Cat 5 v Cat 6

[WhipperSnapper]

What is the difference between a Cat 5 and a Cat 6 Ethernet cable?

 

[JackMDS]

If you have Cat5e installation you can use it as is.

If you install new use Cat6.

For current Giga network both work as needed. In the future when Network would run faster you would need Cat6.

http://www.cat-5-cable-company.../faq-cat6-v-cat5e.html

 

[Eug]

CAT6 is higher rated speed-wise than CAT5e. However, both are fine for Gigabit Ethernet.

I'm a n00b, but after dealing with some CAT6, I decided to run CAT5e everywhere. Why?

1) CAT5e can be a lot cheaper.
2) CAT5e connectors (jacks & plugs) are usually a lot cheaper.
3) CAT5e cable (and jacks) are a lot easier to find locally, especially if you have colour preferences. With CAT6, it's around, but specific types are harder to find.
4) CAT5e is generally thinner - less loops in the cable - so it's easier to work with. Plus there is no 23 AWG CAT5e AFAIK, so pretty much any RJ45 jacks will fit. (Some CAT6 is 23 AWG.)
5) I get just under 900 Mbps with my runs of CAT5e cable. With CAT6, I also get just under 900 Mbps. (BTW, I had some existing CAT5 100 MHz cable, and I got close to 900 Mbps over that too.)

I'm not future-proofed for 10 Gigabit networks, but quite frankly, I don't care. Plus, for 10 GigE, you'd probably want CAT6a cable anyway.

 

[JackMDS]

If you buy in a regular retail store they might charge you arm and a leg for CAT6.

Otherwise, http://www.monoprice.com/produ...102&cp_id=10232&style=

Hard to call the above expensive, and unless they pay you for CAT5e there is No margin for it to be much less expensive.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: JackMDS
If you buy in a regular retail store they might charge you arm and a leg for CAT6.

Otherwise, http://www.monoprice.com/produ...102&cp_id=10232&style=

Hard to call the above expensive, and unless they pay you for CAT5e there is No margin for it to be much less expensive.

I own a lot of Monoprice CAT6 patch cables. But they're just patch cables. And I'm usually no longer going to be buying them because they're much thicker than standard CAT5e patch cables. They don't fit as nicely in some wire channels when you pair them up. It's a lot easier to stuff CAT5e into small spaces.

Also, to get 1000 feet of bulk CAT6 shipped to me from Monoprice, it would cost me $75 just for the shipping, plus another $75-85 for the cable. I could get CAT6 locally, but it wouldn't necessarily be in the colour I want, and it's still gonna cost me well over $100. Oh and I just ran some outdoor waterproof CAT5e. Outdoor waterproof CAT6 simply wasn't available locally.