[Freeflyer]

Hi all, I'm just about to put in a couple of ethernet extensions, and it works out cheaper to buy a bulk 1000' ($36) roll than to just buy a couple of long patch cables locally.

Is it worth going for cat 6? I'm not doing a house rewire, and I only stay in each house for 3-4 years before moving.

I have wireless networking for most things, and can always plug the powerbooks together if necessary. Does cat 5e support gigabit speeds, and what benefit would I gain from cat 6.

Thanks,

J.

[ghporter]

You can get away with using Cat5 for gigabit. You won't necessarily get the full speed gigabit is capable of, but you will see a great improvement over 100BaseT connections.

Cat6 is still pretty pricey, and you don't get the payoff that the price suggests, so I'd go with good Cat5 for the forseeable future.

[Scarpa]

I agree if it's not for permanent infrastructure stick with cat5.

[CIA]

As far as I know, the only difference between cat-5, cat-5e, and cat-6 is the number of twists per inch inside the cable. If this is incorrect, I would love to know the real difference.
I found this on the web:

CAT5 cable is a high performance unshielded, twisted pair data transmission line. The twisting of the pairs gives this type of cable some immunity from the infiltration of unwanted interference. CAT5e is a cable with the same characteristics as CAT5 but is manufactured to somewhat more stringent standards that allow it transmission speeds of up to 1Gigabit per second. CAT6 is the next higher level of cable under consideration by IEEE 568A. It is not yet adopted but many vendors have their version of "pre-standard" CAT6 cable available.

Also:

Q: CAT5 verses CAT6?
A: You must wonder, why does anyone want to bother with CAT6 since CAT5e is good enough for Gigabit Ethernet, and most desktop applications are still at 100 or even 10Base-T.

To answer this question, I like to remind you that most cabling in commercial building gets upgraded in a 10-year period, vs electronic equipment, which is normally upgraded every 2-3 years. When you plan the cabling, you may want to look what you may have 10 years from now and make sure it can withstand a few equipement upgrades.

Also, you have to look into your budget, and balance your need for bandwidth in the long run and the financial burden you can bear now.

In my opinion, if it won't cause you too much financial stress, you should lay CAT6 solid cable in the wall. Because this is the most labor consuming part of the project, which can cause the most interruption to your daily operation. You are paying a little premium for the cables now, but you avoided the need to re-run all the cables through the building.

The CAT6 standard hasn't been finally approved, our CAT6 cables are made to meet the proposed standard. This cable is made from 23-gauge conductor, versus 24 gage for the CAT5 cables, it also comes with a separator in the middle to effectively control the crosstalk. We think this cable can pass the final CAT6 standard, but it's hard for me to guarantee it now since the standard hasn't been finally approved. The part No. for our CAT6 cable is A7L704-1000 (PVC) and A7L704-1000BL-P (Plenum). Also, this is why we haven't come up with CAT6 jacks and patch panels yet.

Your next question might be: why do I want to lay CAT6 solid cable if I don't have CAT6 jack and patch panels?

Again, the most labor intensive part is to pull the solid cable through the building, re-terminate jacks and patch panels are relatively easy and cause much less interruption to your daily operation. Also, our CAT6 cable is backward compatible with all CAT5 and CAT5e jacks and patch panel, it is going to give you a very nice headroom over the performance requirements of the current CAT5e and Gigabit Ethernet over Copper standard. Also, in case you do need to do CAT6 through the whole system in the future, just re-terminate all the jacks and patch panels, which is much easier than re-pull the cable through the whole building.

As to which jacks and patch panels to use, I recommend the new Universal Connections CAT5e jacks and patch panels, please contact Belkin sales rep. for part #s and new Universal Connections catalog.

And finally, a monster:

1._ What is the difference between CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6, CAT7...

The Simple Answer:_
CAT5 is rated to 100M
CAT5e is rated to 350M
CAT6 and CAT6e is rated to 550M or 1000M depending on your source
CAT7 is supposedly rated to 700M or presumably 1000M

Today there is no approved CAT6 or CAT7. While some folks are selling products they call Level 6 or 7, there aren’t even specs for them, making CAT5e the best available option._ CAT6 cable is being made with 23 guage conductor wire as opposed to the slightly smaller 24 guage for CAT5e and also has a separator to handle crosstalk better.

Both CAT5 and CAT5e have 100 ohm impedance and electrical characteristics supporting transmissions up to 100 MHz. The differences between CAT5 and CAT5e show in all aspects of performance: capacitance, frequency, resistance, attenuation, and NEXT._ CAT5e components were designed with high-speed gigabit Ethernet in mind. While CAT5 components may function to some degree in a gigabit Ethernet, they perform below standard during high-data transfer scenarios._ CAT5e cables work with ATM and gigabit speed products._ Simply, if you are using a 100Mbps switch, get CAT5e cable instead of CAT5.

CAT5e is formally called ANSI/TIA/EIA 568A-5 or simply Category 5e (the e stands for ‘enhanced’)._ CAT5e is completely backward compatible with current CAT5 equipment. The enhanced electrical performance of CAT5e ensures that the cable will support applications that require additional bandwidth, such as gigabit Ethernet or analog video.

2._ What is the difference between the types of cable - UTP, Patch, Stranded, Solid...

UTP stands for Unshielded Twisted Pair._ It is a cable type with pairs of twisted insulated copper conductors contained in a single sheath._ UTP cables are the most common type of cabling used in desktop communications applications.

Stranded cable has several small gauge wires in each separate insulation sleeve._ Stranded cable is more flexible, making it more suitable for shorter distances, such as patch cords.

Solid has one larger gauge wire in each sleeve._ Solid cable has better electrical performance than stranded cable and is traditionally used for inside walls and through ceilings - any type of longer run of cable.

Patch Cables are made of stranded copper conductors for flexibility. This construction is great for the flexing and the frequent changes that occur at the wall outlet or patch panel._ The stranded conductors do not transmit data signals as far as solid cable. The TIA/EIA 568A which is the governing standard regarding commercial cabling systems limits the length of patch cables to 10 meters in total length._ Does that mean you can't use stranded cable for longer runs?_ Not at all,_ we've seen installations running stranded cable over 100 feet with no problems - it's just not recommended._ This is why we don't sell patch cables over 30 feet in length.

3. What is the difference between 10BASE-T, 100BASE-T and 1000BASE-T?

10BASE-T is the IEEE standard that defines the requirement for sending information at 10 Mbps on unshielded twisted-pair cabling, and defines various aspects of running Ethernet on this cabling._

100BASE-T is the IEEE standard that defines the requirement for sending information at 100 Mbps on unshielded twisted-pair cabling, and defines various aspects of running baseband Ethernet on this cabling._

1000BASE-T (also called gigabit Ethernet) is the IEEE standard that defines the requirement for sending information at 1000 Mbps on unshielded twisted-pair cabling, and defines various aspects of running baseband Ethernet on this cabling

4._ What is a cross-over cable?

A cross-over cable is a segment of cable that crosses over pins 1&2 and 3&6. This cable is normally used to connect two PCs without the use of a hub, or can be used to cascade two hubs without using an uplink port._ Some DSL modems require a crossover calbe to the PC or hub they are connected to.

5._ What are the maximum lengths for cables?

For Solid UTP:
Fast Ethernet 100baseT 100 Meters (328 feet)
Twisted Pair Ethernet 10baseT 100 Meters (328 feet)

Recommended maximum lengths for Patch Cables made from stranded cable:
Fast Ethernet 100baseT 10 Meters (33 feet)
Twisted Pair Ethernet 10baseT 10 Meters (33 feet)

6._ Is CAT5e backwards compatible?

Yes it works with any 10BaseT or 100BaseT network cards and hubs.
CAT5 is also upwardly compatible with CAT5e, however your network throughput will only be as fast as the slowest part.

7._ Can I run CAT5e ethernet cable outside?

CAT5e cable is not rated for outdoor use, however it can generally be used without a problem. If possible, run the cable through some kind of conduit to prevent moisture or an attractive site for lightning to strike._ You should be able to find gray PVC conduit suitable for cable at any hardware store. Remember, 100 Meters is your max distance, without some kind of hub, bridge or amplification.

8._ What is the operating temp for CAT5e cable?

Operating Temp for CAT5e cable: -10C to 60C

10._ What are the UL levels of cable?

There are three levels._ General Purpose: UL1581;_ Riser: UL1666;_ and Plenum UL910. These numbers are all fire and safety rated.

11. What is EMI and how can you prevent it?

EMI stands for Electro-Magnetic Interference._ It is potentially harmful to your communications system because it can lead to signal loss and degrade the overall performance of high-speed, CAT5e cabling._ EMI is interference in signal transmission or reception and is caused by the radiation of electrical or magnetic fields which are present near power cables, heavy machinery, or fluorescent lighting.

Avoiding EMI is as simple as not laying your network cable within 12" of electrical cable, or if needed switching from UTP to more expensive shielded cable.

[kampl]

From what I can tell the biggest difference/benefit of Cat6 is the use of measures to further increase the signal propagating down the wire versus the noise. I mean further measures to eliminate crosstalk like more twists per inch, heavier gauge cable for the pairs, and further shielding internal to the outer casing that is binding the pairs. I've never used the stuff but that is what I have gleaned from CIA's comments and the content of the posts. Makes sense to me, but perhaps I'm missing something. Personally I wouldn't bother just yet with Cat6 for cost/benefit reasons. Gig copper is fine for me over Cat5e currently which I don't really use much. Fiber is the medium of choice where I have to deal with Gig speeds.