Cat5e cable consists of 8 colored strands terminated with RJ45 connectors. It carries voice and data signals between networking devices like computers, routers, and modems. Cat5e cable is commonly used to connect computers to home networks or within office buildings. It can support speeds up to 1 gigabit per second for data transmission over distances of up to 100 meters.

1. What is Cat5e Cabling
Cat 5e cable isa type of computercabling.A cat5e cable consistsof 8 strandsof differentcolors
terminatedoneitherendwithanSTPor UTP RJ45 connector.The purpose of the Cat5e cablesis to
carry voice and data signalsbetweenhubs,switches,routers,DSL/cablemodemsandothernetwork
devices.
The most commonuse for a Cat 5e Cable isconnectinga PCto a routeror modemprovidedbya
broadbandprovider.Itmayalsobe usedfornetworkingcomputersthroughoutahouse oroffice
building.Forexample,inlargerbuildingsit'sverycommonforthe wiringcabinetswherethe
telephoneserviceentersthe buildingtohave jacksinstalledthatare to connectwitheachindividual
deskor piece of hardware viaa Cat5e cable betweenthe cabinetanduser
Cat5e Specification
ShieldedCable:U/UTP
ConductorsUnshielded:4-pair(8wire)
Performance CharacteristicImpedance100 Ohms
MaximumData Rate of Category5e, upto 1000MHz has a max data rate of 1 gigabit.
The maximumspeeditcanhandle dependsonthe qualityof the wiringinyourbuilding.If yourlines
are longor there'slotsof interference,don'texpectittowork at top speeds.
What is Cat5e cable used for?
The Cat5e cable is a veryhighqualityandeconomiccable thatcan be usedina lotof differentways.
Whena single cable canbe usedformany applications,itisreferredtoas"StructuredCabling".
One commonuse for thiscable isconnectinga computer,PCor Printertothe internet.Thiscan
happenthrougha router,modem,ordirectconnectiontoanothercomputerusinganEthernetcord.
In additiontonetworkingdevices,cat5e cablesare also goodfor installingtoAudioVisual systems,
such as televisions,projectorsandspeakersinsurroundsoundsystems.Theycancarry audiovisual
signalsoverthe data cable althoughmodernAV generallyrequiresaminimumof Cat6adata cabling
for efficienttransmission
The lowerprice-tagonthese cablescomparedtoothercategoriesmakesthemthe cablingof choice
whena smallernetworkwithbudgetconstraintsisdesired.
Cat5e Pair Colours
Cat5e Cable Comeswith8 Strands;FourPairs of TwistedWiresInside - The mostcommontype of
networkcable foundtodayisan unshieldedtwistedpair(UTP),whichconsistof fourpairsof wires
inside aplasticsheathtoprotectthem
For the standardcolor code of pair1 and pair2, there are eightcable colors:
PairNumner:(EIA 568B)
1. White/Orange
2. SolidOrange
3. White/Green

2. 4. SolidBlue
5. White/Blue
6. SolidGreen
7. White/Brown
8. SolidBrown
Cat5e Connector
A Category5e cable connectorismade up of eightpins,tomatch the above configuration.Onall
patch panelsandmodulesacolourcode will be presentonthe hardware tomatch the colourcodes
of the cable to ensure matchedtransmissionendtoend
The RJ45 Cat5e Connectoristhe 8-pinmodularjack commonlyfoundincomputernetworking
devices
Maximumlength ofCat5e cable
For Category5e cable,the maximumlengthis100 meters.Thisisgenerallya90m permanentlink
distance and5m patchleadsat each end
Cat5e cable isgenerallyusedforaverage distance runsof 40-50 metreswheninstalledinanoffice or
so at 1000Mbps (GigabitEthernet) speeds.
If longerpatch leadsare usedat eitherendthe overall maximumdistance allowance will reduce
fromthe 90m allowance
STP vs UTP
ShieldedTwistedPair(STP) Cable isverysimilartothe above Cat5e cable,but featuresanadditional
layerof insulationaroundeachwire.Thisactsas a shieldagainstpotentialinterferenceorelectrical
noise
UnshieldedTwistedPair(UTP) Cable hasnoextralayerof insulationaroundthe wire andmaynotbe
suitable forareaswhere there are large amountsof electrical equipmentnearby,like factoriesor
industrial settings
The nextgenerationof cables
Cat6a vsCat5e Cables
The nextgenerationtothe Cat5e categoryhasalreadybeendefined.Category6A whichcansupport
speedsupto 10 Gbpsover 100m runsat standardconditions.The cableswillalsobe backwards
compatible withcurrentnetworksallowingthemtorunalongside oldernetworktypeslikethose
alreadyrunningoverCat5e and standardCat6.
Cat7 andCat8 cablingare alsogrowinginpopularitybutCat6a is still the mainstandardinnew build
installations
About NM CablingSolutions - NetworkCabling Specialist
NMCablingisa technologyandstructuredcablingintegratorworkingthroughoutthe United
Kingdom.

3. We have createda comprehensive KnowledgeCentre forourindustrywhichcanbe viewed
at https://www.nmcabling.co.uk/knowledge-centre/