One of the major facts about network topology starts with “The Twisted Pair Cables”, the delegate wires to wire up the whole structure to access the internet. This is a comprehensive guide to the invention and needs of Ethernet Cables.
Networking Technology is advancing with tremendous speed and engineers are effectively working to invent next-generation modern LAN cables to maintain speed and integrity. Some major inventions of LAN cables are Cat5e Ethernet Cable (Riser and Plenum), Cat6 LAN cable (Riser and Plenum), and Cat6a Network Cable (Riser and Plenum) — Riser and Plenum are the outer jackets having importance regarding the installation locations.
Starting the discussion with the invention and need for the Ethernet Cables — and the importance of the LAN cable in our daily life. It’s not deniable that the need for the Internet is a mandatory part of our daily life whether to run a business, streaming needs, or online gaming, the Internet is the primary demand.
The Humble Beginning (1970s) — The Rise of LAN Cables
So, the story begins when Engineer Robert Metcalfe along with his colleagues thought of wired cables to connect multiple computers within the building. He introduced the Ethernet System and the first ever cable was invented, the “Coaxial Cable” with a thick conductor inside the cable. The coaxial cable is used to connect Television and other networking devices. The main reason for inventing the twisted pair cables is to ease signal transmission. These early versions support “10BASE5” speed ratings.
The Evolution and Standardization of Ethernet Cables
From the year 1980 – 2000, we see a huge advancement in the rise in the ethernet cable assembly. The primary LAN cables introduced were Cat1, Cat2, Cat3, and Cat4 with twisted pair design. They support 4 Mbps, 6 Mbps, and 10 Mbps speed respectively, and are frequently used for the telephone and Token Ring. After the successful invention of the LAN cables, Cat5 was introduced which was obsolete when the new modern Cat5e Ethernet Cable was introduced. It was the first cable to support Gigabit speed. Later on, other modern network cables like the Cat5e Riser Cable, Cat 6 riser cable, and the Bulk Cat6a Cable 1000ft were introduced.
The Rise of LAN Party — Category Cables
The engineers from IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) established the standard for the “Twisted Pair Cables”. The first gigabit cable was the Cat5e Plenum Cable. 350 MHz bandwidth and the 4 twisted pairs to support the signal flow from device to device. A gigabit-speed cable is well known for its high performance and cost-efficient characteristics. It features 24 AWG conductor size which is recommended for PoE and other applications.
Later on, Cat6 plenum ethernet cable was introduced which was the most demanding due to its high-graded characteristics. The cable features 23 AWG conductors, suitable for PoE, 550 MHz bandwidth fastest speed, and the copper conductor to maximize the signal transmission.
Last but not least, Bulk Cat6a Riser Cable 1000ft was invented and marked as the speed giant in LAN cables. The 10GBASE-T cable offers 750 MHz bandwidth along with the 23 AWG conductor size. After the discovery, the engineers thought of some common but major points like the shielded and unshielded LAN cables and the Plenum and Riser jackets to sustain the deployment of the Ethernet Cables.
The above information covers brief information about the Ethernet cables and their salient features. Now let’s learn each cable separately along with their outer jacket ratings.
Category Cables — The Speed Giants
The first category cable is Cat5e here “E” indicates an Enhanced version of its previous cable. The main aspects of the cable are used for residential and commercial applications. The best way to get gigabit speed cost-effectively. The cable comes with two outer jackets Bulk Cat5e Riser Cable and other Cat5e Plenum Cable. Both have different chemical compositions — for plenum it is FEP-rated material to wipe out the chances for flame or fire incidents. They are mostly seen installed in homes, offices, and SME setups. Cat5e Plenum Copper cable is somehow expensive due to two important reasons — Plenum (CMP) and the Copper conductor.
Second in the category is Cat6 Ethernet Cable, a highly advanced cable with improved ratings of EMI and RFI (Crosstalk). The main aspect that most consumers are unaware of is its tight twisted pairs 5-6 twists per inch throughout the cable length. The reason is quite simple to minimize the entry of unwanted signals or to stop signal bleeding.
Cat6 has also two outer jacket types — Cat6 Plenum Ethernet Cable and Cat6 Riser Bare Copper Cable. The riser jacket is for the vertical spaces and the plenum jacket is for the horizontal needs. Inside the Cat6 Riser Bare Copper Cable, you will see a plastic cross-skeleton material known as Spline; its other common name in use is twisted pair separator.
The other category cable we have is Cat6a where “A” indicates “Augmented” so simply it is a highly advanced cable that will possibly be useful for Commercial and Industrial needs. The Cat6a Riser Copper cable has 10 Gbps speed ratings over shorter and longer runs further its 750 MHz bandwidth supports Power over Ethernet (PoE). You can use this cable for your home installation needs but for that, you need to upgrade the server speed and networking equipment like switches, routers, and modems to support the speed and get potential benefit of the cable. Down below is a quick guide for all three category cables.
| Features | Cat5e Cable | Cat6 Cable | Cat6a Cable |
| Maximum Length Speed | 100 Mbps over 100 meters | 1 Gbps over 100 meters | 10 Gbps over maximum distance (328ft) |
| Minimum Length Speed | 1 Gbps below 50 meters | 10 Gbps below 50 meters | 10 Gbps constant speed |
| Conductor Types | CCA and Pure Copper | CCA and Solid Copper | Pure Copper Conductor |
| Outer Jackets | Riser and Plenum | Riser and Plenum | Riser and Plenum |
| Bandwidth | 350 MHz | 550 MHz | 750 MHz |
| Conductor Size | 24 AWG | 23 AWG | 23 AWG |
| Spline | N/A | Yes | Yes |
| Twists Per Inch | 4-5 twists per inch | 5-6 twists per inch | 6-7 twists per inch |
| PoE Applications | PoE with copper conductor | PoE/+/++ with copper conductor | PoE/+/++ and 4PPoE up to 100 watts suitable with Solid copper |
| Connector | RJ45 | RJ45 | RJ45 |
Some Technical Aspects of Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Not just networking but LAN cables also support some of the devices that require signal as well as power at the same time. There are different PoE Standards like PoE, PoE+, and PoE++ (Type 4PPoE). So let’s learn some of the technical knowledge regarding Power over Ethernet (PoE). All these standards come under the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).
- IEEE 802.3af (PoE) — It was introduced in 2003, and the PD (Power Delivered) for PoE is 15.4 watts. The typical power voltage ranges between 44 to 57 volts. While transmitting the signals, the power is sometimes lost, and the ideal 12.95 watts DC.
- IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) — Another type of Power over Ethernet that was introduced in 2009 and it typically uses 30 watts (W) with a DC range between 44 to 57 volts.
- IEEE 802.3bt (PoE++) — It is also known as PoE type 4 (4PPoE) and was introduced in 2018. It required 90 to 100 watts of power. The maximum voltage ranges between 50 to 57 volts DC.
These are some technical learnings about the characteristics of Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6a Ethernet Cables. There are other important aspects about the LAN cables which will be discussed in another section.
The Need For Ethernet Cable
Which ethernet cable is more authentic to deliver the required speed that supports your server speed characteristics? Among different ethernet cables, buying is not possible unless you are sure about the jacket. So let’s get a glance.
- Cat5e Plenum Copper Cable — Needed when you want performance and fire safety
- Bulk Cat5e Riser Cable — Cost-efficient and for vertical installations
- Cat6 Plenum Ethernet Cable — Future Proofing and longer runs the installation
- Cat6 Riser Bare Copper Cable — For non-plenum spaces with maximum performance
- Cat6a Plenum Cable — For Industrial needs where 10 Gbps speed is normal
- Cat6a Riser 1000ft Cable — For vertical installation needs and max performance
Here is a clear understanding of Buying Ethernet Cable. The main reason for purchasing Ethernet Cable is speed and performance. Now if your network server does not support gigabit or gigabit speed Cat5e LAN cable is more than enough.
Furthermore, choosing the LAN cable is simply by its speed, bandwidth, outer jacket, and the environment where you are going to deploy ethernet cable.
Final Thought
Biography of ethernet cables is quite tricky to understand but it is important though. Multiple cables like Category 5E, Category 6, and Category 6A are available in unshielded and shielded variants. However, there is a price difference when you move forward with the category cables.
The CCA cable is acceptable but if you need performance copper is always covering up your back. For utmost performance choose the copper cables or if you are limited by budget constraints CCA cable is for you.