters. Connections beyond this distance limitation will require fiber optic cabling. To maximize speed over distance, Cat6A will provide full 10Gbps across the entire 100 meters.

The environment where you will be using the cables is one of the most crucial aspects that should affect your choice. For indoor use, plenum cabling is required by most property management companies. Plenum cabling is “low smoke” and will not emit harmful chemicals in case of a fire. For outdoor use, direct burial or outside plant (OSP) cabling will be needed for water and weather resistance. Cat5e and Cat6 are manufactured in outdoor rated OSP types.

Tests conducted in a DCCC lab compared the number of cyclic redundancy check errors for Category 5e and Category 6 cabling. Three different Gigabit transceivers were used in the lab, and Ethernet packets were transmitted over 100 meters, first using Category 5e cabling and then Category 6 cabling. The tests showed an improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio of the transmission system when Category 6 cabling was used.

A related study was conducted to determine the signals transmitted at different temperatures. The results showed that there were higher levels of CRC errors at higher temperatures for Category 5e cabling compared to Category 6.

Learn More About the Appropriate Network Cables from Telco Data

When choosing Ethernet cabling for your office, you will need to consider what the internet will be used for, the office environment, and the most appropriate speeds. For example, suppose you will be conducting video conferences, streaming videos, and downloading files on a regular basis. In that case, you will need a cabling standard that supports high speeds and has good protection against crosstalk and EMI.

Generally, Cat6 is the standard for office use. It is also the appropriate cabling for startups. CAT6A is recommended for higher performance and 10 Gigabit Ethernet over the full distance distance. CAT8 supports 45 Gigabit Ethernet but it’s short range for those speeds makes it best suited for connections inside of one room. Cat5e is the most economical choice and is great for non-bandwidth options likes fax lines or plain old telephone lines (POTS) or other utilitarian purposes. But with the decreasing cost of Cat6 cabling, there is little benefit to installing an older standard in your new office.

Therefore, CAT6 and Cat6A are ideal for businesses of all sizes, while CAT8 is best suited for data centers. At Telco Data, we will be happy to help you get the most appropriate cable standard for your business. or email us at

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Frequently Asked Questions About Ethernet Cabling

What is Shielded Twisted Pair and Unshielded Twisted Pair?

Shielded twisted pair cable has individual pairs of wires wrapped again and again in a foil for additional protection. Unshielded twisted pair cable has each pair of wire twisted and wrapped in tubing without any protection.

Unlike unshielded twisted pair, the shielded twisted pair requires a grounding cable. According to geeksforgeeks.org, data rates of shielded twisted pair cables are higher than unshielded twisted pair. Furthermore, shielded twisted pair cables have less noise and cross talk than the unshielded twisted pair.

Are There Any Cabling Standards Apart from CAT5e, CAT6, and CAT8?

The earliest cabling standards are CAT1-CAT5. CAT1 is used for standard telephone wiring. CAT2 is used for 4Mbit/s token ring networks, whereas the CAT3 supports data networks with a speed of 10 Mbps. CAT4 supports networks with frequencies of 20 MHz and is used on 16 Mbps token ring networks.

CAT5 superseded the CAT3 and 4 versions and became the common standard in the early 2000s. It comes with a speed of 100 Mbps. However, it is now obsolete, and new networks will either have Category 5e, 6, 6a, or 8 cabling.

What is Cross Talk?

An excellent example of crosstalk is when using a landline phone. Since landline phones have twisted-pair wiring, when a neighboring phone’s twisted-pair wiring interrupts your signal, the resulting interference is called crosstalk. The unwanted signal interrupts the message being passed by another circuit. A technician can check cables with a tester to determine whether crosstalk is going to be a problem.

What is EMI?

Some electrical equipment emits interference. This is what you experience when listening to the radio or watching television. The interference is called electromagnetic interference or EMI. This is a form of radio wave that is similar to those emitted by broadcasting antennas.

In some cases, the interference is temporary, but in other cases, it is a nuisance. Examples of emitters of EMI include thermostats switching on and off, mobile phones, and microwave ovens. Ethernet cabling has a protective sheath that reduces EMI.

What is Gigabit Ethernet?

In the past, the Ethernet standard was Fast Ethernet. This standard had a throughput of 100 Mbps. However, this standard was overtaken by the Gigabit Ethernet, which supports a throughput of 1,000 megabits or 1 gigabit per second. The latest is 10 Gigabit Ethernet with 10 times the throughput and becoming more important as users connect laptops, cell phones, tablets, and other smart devices to wireless Wi-Fi networks. 10 Gigabit Ethernet works well with  CAT6, Cat6A and CAT8 cabling standards.

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A Closer Look at Industrial Ethernet Cables

February 20, 2020 / General, Installation and testing, Industrial Networks

Last month, we published a blog about the various industrial Ethernet connectors including M-series and some new small form factor connectors like the iX and emerging single-pair Ethernet connectors. But what good is a connector designed to withstand the industrial environment without a cable that offers the same protection?

Industrial Ethernet cables are really no different than your typical commercial-grade Ethernet cables in terms of data rate capabilities. Just like for the enterprise LAN, the most common industrial Ethernet cables are Category 5e, Category 6 and Category 6A. Fiber optic cables are also used in industrial Ethernet applications, but are not quite as common on the factory floor where lengths are shorter and speeds are typically less than 10 Gb/s. However, fiber is the right fit for applications that require greater distances and smaller, lightweight flexible cable that is immune to electrical noise and spark hazard. That’s why when it comes to industrial environments, we tend to find fiber used more in rail and transportation, oil and gas refineries, military and mining applications.

While the transmission performance is the same, industrial-grade versions of Ethernet cables require a far more robust construction for harsher environments subject to a variety of factors such as extreme temperature, humidity, corrosive chemicals, vibration, flexing and interference. Let’s take a look at closer look at some of what sets industrial Ethernet cables apart from commercial-grade cables.

Shielded from the Noise

Just like in the commercial environment, areas of high interference in a factory will use shielded cabling such as where cables need to run near arc welding machines, switching relays, AC drives and other noise sources. Areas of severe interference may need more than just an overall shield (F/UTP) and may require both an individual and overall shield (S/FTP).

When it comes to harsher industrial environments, standards refer to “MICE” where M is mechanical (flex, vibration), I is Ingress (moisture), C is Climatic (temperature), E is Electromagnetic (noise). The “E” in MICE is used for testing electromagnetic interference.

Fluke CableAnalyzer series of testers have the capability to test the “E” in MICE standards bases on the level – E1 for data rooms or office environments, E3 for zones close to powerful EMI sources and E2 for cable runs between E1 and E3 zones. These tests look at balance parameters including Transverse Conversion Loss (TCL) and Equal Level Transverse Conversion Transfer Loss (TCTL) that are covered in MICE standards (check out the blog on TCL and ETCL for more information). Higher E values have tighter TCL and ETCTL balance requirements to reject more packet-damaging EMI. Check out the video of our own Jim Davis testing the “E” in M.I.C.E.

Jacket Required

Most of what sets industrial Ethernet cables apart is the temperature rating and jacket material. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) jacketing used for commercial-grade cables is common for light industrial environments since it has the best price point and is oil resistant, but often industrial cables need a little more. For example, fluorinated ethylene polypropylene (FEP) jacket materials and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) can withstand extreme temperatures from around -50°C to about 125°C versus 0°C to about 75° for PVC. TPE cables are also more flexible and resistant to sunlight, ozone, corrosive sea water and heavy oil so they are often used in industrial outdoor and marine applications.

One of the most common jacket materials used for industrial Ethernet cables is polyurethane (PUR). While it does not have as broad of a temperature range as FEP and TPE, PUR has a high tensile strength and is chemical resistant, flexible and abrasion proof – it is mechanically tough and difficult to cut or tear, making them ideal for machining and stamping applications.  

Other jacket materials found on industrial Ethernet cables include thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU or TMPU) and chlorinated polyethylene (CPE). The type of jacket material selected has everything to do with the environment and application (and a little to do with cost). Once again, M.I.C.E. (especially the C) is used to determine the right jacket material.

The Need to Flex

Like commercial-grade twisted-pair cables, industrial Ethernet cables also come in solid or stranded construction (check out this blog if you don’t know the difference). Just as stranded cables are used for patch cords in the commercial environment due to greater flexibility, stranded cables for industrial Ethernet are also used for flexibility. The difference is that they aren’t limited to just patch cords since there are many areas in the industrial environment where cables are exposed to frequent bending, flexing and twisting (think robotics and other repeated motion applications).

Most stranded Ethernet cables typically consist of seven 32 AWG strands per conductor, but high-flex cable used for industrial environments have a higher strand count of 19 per conductor. There are even super high-flex cables that have upwards of 60 strands per conductor. Of course, the more strands, the smaller the gauge of each strand (typically 40 AWG) to keep the overall cable gauge the same. Measured by the number of cycles, flex life for normal stranded Ethernet cable typically manages about 50,000 cycles while high flex cables can manage anywhere between 1 and 10 million cycles. High flex cables also feature more flexible cable jacket materials such as TPE.

Just like stranded cables used in commercial-grade patch cords, stranded industrial Ethernet cables also have higher insertion loss and DC resistance. The good news is that most of the high flex cables used in industrial Ethernet are very short lengths (typically less than 3 meters), so insertion loss is not typically a problem.

When it comes to testing industrial Ethernet, you don’t need to worry quite as much about the cable type as you do the connector interface to make sure your tester can connect. But the overall performance of the cable will certainly impact your results.

Click HERE to learn more about Fluke Networks’ Industrial Ethernet solutions.

Want more information on industrial network cable? Feel free to contact us.