This needs to be balanced against the goal to “future proof” the network. Finally, with faster speeds likely coming to Cat5e, there is plenty of life in this older standard. Cat5e is the most flexible around turns and corners, and therefore the most “hassle free” for the DIY installer, with Cat6 being thicker, and so on going up. Decision timeīut which cable is the best to use? Just like there is no best computer or best router for everyone, it comes down to a few variables.įrom a cost perspective, Cat5e is the most affordable, Cat6 costs only a little more (and consider that the labor is often the more major expense), and each generation beyond costs considerably more. Want some Cat7 cable? The Amazon Basics version will only cost you $7 for 3ft. These "next generation" cable choices of Cat7 and above are more suited to data centers, than residential applications. There is also a Cat8 standard that is still being finalized, but no gear is currently available, with a targeted throughput of 40 Gbps at longer distances. The speeds are wickedly fast, at shorter distances, maxing out at 100 Gbps at less than 15 meter distances, and reverting to 10 Gbps at longer distances. The latest "cable on the block" is Cat7, which is shielded, and requires a GigaGate45 connection. The transmission bandwidth is also doubled, from 250 to 500 MHz, and Cat6a cables are often shielded, which makes them ideal for industrial use. The cost is about 20-35% higher than Cat6, but the maximum cable length is 100 meters across all systems and conditions for Gigabit Ethernet it's theoretical top speed is 10 Gbps over 100 meters (330 feet) of cable. Cat6aĬat6a is, for the most part, not that much different from Cat6, but there are some differences worth noting. Here's the Amazon Basics Cat6 cable for just under $5. Cat6 has also traditionally been more expensive, although the price difference compared to Cat5e has lessened over time. While the speeds are faster for Cat6 on shorter runs, the downside is that the wires are stiffer making them more difficult to bend, and the thicker wires are more difficult to terminate.
While the obvious advantage of Cat6 cabling is that the throughput bumps up to a ridiculous 10 Gbps, but the detail is that these speeds are limited to 55 meter distances, which is shorter than for Cat5 or Cat5e runs, and at longer distances goes back to 1 Gbps. The next standard up is Cat6, which are wound more tightly with a nylon spline and shielding to further reduce crosstalk and reduce interference.
If you've got to have it, here's the Amazon Basics Cat5e cable for around $7. There is also a plan to increase the speeds of Cat5e to 5 Gbps over the existing cables, known as the IEEE P802.3bz standard, which also works on Cat6 cabling.
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