The functions and performance of the cable differ depending on the Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7, Cat8, and standard. It's a good idea to choose the right LAN cable for your situation.In this article, I will explain the differences between them.
| Type | Cat 5e | Cat 6 | Cat 6a | Cat 7 | Cat 8 |
| maximum communication speed | 1Gbps | 1Gbps | 10Gbps | 10Gbps | 40Gbps |
| connector | RJ-45 | RJ-45 | RJ-45 | GG45/TERA | RJ-45 |
| shield | UTP | UTP | UTP/STP | STP | STP |
| frequency band | 100MHz | 250MHz | 500MHz | 600MHz | 2000MHz |
| Communication standard | 1000BASE-T | 1000BASE-T | 1000BASE-T | 10GBASE-T | 40GBASE-T |
| Transmission distance | 100m | 100m | 100m | 100m | 30m以内40Gbps |
Cat8 based on the new standard of ANSI / TIA-568-C.2-1 can transmit data of 40Gbps within 30m and can communicate with a maximum frequency of 2000MHz. The backward compatible Cat8 cable is compatible with the RJ-45 connector and is used for small and medium-sized enterprise wired / wireless LAN and switch-server interconnection.
The Cat7 standard is capable of transmitting 10 Gigabit Ethernet over 100m of copper wire, and can transmit up to 600MHz. Furthermore, it seems that data transmission of 40 Gbps within 50 m and data transmission of 100 Gbps within 15 m are possible. The Cat7 cable is shielded to prevent communication problems caused by electromagnetic waves in offices and factory sites.
Cat6 cable has a maximum operating frequency of 250MHz and can support transmission speeds of 1000Mbps. Compared to Category 5, it has stricter noise resistance and stronger core, and can be expected to have the effect of preventing data corruption. Cat6 is upward compatible with Category 3 and supports the same up to 100m segment distance as Category 5, but with 10GBASE-T the cable length is up to 55m.
Cat6a
Cat6a has a frequency of 500MHz, which is twice that of Category 6, and can support 10BASE-T data transmission over 100m segment distances. It has excellent noise immunity and core as it fully demonstrates the performance of 10GBASE-T. However, Cat6a cables with claw breakage prevention covers are relatively inflexible and are often used as industrial LAN cables.
Cat5e
An improvement over Category 5 cable, its TIA / EIA-568-B standard replaces Category 5 TIA/EIA-568-A and was defined as a new standard in 2001. Cat5e cables are designed for operating frequencies up to 100MHz and can support transmission speeds up to 1000Mbps over 100m segment distances. The Cat5e cable contains 4 pairs of 2 core wire pairs, which are often used for indoor or home LAN wiring.
