20th August 2007

Category 5 Cable (UTP) (Unshielded Twisted Pair)

A multipair (usually 4 pair) high performance cable that consists of twisted pair conductors, used mainly for data transmission. Note: The twisting of the pairs gives the cable a certain amount of immunity from the infiltration of unwanted interference. Basic cat 5 cable was designed for characteristics of up to 100 MHz. Category 5 cable is typically used for Ethernet networks running at 10 or 100 Mbps.

Category 5 E Cable (enhanced)

Same as Category 5, except that it is made to somewhat more stringent standards. Category 5 E is recommended for all new installations, and was designed for transmission speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gigabit Ethernet).

Category 6

Same as Category 5 E, except that it is made to a higher standard.

Category 5 Cable (SCTP) (Screened Twisted Pair)
Same as above, except that the twisted pairs are given additional protection from unwanted interference by an overall shield. There is some controversy concerning which is the better system (UTP or SCTP). Category 5 SCTP cabling systems require all components to maintain the shield, and are used almost exclusively in European countries.