What CAT Cable Is Right For Your Business?

10 February 2023
 Categories: Technology, Blog

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Are you planning to wire your business with new networking cables, but you're not sure which ones to use? If so, it will help to know all of the key differences between the various types of category cables, offered referred to as CAT cables.

CAT 5

One of the first types of CAT cables is actually known as CAT 5 and is not used much anymore. This is because the data speeds were very slow at speeds only up to 100 Mbps. There isn’t often a good reason to run CAT 5 cables for a business these days.

CAT 5e

The next evolution of category cables is called CAT 5e, with that “e” standing for enhanced. The speeds available with CAT 5e cables are 10 times faster than CAT 5, with it peaking at 1 Gbps. This cable is completely fine for businesses that use a 1 gigabit Internet connection since the cable is capable of transferring the full data speeds.

CAT 6

CAT 6 cables are also 10 times faster than their predecessor with speeds up to 10 Gbps. While this cable is unnecessary for those just looking to get a standard business Internet connection to each employee's workstation, it may be necessary for a server environment where high-speed data transfers are key. This could include a business that does video editing and needs to play back 4K or 8K footage on a computer. 

One of the improvements with the CAT 6 cable is the improved design. The cable has additional shielding to prevent cross-talk, as well as twisted pairs of wires within it that help the cable reach a far distance. 

CAT 7 

When you get into the CAT 7 cables, you will see support for higher frequencies than CAT 6 cables.  These cables can be beneficial in data centers where you have a large amount of data transferring between different devices. CAT 7 can also help transfer data over a longer distance than CAT 6 as well. 

CAT 8

You likely will not need CAT 8 cables due to the infrastructure necessary to benefit from them just being so rare. The cables are capable of transmitting data at 25 Gbps, which makes them much faster than CAT 6 and 7.  While it could be a way to future-proof your business, you may find that sticking with a cable like CAT 6 is going to be sufficient and more cost-effective. 

To learn more, contact a network cabling service in your area.