Common Guide of Cat5e Cat6 Cat7 Communication Cable

Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat7 have been the three most commonly used fiber optic cables. What is the difference between Cat5e, Cat6 Cable and Cat7 Cable? Which one is better? This article introduces these three fiber optic cables from the user’s perspective. You can get the following key information:

What is Cat5e Cable? What is Cat6 Cable? What is Cat7 Cable;

Differences between Cat5e and Cat6 and Cat7 cables;

Based on different reference scenarios, how to choose Cat5e Cat6 and Cat7 cable?

What is Cat5e cable?

The “e” in Cat5e stands for “enhanced”. It is a Category 5e cable that is widely used in home and small and medium-sized office networks.

It is usually 24AWG twisted pair. Cat5e cable can support Gigabit Ethernet speeds up to 1000 Mbps over segment distances of up to 100 meters.

What is Cat6 cable?

Cat6 is also a cable, but it has higher performance. It can handle data transmission rates of up to 10 Gbps.

Cat6 Cable is widely used in large networks and high-speed Internet connections.

What is Cat7 cable?

Cat7 cables have a thinner jacket. Cat 7 cable reduce the degradation of data transmission. It can transmit 40 Gb over a distance of 50 meters.

Cat7 cable do not use RJ45 connectors, but instead use a proprietary connector.

Cat5e vs Cat6 vs Cat7 Cable, Key Difference Between Them

	Cat5e	Cat6	Cat7
Frequency	100-250MHz	250MHz	600MHz-1000MHz
Bandwidth	100Mbps to 1Gbps	1Gbps	10Gbps to 40Gbps
Shielding	UTP/STP	UTP/STP	UTP/STP
Connector Type	RJ45	RJ45	/

How to Choose Cat5e, Cat6, Cat7 Cable?

Based on indoor application

For indoor scenarios, there is less electromagnetic interference indoors. And the use of Cat5e is cost-effective. Cat5e cable are suitable for general home networks. They can meet basic Internet connections, email, file sharing and other needs.

Cat6 cable are suitable for environments with high network speed requirements. Such as large offices, data centers, etc. At the same time, its anti-interference performance has been improved. And it is also suitable for indoor environments with large electromagnetic interference.

Although the network transmission speed of Cat7 Cable is extremely high, the corresponding cost is also greater. It is suitable for financial institutions, scientific laboratories, and data centers. It is used to connect high-performance servers, storage devices, and network devices. Ensure high-speed and stable transmission of data.

Based on outdoor application

For outdoor scenarios, the outer wrapping material of general Cat5e cable is thinner. Which is suitable for short-distance outdoor connections. Such as connecting outdoor cameras or wireless base stations. Cat6 and Cat7 have better weather resistance and wear resistance. Which are suitable for medium and long-distance outdoor connection scenarios. And can resist interference from bad weather. Of course, for specific outdoor Cat5e cables, it is waterproof and windproof. They can be directly buried in pipes.

Conclusion

Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat7 cable have their own unique application value in different scenarios with different requirements for network data transmission. When choosing a network cable, you should make comprehensive considerations based on specific needs and network environment. TOEM has been deeply involved in the fiber optic cable communication industry for 11 years. We has professional wiring solutions and fiber optic cable solutions. Welcome to contact us at any time.