Cat5e Cable FAQ
We are asked a lot of questions about our data cabling installations. Below are the most common Cat5e cable FAQ that we receive. For further information, the project team is happy to answer or arrange a free survey to assist further.
What is Cat5e Cable?
Cat5e is a data cable classified as a twisted pair data cable. Thus, it is constructed of 8 separate cores split into four pairs of colours. The pairs are twisted together and, hence, the twisted pair category. The Cat5e cable pairs are a solid and white/solid combination. Furthermore, the colours are Blue, Orange, Brown and Green.
Category 5e cable / Cat5e is the ISO/IEC 11801 Class D standard providing performance up to 100 MHz and is suitable 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet) speeds.
Cat 5e Cable Color Code
T568A Cat 5e Cable Color Code
- White Green
- Green
- White Orange
- Blue
- White Blue
- Orange
- White Brown
- Brown
T568B Cat 5e Cable Color Code
- White Orange
- Orange
- White Green
- Blue
- White Blue
- Green
- White Brown
- Brown
What is the maximum Cat5e speed?
Cat5e cable has a maximum bandwidth frequency of 100 MHz. Megahertz is the rate at which a signal can change states. In data cabling networking, this is the change from 1 to 0 or 0 to 1. The main consideration when looking at speeds is that Cat5e cabling is suitable for 1000 Megabit transmission speeds, commonly known as 1-Gigabit.
Will Cat5e do Gigabit Ethernet speeds?
Cat5e has a maximum capability of 1 Gigabit Ethernet. The older standard of standard Cat5 had a limit of 100Mb transmission. However, this category of cable is not manufactured anymore. In addition, it is rarely seen in old installations. In rare cases, older phone systems may be wired in standard Cat5 and would not be suitable for Gigabit Ethernet. Cat5e is the bare minimum for any structured cabling installation in 2024, and older categories can’t even be purchased and haven’t been available for some time.
Can Cat5e support 10 Gigabit Ethernet?
Cat5e is not specified or recommended for 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Therefore, Cat6a is the minimum category recommended for 10 Gigabit Ethernet. This allows for the permanent link design standard of 90m from the patch panel to the outlet.
Article: 10Gb Cabling – Why Use 10Gb Cabling in Your Business?
Cat5 vs Cat5e
Cat5 was the original new category in the data cabling index. However, since 2001, Cat5e has been the standard.
Cat5 was limited to 100Mb transmission. Therefore, Category 5 enhanced or Cat5e was implemented to achieve 1 Gigabit Ethernet. Standard Cat5 is no longer manufactured and is rarely seen, even in older buildings.
Article: Comparing Cat5 Cables vs Cat5e Cables
How much is Cat5e Cabling
As in all cases of structured cabling installation, the overall price will depend on many factors.
These can include the
- Building type
- Ease of access
- Number of outlets
- The location of the building
- The programme of work.
This is explored further in the article below regarding Cat5e cabling costs.
Article – How much is Cat5e Data Cabling to Install
Choosing Between Cat5e vs Cat6
Cat6 is the advanced category of data cable to Cat5e.
The main difference between Cat5 and Cat6 is that Cat6 has a bandwidth of 250Mhz, two and a half times the capacity of Cat5e cabling.
However, at the standardised 90m permanent link distance, they can only transmit 1 Gigabit Ethernet speeds.
However, Cat6 is capable of 10 Gigabit Ethernet up to 55m, although this isn’t a standard length for data cabling design considerations.
Article: Comparing Cat5e Cabling vs Cat6 Cabling
Is Cat5e Cabling still relevant in 2024?
In 2024 Cat6a is becoming the standard for any new installation. This is due to its capability to transmit up to 10 Gigabit speeds to devices that are increasingly operating at multi-gigabit speeds.
Indeed, the Department for Education recommends all new schools and college installations to be Cat6a.
Article: Network cabling standards for schools and colleges
Cat5e and Cat6 cabling are still requested and installed in many new installations.
Cat5e data cabling is still the choice of companies that are
- Running on a maximum of 1-gigabit network.
- Looking for a cost-effective solution.
- They are only occupying a space for a short period.
- Adding to an existing Cat5e cabling network.
Our project team can discuss the best solution for all cabling solutions and suit to your requirements.
How to differentiate Cat5 and Cat6
The best way to tell the difference is on the cable’s sheath. The cable marking will have code numbers and other digits. However, it will also note whether the cable is Cat5e or Cat6.
In addition, the Cat6 cable will have a plastic central divider between the four pairs, while Cat5e will not. However, this is dependent on different manufacturers, so it is not always 100% the case.
Patch panels and data modules sometimes have Cat5e or Cat6 written on them. However, any overall cabling link is only as good as its weakest point, and we often see cat6 modules on Cat5e cables. This reduces the overall effectiveness of the link to the lower-grade Cat5e.
Do Cat6 cables work with Cat5?
All data cable categories from Cat5e through to Cat8 all have an element of a connector called an RJ45.
The RJ45 design is for the Module or Jack (the Female end) and the Plug (The Male end). Therefore, each category is backwards compatible with the others. For example, a Cat6 cable will plug into a Cat5e module.
Furthermore, Cat6 cables can be terminated onto Cat5e ends and vice versa, although not recommended.
In any data cabling installation, the overall link is only as good as its weakest part. Hence, Cat5 and Cat6 are compatible, but it’s not the desired solution.
Therefore, if using different categories, the link will only work as well as the lowest-grade element. This combination of different systems is sometimes seen when companies are moving and want to retain parts of their existing infrastructure but plan to upgrade at a later stage due to budgets.
This is explained in further detail in the article below
Article – Do Cat6 and Cat5 cables work together?
Can you use Cat6 connectors on Cat5e cable?
Simply yes, you can. However, you would be using a more expensive connector and only achieving the lesser performance standard. You can also use Cat5e connectors on a Cat6 cable. However, in this case, you lose the performance of the Cat6 cable and only attain the lower standard overall.
Different categories of cables have different copper core sizes, and the cables, panels, and modules are all manufactured to suit that cable size. Although cable categories can be terminated onto one another, they aren’t the best fit compared to matching category to category.
Can I use Cat6 instead of Cat5?
The question should be, which is better suited to my requirements, Cat5e or Cat6 cabling?
You can use a CAT6 cable instead of a CAT5e cable in almost all situations. However, there are unusual cases where it is only sometimes valid.
For example, in a laboratory installation in 2022, we installed Cat5e cabling when there were many more advanced cabling standards out there.
The issue was that the central plastic divider within Cat6 cables would have let pathogens escape the contained areas by travelling along the plastic core. The consideration should always be what I need to achieve and the best solution to achieve that aim.
Article Can I use Cat6 instead of Cat5?
Is Cat7 cable compatible with Cat5
Similarly to Cat6 cabling, Cat7 is backwards compatible with Cat5e. However, as before, the overall link will be as slow as the weakest part, i.e., Cat5e.
It’s not recommended to combine these two categories. Furthermore, the cable and modules don’t achieve a secure fit when terminated, so future problems can easily occur.
Cat5e UTP vs FTP
UTP stands for unshielded twisted pair, and FTP is Foil Twisted Pair. Therefore, FTP is similar to a standard UTP cable with a foil shield surrounding the inner cores. The shielding provides additional protection from external noise interference.
Potential sources of interference on data cabling.
- Other data cables
- Electrical cables
- Fluorescent lighting
- Microwaves
- AC Units
Although the additional shielding provides additional external protection, it doesn’t affect the overall Cat5e cable performance. Thus, both UTP and FTP are still capable of 100Mhz and 1 Gigabit transmission.
What is Armoured Cat5e Cable
Armoured cables are standard data cables with an extra layer of protection against outside damage. They are designed for external underground installations in ducts or by direct burial.
Potential damage could be crushing, impacting, or being cut, such as during digging.
Armoured cable generally comes in two categories.
- Steel Wired Armoured – SWA
- Corrugated Steel Tape – CST
Steel Wired Armoured Data Cables (SWA)
The cable is constructed of strands of steel wire surrounding the inner cable. Thus, it is these steel wires that offer the additional protection.
Corrugated Steel Tape (CST)
This is constructed of a central steel tube within which the cables sit. The steel tube protects the internal data cable or fibre cable
The performance of the internal Cat5e cable remains the same as standard cables.
What is an External Cat5 Cable?
External Cat5 cable has a Polyethylene (PE) sheath, which is standard in black. By comparison, internal cables have either PVC, LSOH, or Euroclass sheathings.
The PE sheath protects from external environmental elements such as temperature and moisture. However, it doesn’t offer additional structural protection, only the same as internal cables.
Thus, an armoured cable or CST cable can be used for extra protection. However, these are generally more expensive and bulkier.
How far can you run a Cat5 cable for CCTV?
The basis of structured cabling is that there is a standard data cabling specification that applies to all technology.
Therefore, whatever the technology, it will run the same over standardised cabling.
The maximum distance of 90 metres for Cat5e to meet the standardised performance applies to all hardware such as
- CCTV
- Telephones
- Computers
- Wifi
- Printers
The 90m allows for 5m patch leads at each end. However, a 100m direct link is also allowed, so this could apply to a direct link to a CCTV camera.
Can I run HDMI over Cat5?
Cat5e can transfer HDMI signals over its cable. Transmission is achieved via a transmitter and receiver that plug into each end. However, it is recommended that a minimum of Cat6 and even Cat6a cabling is used for the connection due to their additional bandwidth and speed capability.
As audio-visual technology advances, Cat5e increasingly becomes an unsuitable HDMI transmission cable.
What is used as a Cat5 Tester?
A Cat5 tester can be a simple continuity tester. Eight lights confirm whether the eight cores (4 pairs) within the cable have been terminated in the correct order.
However, these testers do not provide feedback about the cable’s transmission capabilities or the quality of installation and terminations.
All data cabling should be tested with a Cable Certification tester such as a Fluke DSX.
These types of testers show a chart of tests that show the cable’s performance and any effects of poor installation or poor terminations. Thus, they show the actual impact of installation and whether it can transmit as it should. A group of charts and calculations are given on a single page per cable, and a summary of Green Tick Pass or Red Cross Fail is noted.
More details on Structured Cabling Testing can be found HERE
Can you run PoE over Cat5?
Yes, Cat5e is capable of running PoE over its cable. The power and the data signal are transferred over the same cable. However, as devices that receive PoE require greater power, the amount of power required to be sent via data cabling increases.
As power increases, the possibility of noise interference increases. Therefore, with modern PoE systems, Cat6a is used more and more due to its shielded and better noise-to-signal protection.
Article: Power over Ethernet (PoE) Explained
Can you join a Cat5 cable together?
In many cases, it is recommended not to join any data cables but rather replace them with a new dedicated link. However, in some cases, it is more sensible to join. There are two main ways to join a cat5e cable
- A through coupler
- An inline joiner
The through coupler is achieved by plugging in two RJ45 plug ends into each side. This coupler then creates an extension.
In contrast, the inline joiner is a single block with two termination points, similar to a module. The cables are “Punched Down” on either side of the joint box, creating a permanent joint between them.
The coupler solution is known for significant transmission loss through the joint and will, in a large number of cases, fail once tested with a Fluke tester. The inline joiner, in nearly all cases, will pass as well as a new cable. Therefore, the coupler is usually only recommended for a quick fix until a pennant replacement is undertaken.
These videos of how to undertake either extension can be found on our YouTube Channel
How to join Cat5 cable together with a coupler
How to join Cat5 cable together with an inline joiner
Explore More Articles on Data Cabling
Visit our Knowledge Centre for a range of informative articles.
Common Problems with Data Cabling
Learn about common data cabling issues and how to resolve them.
Request a Free Quotation
For a free quotation, email us at [email protected] or call 01923 888588.