A complete guide to CAT 5 cable

 An Ethernet cable connects devices to networks, that’s the primary purpose of the cable. And just as the regular internet connection tends to vary in speed and bandwidth, so does the Ethernet. Yes, there are various kinds and what makes the issue more difficult is the fact that networking standards tend to differ widely. As a result, you are bound to feel a little confused when it comes to selecting the right Ethernet cable for your organization. And that’s why you need to review the following, especially as it happens to be a complete guide to CAT 5.

• What does CAT mean?:

Let’s see, you have been browsing online for Ethernet a while now. And yes, you are bound to come across various specifications such as CAT5, RG48, etc. The former stands for category while the later is meant to denote radio guide. That’s a tad more confusing right? The one you need to focus on is category. As it is, there are several categories in Ethernet, from 1 to higher numbers. And a general rule of the thumb is that the higher the number that follows CAT, the faster the speed as well as frequencies in MHz. And naturally, the higher the number, the more the CAT5 wire price as well.

• CAT 5 or category 5: It is primarily a twisted cable, that had been developed for computer networks. Since 2001, the CAT5e cable has been the industry standard which is able to provide high speeds and high transfer rates, currently it can provide upwards of 100 MHz. Among its other uses, it is also used for telephone as well as for carrying bulk video files. What makes this interesting is the fact it comes with other applications as well.  Of course, its primary use is structured cabling for computer networks like Ethernet over twisted pair, apart from this, it also happens to be used for other household applications as well. It should also be pointed out that the ‘e’ in CAT 5e stands for enhanced but there’s nary a difference between CAT5 and CAT 5e. As a result, CAT5 has been the industry standard for the last several years.

• Cost: When it comes to cost, it happens to have a clear advantage over others in the sense it is the cheapest where networking cables are concerned. As a result, it is widely used in the software industry with several cross applications.

• Transfer speeds: When it comes to transfer rates and speeds, cat 5 has a clear advantage over others in the sense it is able to provide a higher transfer rate. In comparison to older cabling that’s a tad obsolete, CAT 5 tends to carry four signals at once. 

• Versatility: CAT 5 happens to be the most versatile of the lot; two wires are used in the cable with a solid one, called the standard conductor. The solid conductor is the cheapest version of CAT5 that’s currently available. The other one is called the standard conductor

This should help provide all the information you need on CAT5, and how to use the same.  Given the advantages, you may want to check out the CAT5 cable price in India.