Category X cable also referred to as CATx.The UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) type of cable used for Ethernet wiring the only categories of interest are Cat3, Cat4, Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat7.These cables are using like.........
Specifications for Cat3, Cat4, Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat7 Cables
| Category | Type | Spectral B/W | Length | LAN Applications | Remarks |
| Cat3 | UTP | 16 MHz | 100m | 10Base-T, 4Mbps | Now mainly for telephone cables |
| Cat4 | UTP | 20 MHz | 100m | 16Mbps | Rarely seen |
| Cat5 | UTP | 100MHz | 100m | 100Base-Tx,ATM,CDDI | Used in LANs |
| Cat5e | UTP | 100MHz | 100m | 1000Base-T | Used in LANs |
| Cat6 | UTP | 250MHz | 100m | | Emerging |
| Cat7 | ScTP | 600MHz | 100m | | |
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The comparison of
CAT5 ,
CAT5e, and CAT6 are given below.
CAT5, CAT5e, and CAT6 UTP Solid Cable Specifications Comparison |
| Category 5 | Category 5e | Category 6 |
| Frequency | 100 MHz | 100 MHz | 250 MHz |
| Attenuation (Min. at 100 MHz) | 22 dB | 22 dB | 19.8 dB |
| Characteristic Impedance | 100 ohms ± 15% | 100 ohms ± 15% | 100 ohms ± 15% |
| NEXT (Min. at 100 MHz) | 32.3 dB | 35.3 dB | 44.3 dB |
| PS-NEXT (Min. at 100 MHz) | no specification | 32.3 dB | 42.3 dB |
| ELFEXT (Min. at 100 MHz) | no specification | 23.8 dB | 27.8 dB |
| PS-ELFEXT (Min. at 100 MHz) | no specification | 20.8 dB | 24.8 dB |
| Return Loss (Min. at 100 MHz) | 16.0 dB | 20.1 dB | 20.1 dB |
| Delay Skew (Max. per 100 m) | no specification | 45 ns | 45 ns |
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