• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
How2forU

How2forU

easy answers for you and me

  • Laptop & PC
  • Smartphone & Tablet
  • Office
  • Apps & Software
  • Glossary
  • Blog
  • Hobby
Home Β» Ethernet cable differences: CAT 5, CAT 6, CAT 7 and CAT 8

Ethernet cable differences: CAT 5, CAT 6, CAT 7 and CAT 8

11/23/2020 by Anita Sommer

In this article we will show you the differences between the network cables CAT 5, CAT 6, CAT 7 and CAT 8. In general, these terms describe the performance classes of network cables. But the differences are not only in the transmission rate.

Explore this article: πŸ’‘ hide
1 Ethernet cable differences: Overview
2 CAT 5: The most common Ethernet cable
3 CAT 6: The all-rounder
4 CAT 7: The ultimate solution for your home
5 CAT 8: For professional use

Ethernet cable differences: Overview

The difference between CAT 5 and CAT 6 lies in the using and the frequency. CAT 5 and CAT 7 Ethernet cables are used in private homes. Whereas CAT 6 and CAT 8 are used in professional ways.

CAT 5: The most common Ethernet cable

CAT-5 cables are found in the vast majority of installations and are therefore considered standard.

  • CAT-5 cables achieve signal rates of up to 100 MHz and are therefore suitable for gigabit operation.
  • They are still laid in professional environments, although not as frequently as CAT 6 or CAT 7.
  • For home users, CAT-5 cables are completely sufficient in most situations.
CAT 5 is used everywhere and is considered the standard cable (c) Pixabay/Michael Schwarzenberger

CAT 6: The all-rounder

CAT-6 category cables are often used in the professional sector.

  • CAT-6 cables reach operating frequencies of up to 250 MHz. However, their transmission speed decreases the longer the cable is.
  • CAT-6 category cables are used throughout the public network infrastructure.
  • The CAT-6a standard even reaches operating frequencies of up to 500 MHz and is therefore suitable for 10 Gigabit Ethernet.
  • To comply with the standard, the cable must be specially protected against external influences such as secondary signals or noise.
CAT-6 cables are shielded to reduce secondary signals or noise (c) Pixabay/Adrian Malec

CAT 7: The ultimate solution for your home

The CAT-7 standard is the fastest and best shielded standard among network cables.

  • CAT-7 cables achieve an operating frequency of up to 600 MHz. The subcategory CAT-7a even manages up to 1,000 MHz.
  • All cables of the CAT-7 category have 4 separately shielded wire pairs in a complete shielding. This means that almost no secondary signals can reach the cable.
  • For network cables of the CAT-7 category there are exactly 2 different standardized connector types.
CAT 7 is interesting for home use and professionals (c) Pixabay/955169

CAT 8: For professional use

CAT-8 cables are used almost exclusively in the professional sector. For home users they are too expensive and not really worth it.

  • CAT 8 achieves twice the operating frequencies of CAT 7, but the cables can also be used for short distances only.
  • The standard is a twisted pair cable, which is completely shielded. Interference has no chance here.
  • There are two subcategories of CAT 8 cables, namely 8.1 and 8.2. CAT 8.1 is compatible with the normal Ethernet plugs. CAT 8.2 uses a plug that has been specially designed for professional use.
CAT 8 is often used in data centers (c) Pixabay/Colossus Cloud

πŸ’‘ Related Posts:

  • The best running and jogging apps for Android and iPhone
    The best running and jogging apps for Android and iPhone
  • Netflix and Chill - meaning and definition: How to Netflix & Chill
    Netflix and Chill - meaning and definition: How to…
  • How to find and replace: A Guide for Word, Excel and Google Docs
    How to find and replace: A Guide for Word, Excel and…
  • What is a hashtag used for (#)? Simple explanation of meaning and use
    What is a hashtag used for (#)? Simple explanation…
  • Word: How to show and remove formatting marks
    Word: How to show and remove formatting marks
  • Corona-Warn-App Germany: How it works and what you need to know
    Corona-Warn-App Germany: How it works and what you…

Filed Under: Laptop & PC Tagged With: network

Tags

4G 5G Alexa Android app Apple backup Covid-19 DIY documents e-mail Excel Gmail Google Halloween health Instagram iOS iPad iPhone Mac messages messenger Microsoft Office monitor music Netflix network Outlook passwords PDF Samsung screenshot shortcuts Signal Smart Home smartphone Snipping Tool social media Spotify video call WhatsApp WiFi Windows10 Word

Primary Sidebar

Browse our How Tos

Browse by category

  • Glossary
  • Smartphone & Tablet
  • Laptop & PC
  • Hobby
  • Office
  • Apps & Software
Internet-Verbindung

What is 4G and 4G+? Simply explained

02/25/2021 By Nadine Noppinger

In the status bar of your smartphone or tablet you will find the characters 4G and 4G+. We will explain to you which details are hidden behind the abbreviations.

Android Smartphone

iOS 14: How to save battery on your phone

03/04/2021 By Alina Zach

Unfortunately, the battery life is short with iOS 14. But with a few tricks you can make your iPhone and iPad last longer.

How to install font to Mac

How to install font to mac

01/07/2021 By Anita Sommer

Do you want to install new fonts and typefaces to your Mac? We’ll show you how it works and how you can manage your fonts.

White House in the background and on top of it a text box reading "What does impeachment mean?"

What does impeachment mean?

02/09/2021 By Beatrice Predan-Hallabrin

Donald Trump became the first US president to be impeached twice. But what exactly does impeachment mean and could Trump be convicted?

pages

Word: How to start page numbering on page 3

03/01/2021 By Sarah Winter

ItΒ΄s easy to start page numbering on page 3 of a Microsoft Office Word document. Even if numbering should start with 1 instead of 3.

Woman working on laptop

HelloFresh: How to refer a friend

03/04/2021 By Alina Zach

You are so excited about HelloFresh that you want to refer your friends, it’s quite easy.

Categories

  • πŸ’‘ Laptop & PC
  • πŸ’‘ Smartphone & Tablet
  • πŸ’‘ Office
  • πŸ’‘ Apps & Software
  • πŸ’‘Β Glossary
  • πŸ’‘Β Hobby

Smartphone & Tablet

How to change app icons on Android & iOS14πŸ’‘ iPhone: How to recover deleted text messagesπŸ’‘How to share your iPhone calendarπŸ’‘Sidecar: How to turn an iPad into a secondary Mac display πŸ’‘Huawei: How to take a Screenshot πŸ’‘ Samsung Galaxy S8: How to take a screenshot πŸ’‘ How to find your IMEI number πŸ’‘ iPad: How to take a screenshot

Laptop & PC

How to check your CPU temperature πŸ’‘ Is there a snipping tool for Mac? πŸ’‘ How to take a screenshot on your MacBook πŸ’‘ How to connect laptop to monitor

Office

How to fix slow running Windows 10 πŸ’‘ How to use emojis in Microsoft Outlook πŸ’‘ How to password protect a folder in Windows 10 πŸ’‘Excel: How to change the background color based on the cell value πŸ’‘ How to disable startup programs in Windows 10 πŸ’‘ Word: How to start page numbering on page 3 πŸ’‘ How to take screenshots on Windows 10

Apps & Software

How to start a video call on viber πŸ’‘ Funny questions you can ask AlexaπŸ’‘Alexa glows green πŸ’‘ How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages πŸ’‘ Alexa glows yellow πŸ’‘ How to delete your Snapchat account πŸ’‘ How to merge several PDF files πŸ’‘ How to edit PDF files πŸ’‘ How to create a Gmail account πŸ’‘ Spotify Family: How to share an account πŸ’‘ Spotify costs: Free Account vs. Premium

Hobby

How to make homemade hand sanitizer πŸ’‘ What to eat after a colonoscopy πŸ’‘ How to keep chickensΒ 

Glossary

What is 5G? πŸ’‘ What is 4G and 4G+? πŸ’‘ What’s Bixby? πŸ’‘ What is a VPN connection? πŸ’‘ What is the WPS button and where can I find it? πŸ’‘ β€œThug life”: What does that mean? πŸ’‘What is a hashtag? πŸ’‘ What is SSID?

Footer

Pages

  • Blog
  • How2forU
  • Imprint
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 Β· Genesis Sample on Genesis Framework Β· WordPress Β· Log in