Cat5e Cat 6 vs Cat 7
Cat 5e Vs Cat 6 Vs Cat 7 Networking Cable Comparison
Above are the features of the most popular 3 kinds Ethernet networking cable we are using in daily life. But it is really no necessary compare those 3 cables just by numbers. Of course, Category 7 cable is able to achieve higher performance than preceding Ethernet standards such as Cat 5e and Cat 6. But this has exactly nothing to do with the PIC bus (a local computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a computer), USB, FSB or CPU frequencies or speeds in your PC or ever.
In short, which category cable you should have depends on what you used for, and what kind equipment you have; and how long you would last for your home /office..
In the other hand, those statuses still tell things, just don’t overkill them.
cat 6 networking cable
Cat5e was enhanced to support network connections at 100 Mbps, which is also known as “gigabit Ethernet.” “Crosstalk,” a term which describes the occurrence of the confusion of signals between cablesCat5e cable is ideal for users of gigabit Ethernet looking to maximize their connection and data speeds.
Cat6 often used for Ethernet, LAN and similar connections. Cat6 cable works best at less than 100 meters in length. Cat6 cable supports bandwidth of 250 Mhz and so is greater than Cat5 but not quite up to what Cat5e provides.
For most home Internet connections, as long as the distance between the devices is less than 100 meters (about 330 feet), any of the cables will work but Cat5e or Cat6 will offer faster Internet speeds. If your Internet is primarily Wi-Fi, the cable used for the basic connections can be any of these.
The other thing that needs to be noticed is the speed of the machines sending and receiving data. For example, if you have an old server used by 40 PCs, and you connect a hub. In this case, it won’t make any difference even you hook up some CAT6 cables to speed up your whole work. Because the old server can’t handle those requests that quickly. And it will go at its own speed, or even crash. Users should not buy cables only because the category number, check the equipments first.
So same reason for the Cat 7,
The Cat 7 cable standard has been created to allow 10 Gigabit Ethernet over 100 m of coppercabling, the cable contains four twisted copper wire pairs, just like the earlier standards. So that means the cable is heavier and thicker than the other Category ones.
Many users ask for the poor performance of Cat 7. The reasons might be :
cat 7 networking cable
- Category 7 should be grounded properly or the performance may end up worse than Cat 5. Equipment that is compliant with Cat7 standard has 4 additional contacts in addition to the current 8 contacts found in standard RJ45 connectors. Without grounding those additional 4 connectors you may end up experiencing worse performance in the cable due to induced current/voltages (perhaps from nearby electrical cables).
- It is important to remember that your network will not perform at Gigabit speeds, unless all of the components are validated at Gigabit speeds. So you will need not only gigabit cables, but you will need a gigabit switch, router or hub and also gigabit network cards.
As a conclusion, please check the distance, equipment and how long you want to be used for you category cables first. Then choose the networking cable. The Cat 7 is better than the other two categories cables, but somehow, like Cat 6, is enough speed and quality for a home. Or if you grounded your cables in your home for more than 10 year, Cat 7 could be you choices.