You can Run 100Mb/sec. using CAT5, you do not need CAT5e.
A little perspective on Network Cabling.
This is a simplified (to suit all customer version); "Plumbers" please do not get upset.
In most cases of need to transfer electrical information, we use wires that are comprised of copper.
Copper is chosen, because it is inexpensive, mechanically flexible, and a good conductor.
Electrical transfer of electricity is made of rapid transfer of electrons from one molecule of the conductor to the other.
This transfer is generating heath, and electrical field around it. It is also susceptible to be influenced by outside electrical fields (commonly called noise).
The higher the frequency (speed) of the electrical transmission the more it creates noise, or can be affected by outside noise.
In order to suppress the phenomenon the coax cable was invented. The coax cable is build with inner copper conductor that is surrounded by ?plastic? tube, and the plastic tube has a Screen like copper sleeve around it. This copper sleeve is grounded on both sides of the cable, thus creating an electronic shield around the central conductor that carries the electrical information. It blocks sending interference out, and protected the central conductor from out side interference. In the early day of Networking coax cables were used to connect the NICs.
However, coax is expensive and hard to work with, hence comes the CAT5.
The main idea of the Cat5 is twisted pairs of conductors, since a pair of conductor when twisted together will create electrical fileds that can cancel out the noise. (like pushing and pulling the same electrical signal).
The efficacy of the CAT5 cable is a result of the twisted pairs, thus it is very important to build the CAT5 cable correctly, other wise the noise cancellation is reduced, and the Network will stop functioning, or will function at a reduced frequency (speed). Testing, and certifying a cable actually done by transfering high frequency through the cable, and measure the outcome, this is the reason why DC conductance (using regular OHMmeter) is not the correct test to insure CAT5 cable performance.
Unfortunately, High Frequency Networks are starting to reach the limit of the twisted pair?s technology.
Optic fibers is already used in major industrial installation, some time in the future, it probably will replace the Copper cables in local usage too. Optic fiber uses modulated light to transfer the Network info, thus it is not susceptible the above-mentioned noise.
The following table shows the speed of CAT X cables, and the kind of tests that has to be performed.
CAT 6 ballot passes at recent TIA Meeting.
And the future:
10 Gigabit Ethernet.
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