what is the different between Category 5 and Category 5e internet wire?

[dodo]

And how can I tell which one I should use?

Thanks a lot.

dodo

 

[John]

CAT5 is rated to 100MHz
CAT5e is rated to 350MHz

 

[dodo]

So I can use Category 5e at the place where I should use Category 5?

One strange thing is Category 5e is cheaper than Category 5. What is the reason for that?

 

[thorin]

I believe Cat5e is designed to handle GigaBit Ethernet, while Cat5 is only designed to handle 100Mbit Ethernet. Yes you can use Cat5e where you would use Cat5 (it simply has more sheilding and perhaps slightly higher quality metal in the strands). As for 5e being cheaper that is likely because more companies are producting 5e certified cable now then those that are producing cat5 (just like EDO ram is more expensive [oer MB] then DDR these days).

Thorin

 

[dawbs]

hello,

Why not use firewire....400 megs per sec
Only limitation is cable can only be 15 ft long.... per pc
But that is SMOKING" comparied to 100 megs..

I have it setup and it really fast..

just my $0.02


dawbs

 

[amdskip]

firewire is frankly a dying technology with usb 2.0 out

He probably needs longer thatn 15 ft if he is networking computers😉

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

<< hello,

Why not use firewire....400 megs per sec
Only limitation is cable can only be 15 ft long.... per pc
But that is SMOKING" comparied to 100 megs..

I have it setup and it really fast..

just my $0.02


dawbs >>


yeah, 10baseT is pretty fast, depending on what you're doing.

most PC users don't have firewire ports, so he would have to buy cards for them all, not to mention the fact that it would prohibit any non-firewire ready computers from being added to the network. i don't know what you do that requires 400Mb/s but 100Mb/s is more than enough bandwidth unless you're transferring huge video files or something of that nature. even then, there's gigabit eithernet, which is backwards compatible.

dont get me wrong, i like firewire, just not for networking 😉

 

[QTPie]

CAT 6 is for Gigabit. CAT 5e is good for long distance and more reliable.

 

[AndyHui]

Please read the FAQ

 

[WebDude]

Several manufacturer's of gigabit ethernet say Cat5e cable is good enough for their copper gigabit stuff. (That will help move the gigabit stuff into the workplace, because it will not require total replacement of existing cables.) Cat6 will be interesting when it's finalized, but it hasn't been yet, and anyone claiming to sell Cat6 stuff is not telling the whole truth.

WebDude😎

 

[ScottMac]

Cat 5e is good for any Gigabit Ethernet over copper. Some/many Gig switches will operate in-spec over Cat5 (Extreme for one).

There is no "Longer Distance:" All Category-rated UTP is spec'd for 100 meters. That's the target, that's what the cable manufacturers aim for, and that's the standard they have to meet to be certified to a Category Specification.

FWIW

Scott

 

[nortexoid]

firewire is dying??...ha - where do people come up w/ this stuff?

USB 2.0 is inferior to firewire....all the major names support firewire (i.e. sony, apple, etc.), and that's not gonna stop any time soon. (especially w/ the second iteration coming out soon...)

use the cat5e if it's cheaper...

 

[Eug]

<< firewire is frankly a dying technology with usb 2.0 out >>


Hmmm... that's a bizarre statement. That's like saying SCSI is dead because ATA RAID controllers are out.

In real life:

1) Firewire is a much more mature technology with better drivers, etc., and native Windows and Mac support.
2) Firewire is the standard for digital video
3) Firewire uses less CPU time than USB 2 (USB 2 requires a controller)
4) Firewire in real life is FASTER than USB 2 (for now). For IDE->Firewire bridge controllers, they max out at around 35-40 MB/s. There aren't a lot USB 2 benches out there, but in real life I think they max out around 15 MB/s. This is despite the fact that Firewire has max theoretical speed of 50 MB/s and USB 2 has one of 60 MB/s. Review of USB 2.0 vs. Firewire
5) Firewire can provide up to 15 Watts of power, vs. 2.5 Watts for USB 2. You can even run a laptop hard drive (peak around 5 Watts) off of Firewire power alone.

As for networking, XP including native Firewire networking drivers, but I personally wouldn't do this myself considering the cable length limit is 15 feet.