Cat3Cat5eCat6

Cat3, Cat5e, and Cat6 are categories of twisted-pair copper cabling defined by the TIA/EIA standards. The category designation reflects the cable’s electrical performance, including bandwidth, attenuation, and crosstalk requirements, as well as construction tolerances and installation practices. They are commonly used with RJ-45 connectors for Ethernet networks and are rated for different maximum data rates and transmission frequencies.

Cat3 originated in the late 1980s for voice networks and early Ethernet. It is rated up to 16 MHz and supports up to 10 Mbps Ethernet (10BASE-T). The maximum cable length for Ethernet remains 100 meters. Cat3 is largely obsolete for data networks but may still be found in legacy telephone installations.

Cat5e is an enhanced version of Cat5, designed to reduce crosstalk and handle higher data rates. It is rated up to 100 MHz and supports 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps Ethernet (1000BASE-T) with a maximum segment length of 100 meters. It is the most widely installed category from the 2000s and remains common for general office and home networks.

Cat6 offers higher performance with ratings up to 250 MHz, enabling 1 Gbps Ethernet up to 100 meters and 10 Gbps Ethernet (10GBASE-T) up to about 55 meters. It uses tighter twists and may include a separator or shielding to reduce crosstalk. Cat6 is more expensive and is used in modern enterprise networks, data centers, and applications requiring higher bandwidth. Both Cat6 and Cat5e are backward compatible with newer standards, but achieving higher speeds requires matching the cable category with compatible network equipment.

In summary, Cat3 supports basic voice and 10 Mbps data, Cat5e covers most current Ethernet up to 1 Gbps, and Cat6 provides higher bandwidth and longer 10 Gbps reach for demanding networks.