The category 5e cable has long been the leading standard for structural cabling and is used to carry signals in computer networking standards such as Ethernet cables as well as telephone and video. Category 5e is a twisted pair cable (a type of wiring where 2 conductors are twisted together to cancel out electromagnetic interference from external sources), which has its roots in the similar category 5 cable (it's generally understood that the 'e' stands for 'enhanced'). Category 5e cables are unshielded, but thanks to the twisted pair cabling this is rarely an issue.
The standard category 5e is built from 4 twisted cable pairs with each pair having a different number of twists. This is important as it ensures there will be no interference between the pairs. The category 5e can support as many as 100 twisted pairs but most cables (for example the standard Ethernet cable) very rarely use any more than 4. As well as being able to handle the latest high-speed broadband connections of course category 5e is also compatible with older network cards, the specifics of which will be outlined later.
There are 2 distinct types of category 5e cable, namely the 'stranded' and the 'solid conductor'. The stranded is the most common as it is more flexible and therefore more suitable for short distances, this means it's used in standard Ethernet patch cables. Solid conductor cables however use larger gauge wires and are therefore much less flexible. It has a better electrical performance than stranded cable however, which means it can run far longer. Solid conductor cables are generally used in situations where cabling needs to be run inside walls or through ceilings.
There is a substantial difference between the network cards that are compatible with Category 5e cables. 10BASE-T is the standard network card required for sending up to 10 Mbps broadband on unshielded cable, 100BASE-T required for sending up to 100 Mbps broadband on an unshielded cable, and finally 1000BASE-T required for sending up to 1000 Mpbs broadband, and the network card category 5e cabling was built for.
Although there are newer technologies now available like category 6 and category 7 cables, these technologies are still far too expensive for the commercial market and so category 5e remains the most popular choice for most wired local area networks due to it's affordable price and the fact that it supports the highest possible broadband speed currently commercially available in the U.K.
The standard category 5e is built from 4 twisted cable pairs with each pair having a different number of twists. This is important as it ensures there will be no interference between the pairs. The category 5e can support as many as 100 twisted pairs but most cables (for example the standard Ethernet cable) very rarely use any more than 4. As well as being able to handle the latest high-speed broadband connections of course category 5e is also compatible with older network cards, the specifics of which will be outlined later.
There are 2 distinct types of category 5e cable, namely the 'stranded' and the 'solid conductor'. The stranded is the most common as it is more flexible and therefore more suitable for short distances, this means it's used in standard Ethernet patch cables. Solid conductor cables however use larger gauge wires and are therefore much less flexible. It has a better electrical performance than stranded cable however, which means it can run far longer. Solid conductor cables are generally used in situations where cabling needs to be run inside walls or through ceilings.
There is a substantial difference between the network cards that are compatible with Category 5e cables. 10BASE-T is the standard network card required for sending up to 10 Mbps broadband on unshielded cable, 100BASE-T required for sending up to 100 Mbps broadband on an unshielded cable, and finally 1000BASE-T required for sending up to 1000 Mpbs broadband, and the network card category 5e cabling was built for.
Although there are newer technologies now available like category 6 and category 7 cables, these technologies are still far too expensive for the commercial market and so category 5e remains the most popular choice for most wired local area networks due to it's affordable price and the fact that it supports the highest possible broadband speed currently commercially available in the U.K.
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