Bandwidth precedes data rates just as highways come prior to traffic.

Doubling t he bandwidth is like adding two times the number of lanes on a highway. The tren ds of the past and the predictions for the future indicate that rates have been doubling every 18 months. Current applications running at 1 Gb/s are really push ing the limits of category 5e cabling. As streaming media applications such as v ideo and multi-media become common, the demands for faster data rates will incre ase and create new applications that will benefit from the higher bandwidth offe red by category 6. This is exactly what happened in the early 90's when the high er bandwidth of category 5 cabling compared to category 3 caused most LAN applic ations to choose the new media to allow simpler, cost effective, higher speed LA N applications, such as 100BASE-TX. Note: Bandwidth is defined as the highest fr equency up to which positive power sum ACR (Attenuation to Crosstalk Ratio) is g reater than zero. The general difference between category 5e and category 6 is i n the transmission performance, and extension of the allowed bandwidth from 100 MHz for category 5e to 200 MHz for category 6. This includes better insertion lo ss, near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss, and equal level far end crosstalk (E LFEXT). Improvements, such as described, provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing greater reliability for current applications and higher data rates for future applications. Category 6 will eventually supercede category 5e. Analyst predictions and independent polls indicate that 85 to 95 percent of new installa tions will be installed with category 6. The fact that category 6 link and chann el requirements are backward compatible to category 5e makes it quite easy for c ustomers to choose category 6 and supersede category 5e in their networks. Appli cations that worked over category 5e will still work over category 6. Because of its greater transmission performance and better immunity from external noise, s ystems operating over 6 cabling will have fewer errors vs. category 5e for curre nt applications. This means fewer re-transmissions of lost or corrupted data pac kets under certain conditions, which translates into higher reliability for cate gory 6 networks compared to category 5e networks. Category 6 will be very effect ive in the residential market to support higher Internet access speeds while fac ilitating the more stringent Class B EMC requirements (see also the entire FCC R ules and Regulations, Title 47, Part 15). The better balance of category 6 will make it easier to meet the residential EMC requirements compared to category 5e cabling. Also, the growth of streaming media applications to the home will incre ase the need for higher data rates which are supported more easily and efficient ly by category 6 cabling.

[Q] What is the difference between CAT 6 and CAT 5e cable? [A] Currently there is a great deal of confusion among Ethernet cable buyers con cerning whether to purchase Cat5e, or to use Cat6. Most of this confusion comes from a misunderstanding by the buyer that buying Cat6 cable will give them an "a ll gigabit" network. This is not the case. Unless every single component in the network is gigabit rated, then you will never have a gigabit network, because yo ur network will always run at the speed of your slowest device. Cat5e cable of g ood quality can run near or at gigabit speeds, it just cannot be "certified" for this use. By comparison, Cat6 is designed especially for gigabit use, and is ce rtified to operate at said speed. It becomes a matter of whether or not you want to pay all that extra money, for little or no noticeable improvement in the per formance of you network. In most cases, it makes more sense to go with Cat5e. It is for this reason that most of your new installations in the private sector ar e going with Cat5e. It is more economical, performs well, and is readily availab le in many colors. Many IT professionals when asked about why they specified Cat 6 for a specific job, often responded stated that they "wanted the best they cou ld get." This is the line of thought behind many purchases of cable. The average consumer often times is not aware that there is no real benefit to them to use Cat6, so they let someone talk them in to buying it. CAT 5 Cable Company is comm itted to helping people make good decisions about cable purchases and we are alw

ays standing by to help you.

[Q] What's the difference between CAT 5 cable and CAT 5e cable? [A] CAT 5 cable and CAT 5e cable have several differences, the most important ar e as follows: Network support - CAT 5 cable will support 10/100 Ethernet. That is, Ethernet an d Fast Ethernet. CAT 5e cable will support Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet. CAT 5e Cable is completely backwards compatible, and can be used in an y application in which you would normally use CAT 5 cable. Less cross talk - Cross talk is the electrical interference that results when on e wire's signal effects another wire's signal. CAT 5e cable has been improved ov er CAT 5 cable in this respect, and cross talk has been greatly reduced. Bandwidth - This is directly related to network support, in the sense that the b andwidth is the information-carrying capacity of a system. The greater the bandw idth, the greater the information-carrying capacity in a given period of time. C AT 5e cable is rated at 350 megahertz, and it is this increased bandwidth (compa red to CAT 5 cable) that allows it to support Gigabit Ethernet. If you are unsure whether to order CAT 5 OR CAT 5e, we recommend ordering CAT 5e . CAT 5e is completely backwards compatible and we do not charge any additional amount for it. The improvements made in CAT 5e over the original CAT 5 Cable are astonishing, so it will always be the right choice between the two. CAT 5 Cable will still be sufficient for many applications. In fact, there are s till companies operating today that have special requirements for CAT 5. These w ill be the exceptions of course, because almost all new installations are being done with CAT 5e. The improved signal carrying capacity of the cable is the prim ary reason. CAT 5e Cable also has improved durability, due to improvements in the quality an d thickness of the PVC protective jacket. It is more than suitable for most data cabling requirements.

Why do I need all the bandwidth of category 6? As far as I know, there is no app lication today that requires 200 MHz of bandwidth. Bandwidth precedes data rates just as highways come before traffic. Doubling the bandwidth is like adding twice the number of lanes on a highway. The trends of the past and the predictions for the future indicate that data rates have been d oubling every 18 months. Current applications running at 1 Gb/s are really pushi ng the limits of category 5e cabling. As streaming media applications such as vi deo and multi-media become commonplace, the demands for faster data rates will i ncrease and spawn new applications that will benefit from the higher bandwidth o ffered by category 6. This is exactly what happened in the early 90 s when the highe r bandwidth of category 5 cabling compared to category 3 caused most LAN applica tions to choose the better media to allow simpler, cost effective, higher speed LAN applications, such as 100BASE-TX. Note: Bandwidth is defined as the highest frequency up to which positive power sum ACR (Attenuation to Crosstalk Ratio) is greater than zero. What is the general difference between category 5e and category 6?

The general difference between category 5e and category 6 is in the transmission performance, and extension of the available bandwidth from 100 MHz for category 5e to 200 MHz for category 6. This includes better insertion loss, near end cro sstalk (NEXT), return loss, and equal level far end crosstalk (ELFEXT). These im provements provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing higher reliability f or current applications and higher data rates for future applications. Will category 6 supersede category 5e? Yes, analyst predictions and independent polls indicate that 80 to 90 percent all new installations will be cabled with category 6. The fact that category link and channel requirements are backward compatible to category 5e makes it ry easy for customers to choose category 6 and supersede category 5e in their tworks. Applications that worked over category 5e will work over category 6. What does category 6 do for my current network vs. category 5e? Because of its improved transmission performance and superior immunity from exte rnal noise, systems operating over category 6 cabling will have fewer errors vs. category 5e for current applications. This means fewer re-transmissions of lost or corrupted data packets under certain conditions, which translates into highe r reliability for category 6 networks compared to category 5e networks. When should I recommend or install category 6 vs. category 5e? From a future proofing perspective, it is always better to install the best cabl ing available. This is because it is so difficult to replace cabling inside wall s, in ducts under floors and other difficult places to access. The rationale is that cabling will last at least 10 years and will support at least four to five generations of equipment during that time. If future equipment running at much h igher data rates requires better cabling, it will be very expensive to pull out category 5e cabling at a later time to install category 6 cabling. So why not do it for a premium of about 20 percent over category 5e on an installed basis? What is the shortest link that the standard will allow? There is no short length limit. The standard is intended to work for all lengths up to 100 meters. There is a guideline in ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1 that says the co nsolidation point should be located at least 15 meters away from the telecommuni cations room to reduce the effect of connectors in close proximity. This recomme ndation is based upon worst-case performance calculations for short links with f our mated connections in the channel. What is a tuned ets the standard? of 6 ve ne

system between cable and hardware? Is this really needed if product m

The word tuned has been used by several manufacturers to describe products that deliv r headroom to the category 6 standard. This is outside the scope of the category 6 standard. The component requirements of the standard have been carefully desi gned and analyzed to assure channel compliance and electrical/ mechanical intero perability. What is impedance matching between cable and hardware? Is this really needed if product meets the standard? The standard has no impedance matching requirements. These are addressed by havi ng return loss requirements for cables, connectors, and patch cords. Is there a use for category 6 in the residential market?

Yes, category 6 will be very effective in the residential market to support high er Internet access speeds while facilitating the more stringent Class B EMC requ irements (see also the entire FCC Rules and Regulations, Title 47, Part 15). The better balance of category 6 will make it easier to meet the residential EMC re quirements compared to category 5e cabling. Also, the growth of streaming media applications to the home will increase the need for higher data rates which are supported more easily and efficiently by category 6 cabling. Why wouldn t I skip category 6 and go straight to optical fiber?

You can certainly do that but will find that a fiber system is still very expens ive. Ultimately, economics drive customer decisions, and today optical fiber tog ether with optical transceivers is about twice as expensive as an equivalent sys tem built using category 6 and associated copper electronics. Installation of co pper cabling is more craft-friendly and can be accomplished with simple tools an d techniques. Additionally, copper cabling supports the emerging Data Terminal E quipment (DTE) power standard under development by IEEE (802.3af). What is meant by the term "Electrically Balanced"? A simple open wire circuit consisting of two wires is considered to be a uniform , balanced transmission line. A uniform transmission line is one which has subst antially identical electrical properties throughout its length, while a balanced transmission line is one whose two conductors are electrically alike and symmet rical with respect to ground and other nearby conductors.* "Electrically balance d" relates to the physical geometry and the dielectric properties of a twisted p air of conductors. If two insulated conductors are physically identical to one a nother in diameter, concentricity, dielectric material and are uniformly twisted with equal length of conductor, then the pair is electrically balanced with res pect to its surroundings. The degree of electrical balance depends on the design and manufacturing process. Category 6 cable requires a greater degree of precis ion in the manufacturing process. Likewise, a category 6 connector requires a mo re balanced circuit design. For balanced transmission, an equal voltage of oppos ite polarity is applied on each conductor of a pair. The electromagnetic fields created by one conductor cancel out the electromagnetic fields created by its "b alanced" companion conductor, leading to very little radiation from the balanced twisted pair transmission line. The same concept applies to external noise that is induced on each conductor of a twisted pair. A noise signal from an external source, such as radiation from a radio transmitter antenna generates an equal v oltage of the same polarity, or "common mode voltage," on each conductor of a pa ir. The difference in voltage between conductors of a pair from this radiated si gnal, the "differential voltage," is effectively zero. Since the desired signal on the pair is the differential signal, the interference does not affect balance d transmission. The degree of electrical balance is determined by measuring the "differential voltage" and comparing it to the "common mode voltage" expressed i n decibels (dB). This measurement is called Longitudinal Conversion Loss "LCL" i n the Category 6 standard. * The ABC s of the telephone Vol. 7 Category 6 Cable Questions What is the difference between enhanced category 5e cable rated for 400 MHz and category 6 cable rated for 250 MHz? Category 5e requirements are specified up to 100 MHz. Cables can be tested up to any frequency that is supported by the test equipment, but such measurements ar e meaningless without the context of applications and cabling standards. The cat egory 6 standard sets minimum requirements up to 250 MHz for cables, connecting hardware, patch cords, channels and permanent links, and therefore guarantees re asonable performance that can be utilized by applications. Why did all category 6 cable used to have a spline, and now is offered without o

ne? Some category 6 cable designs have a spline to increase the separation between p airs and also to maintain the pair geometry. This additional separation improves NEXT performance and allows category 6 compliance to be achieved. With advances in technology, manufacturers have found other ways of meeting category 6 requir ements. The bottom line is the internal construction of the cable does not matte r, so long as it meets all the transmission and physical requirements of categor y 6. The standard does not dictate any particular method of cable construction. Is there a limitation on the size of bundles one can have with category 6? Can y ou have 200-300 and still pass category 6? There is no limit imposed by the standards on the maximum number of category 6 c ables in a bundle. This is a matter for the market and the industry to determine based on practical considerations. It should be pointed out that after six or e ight cables, the performance in any cable will not change significantly since th e cables will be too far away to add any additional external (or alien) NEXT. Category 6 Patch Cord Questions Will contractors be able to make their own patch cords? Category 6 patch cords are precision products, just like the cables and the conn ectors. They are best manufactured and tested in a controlled environment to ens ure consistent, reliable performance. This will ensure interoperability and back ward compatibility. All this supports patch cords as a factory-assembled product rather than a field-assembled product. Do you have to use the manufacturer s patch cords to get category 6 performance?

The category 6 standard has specifications for patch cords and connectors that a re intended to assure interoperable category 6 performance. If manufacturers can demonstrate that each component meets the requirements in the standard, minimum category 6 performance will be achieved. However, manufacturers may also design their products to perform better than the minimum category 6 requirements, and in these cases compatible patch cords and connectors may lead to performance abo ve the minimum category 6 requirements. Category 6 Testing Questions Why do field tester manufacturers offer many differ ent link adapters if everyone meets the standard? This was an interim solution while the standard was still being developed and th e interoperability requirements were not yet established. It is likely that soon one or more adapters will work for testing of cabling from all vendors. Would you get passing test results if you used a link adapter not recommended by a manufacturer? You should expect to get passing results if both the link adapter interface and the mating jack that is part of the link are both compliant to category 6 requir ements. Category 6 Connecting Hardware Questions Are the connectors for category 5e and category 6 different? Why are they more e xpensive?

Although category 6 and category 5e connectors may look alike, category 6 connec tors have much better transmission performance. For example, at 100 MHz, NEXT of a category 5e connector is 43 decibels (dB), while NEXT of a category 6 connect or is 54 dB. This means that a cat6 connector couples about 1/12 of the power th at a cat5e connector couples from one pair to another pair. Conversely, one can say that a category 6 connector is 12 times less noisy compared to a category 5e conn

ctor. This vast improvement in performance was achieved with new technology, new processes, better materials and significant R&D resources, leading to higher co sts for manufacturers. What will happen if I mix and match different manufacturers' hardware together? If the components are category 6 compliant, then you will be assured of category 6 performance

1. What is the difference between CAT-5, CAT-5e, CAT-6, CAT-7... The Simple Answer: CAT-5 is rated to 100M CAT-5e is rated to 350M CAT-6 and CAT6e is rated to 550M or 1000M depending on your source CAT-7 is supposedly rated to 700M or presumably 1000M Today there is no approved CAT-6 or CAT-7. While some folks are selling products they call Level 6 or 7, there aren't even specs for them, making CAT-5e the bes t available option. CAT-6 cable is being made with 23 guage conductor wire as op posed to the slightly smaller 24 guage for CAT-5e and also has a separator to ha ndle crosstalk better. Both CAT-5 and CAT-5e have 100 ohm impedance and electrical characteristics supp orting transmissions up to 100 MHz. The differences between CAT-5 and CAT-5e sho w in all aspects of performance: capacitance, frequency, resistance, attenuation , and NEXT. CAT-5e components were designed with high-speed gigabit Ethernet in mind. While CAT-5 components may function to some degree in a gigabit Ethernet, they perform below standard during high-data transfer scenarios. CAT-5e cables w ork with ATM and gigabit speed products. Simply, if you are using a 100Mbps swit ch, get CAT-5e cable instead of CAT-5. CAT-5e is formally called ANSI/TIA/EIA 568A-5 or simply Cat-5e (the e stands for 'enhanced'). CAT-5e is completely backward compatible with current CAT-5 equipm ent. The enhanced electrical performance of CAT-5e ensures that the cable will s upport 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, Sol id... 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 mo st 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 electrica l 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 constr uction 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 f ar as solid cable. The TIA/EIA 568A which is the governing standard regarding co mmercial 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 fee t 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 informati on 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 informat ion 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 cabl ing, and defines various aspects of running baseband Ethernet on this cabling Channel Performance Characteristics Parameter CAT-5 (ISO Class D)100 MHz CAT-5 100 MHz CAT-5e 100 MHz Attenuation 24.0dB 24.0dB 24.0dB NEXT 27.1dB 27.1dB 30.1dB PSNEXT 24.0dB N/A 27.1dB ELFEXT 17.0dB 17.0dB 17.4dB PSELFEXT 14.4dB 14.4dB 14.4dB ACR (derived) 3.1dB 3.1dB 6.1dB PSACR (derived) N/A N/A 3.1dB Return Loss 10.0dB 8.0dB 10.0dB 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. Thi s 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 CAT-5e backwards compatible? Yes it works with any 10BaseT or 100BaseT network cards and hubs. CAT-5 is also upwardly compatible with CAT-5e, however your network throughput w ill only be as fast as the slowest part. 7. Can I run CAT-5e ethernet cable outside? CAT-5e cable is not rated for outdoor use, however it can generally be used with out a problem. If possible, run the cable through some kind of conduit to preven t 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 Me ters is your max distance, without some kind of hub, bridge or amplification. 8. What is the operating temp for CAT-5e cable? Operating Temp for CAT-5e cable: -10C to 60C 9. What is the difference between T568A and T568B wiring? T568A and T568B are the 2 wiring patterns for 8 position RJ45 modular plug, both permitted under the TIA/EIA 568A wiring standards document. The only difference between the two pattern is that the pairs 2 (orange) and 3 (green) are intercha nged. All our cables use T568B standards. 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, CAT-5e cabling. EMI is interference in signal transm ission or reception and is caused by the radiation of electrical or magnetic fie lds which are present near power cables, heavy machinery, or fluorescent lightin g. Avoiding EMI is as simple as not laying your network cable within 12" of electri cal cable, or if needed switching from UTP to more expensive shielded cable. 12. Just tell me what cable I need... If you need patch cords up to 25 feet, use CAT-5e stranded cable for ease of fle xibility. If you are making linger runs or going through walls or ceilings, I'd go ahead a nd use the CAT-6 UTP (solid) cables - if that seems a bit expensive, then go wit h the CAT-5e UTP.

UTP stands for Unshielded Twisted Pair. It is a regular copper wire that joins m any home and many business computers to the telephone company. UTP is the most c ommon form of twisted pair wiring, because it is less expensive and easier to wo rk with than STP (Shielded Twisted Pair). It is used in Ethernet 10Base-T and 10 0Base-T networks, as well as in home and office telephone wiring.

Two insulated copper wires are twisted around each other to decrease crosstalk o r electromagnetic induction between pairs of wires. The twist in UTP helps to re duce crosstalk interference between wire pairs. Every signal on a twisted pair i nvolves both the wires. Twisted pair is oftenly installed in two or more pairs, all within a single cable, to offer multiple connections to computers. A twisted pair enclosed in a shield, which operates as a ground, is known as shielded twi sted pair (STP). Twisted pair is frequently linked with home usage; whereas, an advanced grade of twisted pair is many a times used for horizontal wiring in LAN networks since i t is inexpensive than coaxial cable. UTP Cable Standards Following are few UTP Cable standards used in the market: Cat 3 UTP Category 3 UTP is rated to carry data up to 10Mbit/s. Cat 3 UTP was the standard cable for use with Ethernet 10Base-T. Cat 5 UTP Category 5 UTP is rated to carry Ethernet up to 100Mbit/s and ATM up to 155Mbit/ s. Cat 5 UTP was the standard cable for use with Ethernet 100Base-TX. Cat 5e UTP Category 5e UTP is an enhanced version of Cat 5 UTP. Cat 5e UTP is rated to carry data up to 1000Mbit/s. Cat 5e UTP is the standard cable for use with Ethernet 1000Base-T. Cat 5e can also be used to extend the distance of 100Base-TX cable runs up to 35 0 meters. Cat 6 UTP Category 6 UTP is very similar to Cat 5 UTP, except that it is designed and manu

factured to even stricter standards. UTP Termination Two-pair (four-wire) UTP used for telephone use is normally terminated in an RJ11 connector. Four-pair (eight-wire) UTP used for data use is normally terminated in an RJ-45 connector.