Which Ethernet Cable Category Is Faster: Cat6 Or Cat5e?

At this time, there are five different types of ethernet cables available on the market. Their bandwidth and data transfer rates are different. In this post, you'll learn which of the two Cat5e Cable and Cat6 Cable is the fastest.

Cat5e Cable

Cat5e Cable is a fifth-generation upgraded ethernet cable that can transmit data at speeds of up to 100 Mbps over a distance of up to 328 feet (100 meters). Cat5e, meanwhile, transmits data at 1 Gbps over a distance of 50 meters (164 feet).

Bulk Cat5e cable has a bandwidth capability of 350 MHz and maintains excellent signal quality throughout the distances mentioned. For better connectivity, the Bulk Cat5e cable comprises 8 conductors that are firmly bundled together in 8 twisted pairs, either constructed of pure copper or copper-clad aluminum. Bundling individual wires into four twisted pairs also dramatically reduces crosstalk and cancels EMI (electromagnetic interference).

Cat5e Cable is available in Plenum, Riser, and PVC jackets. Cat5e 1000ft with a CMP-rated jacket is known as Cat5e plenum, Cat5e riser is known as Cat5e riser, and Cat5e PVC ethernet cable is known as Cat5e PVC ethernet cable. Plenum/horizontal and riser/vertical ethernet cables are installed in the building's plenum/horizontal and riser/vertical areas. Both of the aforementioned spaces are empty spaces in buildings designed to permit return airflows such as those produced by heating and cooling systems. Video and voice streaming, 10BASE-T (Ethernet), Token Ring Type 3, 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet), and 1000BASE-T are all supported by these lines (Gigabit Ethernet GbE).

Cat6 Cable

Cat6 1000ft has a maximum data transfer rate of 10 Gbps over a distance of 50 meters or 164 feet. Cat6 1000ft has a minimum data transfer rate of 1 Gbps up to a distance of 100 meters or 328 feet. Plenum, riser, and PVC jacketed Bulk Cat6 Cables are offered for installation in plenum, riser, and outdoor environments, respectively. The bandwidth of the cable is 550 MHz.

Both pure copper and copper-clad aluminum conductors are available in bulk Cat6 cables. STP and UTP variants of the cable are also available. UL and ETL certifications are available for this cable (depending on the manufacturer).

Which is faster, Cat5e or Cat6?

Cat6 Cable's data transfer rates are ten times quicker than Cat5e Cable's. Similarly, Cat6 cable has over 200 MHz greater bandwidth capacity than Cat5e cable. It signifies that Cat6 ethernet cable, as a sixth-generation cable, is significantly quicker than Cat5e cable.

We recommend Cat6 cable if you don't have any budget limits. Your network will be future-proofed for the ages if you use Cat6 cable. What's the finishing touch? Also backward compatible is the Cat6 ethernet cable. Cat6 also uses a 23AWG cable, but Cat5e uses a 24AWG cable. Better connectivity is indicated by a lower AWG value. Cat6 ethernet cable is more expensive than Cat5e cable since it is the latest and best cable.