 What is Cat5e cabling? Cat5e cable is a type of computer cabling. A Cat5e cable consists of eight strands of different colors terminated on either end with an STP or UTP RJ45 connector. The purpose of the Cat5e cables is to carry voice and data signals between hubs, switches, routers, DSL or cable modems, and other network devices. The most common use for a Cat5e cable is connecting a PC to a router or modem provided by a broadband provider. It may also be used for networking computers throughout a house or office building. For example, in larger buildings, it's very common for the wiring cabinets where the telephone service enters the building to have jacks installed that are to connect with each individual desk or piece of hardware via a Cat5e cable between the cabinet and user. Cat5e specification Shielded cable, U and UTP. Conductors unshielded, four pair, eight wire. Performance characteristic impedance 100 ohms. Maximum data rate of category 5e, up to 1000 MHz has a max data rate of 1 gigabit. The maximum speed it can handle depends on the quality of the wiring in your building. If your lines are long or there's lots of interference, don't expect it to work at top speeds. What is Cat5e cable used for? The Cat5e cable is very high quality and economic cable that can be used in a lot of different ways. When a single cable can be used for many applications, it is referred to as structured cabling. One common use for this cable is connecting a computer, PC or printer to the internet. This can happen through a router, modem, or direct connection to another computer using an ethernet cord. In addition to networking devices, Cat5e cables are also good for installing to audio visual systems, such as televisions, projectors and speakers in surround sound systems. They can carry audio visual signals over the data cable, although modern AV generally requires a minimum of Cat6a data cabling for efficient transmission. The lower price tag on these cables compared to other categories makes them the cabling of choice when a smaller network with budget constraints is desired. Cat5e pair colors. Cat5e cable comes with eight strands. Four pairs of twisted wires inside, the most common type of network cable found today is an unshielded twisted pair, UTP, which consist of four pairs of wires inside a plastic sheath to protect them. For the standard color code of pair one and pair two, there are eight cable colors. Pair number, EIR 568B. One. White and orange. Two. Solid orange. Three. White and green. Four. Solid blue. Five. White and blue. Six. Solid green. Seven. White and brown. Eight. Solid brown. Cat5e connector. A category 5e cable connector is made up of eight pins to match the above configuration. On all patch panels and modules, a color code will be present on the hardware to match the color codes of the cable to ensure matched transmission ends to end. The RJ45 Cat5e connector is the eight pin modular jack commonly found in computer networking devices. The maximum length of Cat5e cable. For category 5e cable, the maximum length is 100 meters. This is generally a 90 meters permanent link distance and five meters patch leads at each end. Cat5e cable is generally used for average distance runs of 40 to 50 meters when installed in an office, or so at 1000 megabits per second speeds, gigabit ethernet. If longer patch leads are used at either end, the overall maximum distance allowance will reduce from the 90 meters allowance. STP versus UTP. Shielded twisted pair, STP cable is very similar to the above Cat5e cable, but features an additional layer of insulation around each wire. This acts as a shield against potential interference or electrical noise. Unshielded twisted pair, UTP cable has no extra layer of insulation around the wire, and may not be suitable for areas where there are large amounts of electrical equipment nearby, like factories or industrial settings. The next generation of cables. Cat6a versus Cat5e cables. The next generation to the Cat5e category has already been defined. Category 6a which can support speeds up to 10 gigabits per second over 100 meters runs at standard conditions. The cables will also be backwards compatible with current networks allowing them to run alongside older network types like those already running over Cat5e and standard Cat6. Cat7 and Cat8 cabling are also growing in popularity but Cat6a is still the main standard in new build installations. About NM cabling solutions, network cabling specialist. NM cabling is a technology and structured cabling integrator working throughout the United Kingdom. We have created a comprehensive knowledge center for our industry which can be viewed on the link below. For further assistance or a free survey, please email or call on the details below, and click like and subscribe if you have enjoyed this video.