2022 The Complete Guide to Cable Selection

2022 The Complete Guide to Cable Selection

(1) Classification of network cables

There are many classifications of network cables, which are divided into five categories/super five categories, six categories/super six categories, and seven categories.

1. Category 5 network cable

There is a CAT.5 mark on the outside of the network cable, the highest transmission frequency is 100MHz, and the transmission rate is 100Mbps. It is suitable for networks below 100M, but it is basically no longer used.

2. Category 5e network cable

There is a CAT.5e mark on the outside of the network cable, the transmission frequency is the same as that of Category 5, but the maximum transmission rate is 1000Mbps, which is suitable for gigabit networks. At present, most of the network cables are super Category 5. Especially for our own use.

3. Category 6 network cable

There is a CAT.6 mark on the outside of the network cable, the transmission frequency is 250MHz, and the maximum transmission rate is 1Gbps, which is suitable for gigabit networks.

4. Category 6e network cable

There is a CAT.6e mark on the outside of the network cable, the maximum transmission frequency is 500 MHz, and the transmission speed is 10Gbps, suitable for use in 10 Gigabit networks.

5. Category 7 network cable

The latest type of shielded twisted pair cable, the wire core of Category 7 is copper wire with a thickness of about 0.57mm, which is high-purity oxygen-free copper, which can ensure ultra-low resistance, so that it can transmit farther and more stably. In terms of performance, the highest transmission frequency of the seven categories is 600Mhz, and the transmission rate can reach 10Gbps. But we generally don't use it at home, and 6 categories are enough.

(2) The difference between the network cable

To put it simply, the difference between the six types of network cables and the five types of network cables.

Both Category 6 network cables and Category 5 super network cables support gigabit network transmission, but the Category 6 network cables will have a built-in "cross skeleton" to separate the four pairs of twisted pairs to reduce signal interference between each other and have stronger anti-interference performance. , the transmission stability is better.

Shielded wire is a metal shielding layer added inside the insulating layer. Shielded cable is more expensive than unshielded cable, and the transmission speed of unshielded network cable is actually faster. For general household use, you don't need to consider shielded wires, and unshielded ones are enough.