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However, choosing the wrong cable category for your networking setup could see you lose precious internet speed – something that could potentially have a knock-on effect on your gaming performance and browsing enjoyment. CAT6 cables have easily taken over CAT5 cables as they provide 1GbE at a 250 MHz bandwidth.Granted, ethernet cables aren’t the most exciting topic in the world. The cable can support only 10/100 Mbps at a 100 MHz bandwidth. This makes it perfect for industrial and large-scale usage.ĬAT5 has become more or less outdated in today’s time.
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On the contrary, CAT6A wires are designed to cover large distances. The thick plastic casing on CAT6 allows it to cover longer distances while tackling crosstalk issues.ĬAT5 is perfect to use in homes, offices, and other small spaces that are within a radius of 100 meters. Unlike CAT5, CAT6 comes with good safety margins. It was designed to keep up with the constantly evolving technology. The difference between the two is that CAT6 is a more advanced version of CAT5. These are twisted pair cables that support fast and efficient Ethernet connection. The CAT6 cable can handle up to 1GbE (1000 Mbps) with a bandwidth of 250 MHz, while CAT6A can handle up to 1GbE at a 500MHz bandwidth.ĬAT5 and CAT6 cables can be seen almost everywhere, from homes to large scale industries. This is due to its thick gauge plastic casing. A wider cable allows more amount of data communication to flow over a specific period of time, that too at a faster speed.Īpart from this, CAT6 tackles network and crosstalk problems exceptionally well. The diameter of CAT6A cable is about 0.250 which is wider than CAT5 and CAT5e.
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On the contrary, CAT6 cables are perfect for residential use as the distance covered is significantly lesser than CAT6A. This makes it the perfect choice for large industries. Both these versions are faster and more enhanced when compared to CAT5 and CAT5e cables.ĬAT6A cables cover a distance of approximately 328 feet. Just like the latter, CAT6 is a network cable used to connect computers and other devices to switches, modems, and servers.ĬAT6 cables are available in two versions – CAT6 and CAT6A. CAT6 was released four years after CAT5 came into the market.
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