There has been a lot of discussion over Cat5e and Cat6. Since a good portion of our systems run on Cat5e/Cat6, it's an important topic for us.

What's the difference between Cat5e and Cat6?
The main difference between the two wires is bandwidth. Cat5e supports a bandwidth of 100MHz, and Cat6 runs at 200 MHz. While both systems support Gigabit networking, Cat6 is able to handle it in an easier way.

It's easiest to think of bandwidth in terms of cars on a highway. Both a Ford Escort and a Corvette can ride along at 70 mph, but the Corvette does it much easier then the Escort. This is similar to Cat5e and Cat6.

Why wouldn't I use Cat6 in my home?
There are 2 main reasons that we like to use Cat5e for most of the equipment. First, it's Cat6 is about twice the price of Cat5e. Second, the connectors for Cat6 are much more difficult to install then the connectors for Cat5e.

Additionally, we use cat5e for many devices that have extremely low bandwidth requirements such as touch screens and thermostats. For devices like this Cat5e is more then enough. In fact, we only recommend using Cat6 for data and video networks.

Final Thoughts
I am a fan of Cat5e due to its low price, ease of use, and the fact that it is the standard. Most equipment is being designed to run on Cat5e. When I wired my own home several years ago, I used all Cat5e wiring.

That being said, it does make sense to run some Cat6 especially for your data network in large homes that will have extensive data requirements. The average home automation system we do requires about 6000 feet of wire. Upgrading 1000 feet of that to Cat6 will cost you about $100, but it is a smart upgrade.

cat5e, cat6, wire, cable

Posted in Product Reviews