The importance of Ethernet cables is increased significantly in a wired computer network. These wires are highly responsible to maintain good data transfer speeds and bandwidth provisioning to the users. Therefore, the installation of the right cables in a network is very important. A wide range of network cables is produced by different brands and companies such as Cat6 Plenum Pure Copper, Cat5e Plenum, and others.
It is always been a tricky task for the network engineers to select the right one from the available range of cables. It is not necessary that installing an expensive wire will give you good results. The quality and features of the cable matter a lot in this scenario.
Therefore, network administrators first need to study their network requirements. After that, they have to understand the needs of the users of that network. Once they analyze this information properly then they will be in a good position to select the right network cables.
There are some major things that they should take into consideration before choosing the Ethernet cable.
- Requirements of Data transfer speed
- Requirements of Bandwidth Capacity
- Budget Limits
Almost every network engineer works according to the above-mentioned requirements. They are interlinked with each other. Sometimes it is not possible to fulfill all these requirements in a single network. Therefore, they have to compromise on some of them. Cat6 Plenum Bare Copper can say fulfills all requirements efficiently. Now, it is solely their decision that which needs are more important ones and which can be left.
Some Ethernet Cables with their specifications and features are.
Obsolete Cat3 & Cat5 Ethernet Cables
They are also known as first-generation Ethernet cables. You may have seen them a long time ago in the networks because nowadays they are not in demand too much. They are getting obsolete from the networking scene.
You will hardly find these cables readily available in the market nowadays. If still, you need them then you have to make them on order through a manufacturer. Especially, Cat3 cable is no more in demand from the network designers. It was introduced in the early 1990s and with time, new cables with advanced features and specifications have taken over their space. Almost the same is the case with cat5 cables.
Cat5e Ethernet Cable with Advanced Technology
Advancements in technology bring cat5e to the networking scene. The “e” in cat5e name represents an enhanced version. It is the enhancement in the features and technology of the cable. From a visual look, cat5 and cat5e may look the same but their features differ them big time.
Cat5e gives much better results in a network as compared to the older versions of cables. It resists unwanted signal transfer more efficiently and effectively. The networks become more reliable after their installation.
With that, their data transfer speed is faster as well. They can transfer data at a speed of 1 Gbps up to 100 meters or 328 feet in comparison to cat5’s 100 Mbps up to the same distance. They provide a cost-effective solution to the network designers with enhanced features. This is why they become their first choice quickly.
Modern-day Ethernet Cables Cat6 Plenum Pure Copper & Cat6a Plenum
A modern version of Ethernet cable is available in the shape of Cat6 and Cat6a cables. They are much more efficient and reliable versions as compared to all other older versions. Especially, Cat6 Bare Copper cable has become the first choice of modern-day network designers. The progressions in the technology allow the manufacturers to create these cables with better technical features and qualities.
Distance Covered
One of the most common factors that separate them from older versions is their ability of data transferring speed. They are highly efficient in this regard. As Cat6 Plenum Pure Copper and cat6a, both are capable of transferring data up to 10 Gbps. The only difference between these two is that cat6 is capable of transferring data up to 50 meters with the mentioned speed whereas cat6a is capable of transferring data up to 100 meters with the same speed.
Therefore, network managers can select one of them according to their needs and requirements. If they are designing a network where they need Ethernet cables up to a distance of 100 meters then cat6a should be their option, otherwise with networks where they do not need cables more than 50 meters long then they can go for other variants as well.
Speed & Bandwidth Limits
Similarly, the bandwidth of both cables is also different. Cat6 Solid Copper works at 250 MHz whereas Cat6a works on a bandwidth of 500 MHz. Mostly, the two 2 variants cat6 plenum and Cat6 Riser are in demand for today’s networks. Both of them are compatible with each other. Therefore, you can use both of them in the same network as well.
If you want to get all these features then you have to pay a handsome amount for it as well. These cables are expensive as compared to previous variants of Ethernet cables available in the market. Therefore, you need to increase your budget limits to use these cables.
Colors
They are available in different colors in the market. This helps you to arrange your network settings in a way that will be easy to understand for you. This helps you in the future during troubleshooting problems. It also helps you in keeping your network maintenance costs down.
Conclusion
By reading this article, I hope you will get a better idea about different types of Ethernet cables. The ones that are used in the past and the ones that are currently in demand. This allows you to choose the right Ethernet Cable for your network. It saves both your time and money.
What do you need to do? The first step is to understand your network. How big is it and how many users will go to use it? When you analyze this information properly then you can conclude which cable will fulfill all your network requirements appropriately.
You can take your decisions based on the network speed you require, or you can take your decision based on your network user’s need that what they want from it, or you can design it based on your budget limits. According to today’s networking needs, we suggest our customers use Cat6 Plenum Pure Copper in their networks for high performance.
