Cat5 vs Cat6

Cat6 cable: https://amzn.to/3F7cRdM
Cat5 cable: https://amzn.to/46lJq3C

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Cat 5 and Cat 6 are both types of Ethernet cables used to connect devices in a wired network. While they serve the same purpose, there are several key differences, in this video we’re going to look at what those differences are.

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Lets start with cable construction, Cat 5 cables consist of four twisted pairs of copper wires.

Cat 6 cables also consist of four twisted pairs of copper wires. However, the twists are typically more tightly wound than those in Cat 5 cables to further reduce interference. They also have a plastic piece in the centre of the cable construction that separates the pairs. It is designed to keep the twisted pairs separate in order to increase performance by minimizing what is known as internal “cross-talk” inside the cable
Now lets look at Speed, Cat 5 cables support data transfer speeds of 1 Gbps whereas cat 6 cables are designed for higher performance and can support data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps.
Cat 5 cables can support their max speed of 1gbps up to 100 meters of cable length.

Cat 6 can also support its max speed of 10gbps up to 100 meters, if the cable is longer than this a slow down or signal degradation is to be expected, how much this slowdown will impact you varies widely on the quality of the cable.

Both cables are backwards compatible meaning they can be used for much older networking equipment.

Now lets look at interference, also known as cross talk, Cat 5 cables are more susceptible to interference and crosstalk compared to Cat 6 cables. This means that in high-traffic or noisy environments, Cat 5 may experience more signal degradation, leading to loss of signal.

Finally lets look at cost, Cat 5 cables are generally less expensive than Cat 6 cables due to their lower specifications and performance. However, the future proofing offered by cat6 cables high speed and bandwidth makes cat 6 the recommend choice unless you’re on an extremely limited budget. I have left a link in the description to the cat6 cable I use personally if you’re looking for one, I will earn a small commission from this at no extra cost to you.

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#cat5 #cat6 #cat5vscat6