Cat5E or Cat6?

[jakepallbin]

We're trying to decide if we should use Cat5E or Cat6 in our small office. We are not heavy bandwidth/network users, but we woud like to consider what our future needs might be. Under what applications or usage would Cat6 be more appropriate than Cat5E? Thanks, Jake

 

[spidey07]

cat 6. the cost difference is so minimal it shouldn't really be a thought.

 

[gaidin123]

Hi there, welcome to the AT forums.

Cat5e is rated for gigabit ethernet. Cat5e afaik has not been rated for anything beyond GigE. Cat6 is also rated for gigabit ethernet. It is a higher quality cable, more bandwidth, and thicker physically so in terms of future growth Cat6 definitely has more headroom/options than Cat5e.

Cat5e walljacks, patch panels, and punchdown blocks are cheaper than Cat6 rated ones and for a smaller office GigE should be more than sufficient for quitte some time as long as you aren't in need of a LOT of bandwidth. If there isn't a "large" cost difference for wiring the place up I'd go for the Cat6 but if the difference is signifigant 5e is what we're running and it has worked great for quite a while.

Gaidin

 

[dphantom]

Originally posted by: spidey07
cat 6. the cost difference is so minimal it shouldn't really be a thought.

Cat 6. When I bid out for our new data center, there was no difference in cost between cat 5 and cat 6.

 

[JackMDS]

Installing today CAT5e, in an office envioroment is like saying: ?My computing needs are not so High, let me buy new PentiumII-300 computers, and equip them with 802.11b Wireless".

:sun:

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: JackMDS
Installing today CAT5e, in an office envioroment is like saying: ?My computing needs are not so High, let me buy new PentiumII-300 computers, and equip them with 802.11b Wireless".

:sun:

pretty close.

Cabling is supposed to last 10 years. Build it for 10 years. Cat5 (and in a way cat5e) have been around for 10 years...they are about at the end of their life.

 

[jakepallbin]

Thanks to all for the knowledgeable and prompt replies. Jake