What Is Cat 1?

What Is Cat 1

Date First Published: 17th May 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Data Transmission Technologies

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 5/10

Learn more about what Cat 1 is in this article.

Short for Category 1, Cat 1 is the lowest category of Ethernet cable that supports data transmission speeds of up to 1 Mb/s and frequency speeds of up to 1 MHz. Cat 1 was introduced in 1985 and designed for telephone communications and modem lines that carry voice-only traffic.

Cat 1 is generally unsuitable for data transmission and has never been installed as premise wiring, due to its very low speed and it is not an official category standard that is established by TIA/EIA. Official TIA/EIA standards have only been established for Cat 3 cables onwards and most modern homes use Cat 3, Cat 5, or Cat 5e. Cat 5 is capable of transferring up to 100 Mb/s, a hundred times more than Cat 1 cables. The cabling of Cat 1 uses unshielded twisted pairs and consists of two insulated copper wires to prevent crosstalk.


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