Best Ethernet Wiring Options

Written By Daniel Burns

Today there are so many different standards in data transmission and there’s one standard that has always been reliable and that is still in use today. Ethernet has been around since the 1980s and was standardized in 1983 as IEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3. Ethernet is a standard way of data transmission of 1s and 0s. Typically measured in megabits per second and is used for all types of data transmission. 
​   There are over 7 different types of categories of ethernet wiring today and as we require faster and faster speeds and data throughput, there will always be a need for faster standards. Let's start with the basics first. An ethernet cable is typically made up of thin twisted pairs of insulated copper. They are twisted together to reduce something called crosstalk. Crosstalk is when you have data transmitting wires close or next to each other causing interference and thus issues typically resulting in slower speeds or connection dropout. By twisting the wires together, you prevent them from interfering with another. To also help with interface, ethernet cables can have extra shielding around each pair of twisted wire, separation and rigidity, thanks to plastic, and an aluminum foil like wrap just beneath the cables outside jacket. The tighter the twist, the better the signal will travel. 
    Ethernet cables are rated in categories and they go as followed. Category 1 ethernet consists of two twisted wire pairs (four wires total) and is the oldest type of the bunch. It is no longer used today and was only rated for voice data. You would typically find this cable inside older building used only for phone lines. Each category name can be condensed to “Cat” followed by the version of the cable. Ie: Cat1, Cat2… Next we have Cat2 ethernet. It consists of four twisted wire pairs (eight wires) and handles up to 4Mbps with a frequency maximum of 10MHz. This is also no longer used today. Cat3 is made the same way but has an extra 3 twists per foot and can handle up to 10Mbps. It is only used for telecommunication (phone) equipment today. Cat4 is the same but has more twists and is rated for 20MHz and is obsolete. Are you seeing the pattern yet? Cat5 cable is the same except each pair is now twisted separately then twisted with the other pairs. It is rated for 100MHz and is also known as 100BaseTX. Next up we have the most commonly used cable today called Cat5e. The E stands for enhanced and it is exactly what it's called. An enhanced version of Cat5. The big difference in 5e is that its cable can handle transmitting on all four pairs of wire at the same time allowing it to handle gigabit speeds or over 1000Mbps! It is also referred to as 1000BaseT and you should note any category below 5e should not be used in today’s networking applications unless you absolutely have to. 
    My favorite ethernet version called Cat6 is the next best thing for price per performance or should I say price per foot. Cat6 (1000BaseTX) is rated for 250MHz and became a standard in 2002 as riser cables to connect floors together. Today it should be used in all new applications and retrofits instead of Cat5e. Cat6A (10GBaseT) is similar to the jump from 5 to 5e in that the perforce increase warranted its own category. 6A stands for Augmented and can handle up to 500MHz with major improvements to crosstalk elimination. It can be run up to 100 meters (328.08ft) and has a power transmission rating of 3db. Cat6A will be the next big cable to used for any application. There is a Cat7 and it allows and astonishing 10 gigabit per second over 100 meters of copper but as of 2017, it still isn’t recognized as a standard, yet. Although Cat6 is still capable of 10 gigabit data transfer connections locally, and often used with 10 gig network cards in video editing applications. There are Cat8 cables that are extremely fast but we don’t need to cover them, especially since it isn’t fully developed yet.
    So the best version or type of ethernet cable everyone should be using is Cat6 because of its cost effective performance and its best suited for 90% of applications. Of course if you need more speed and you have the cash, then Cat7 sounds pretty neat. And when you are shopping for cables, remember to not get too wired up about it.

Follow Daniel Burns on Twitter, @DBurnsOfficial

---