What Is Cat 5e?

Date First Published: 4th March 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Data Transmission Technologies

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 5/10

Learn more about what Cat 5e is in this article.

Short for Category 5 Enhanced, Cat 5e is a type of Ethernet cable standard that is a newer version of Cat 5. Even though it has the same appearance and wiring scheme as Cat 5, it supports data transfer rates of up to 1000 Mb/s, which is equivalent to one gigabit per second. Because of this fact, it is also known as a Gigabit Ethernet Cable. The main difference between Cat 5 and Cat 5e cables is that Cat 5 only supports data transfer speeds of up to 100 Mb/s and Cat 5e supports data transfer speeds of up to 1000 Mb/s.

In addition, Cat 5e cables have enhanced shielding that lowers crosstalk (signal transmission issues that cause disruption in another circuit or channel), or interference from nearby wire pairs, whilst Cat 5 cables are practically identical. In terms of Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT) measures, which are measured in decibels, it is necessary for Cat 5e cables to stick to stricter IEEE requirements.

Maximum Length

Cat 5e cables have exactly the same maximum length as Cat 5 cables, which is 100 metres. This means that they have the ability to extend to 100 metres between connected devices in both business and home networks. Without the use of a bridge or other network device, exceeding this length could result in network difficulties such as data packet loss and transmission speed reduction.

History

Cat 5e has become a more widely used Ethernet cable standard than Cat 5. Cat 5 connections were phased out in 2001 in place of Cat 5e cables. As of now, the majority of wired networks use Cat 5e or higher.