CAT 5 Cable, whats its purpose

[Dr Force]

Hi guys

I hear alot about people using cat5 cable but what is it best used for ie is it better to use this as a BT cable, door entry,pc etc,etc??

Also what are the advantages of using it in HC applications?

[youngsyp]

Cat 5/ ethernet/ patch cables are what you might use to connect your PC to a router or you might use them as a connection medium between a server and network port etc...

The easiest way to describe them is they're data cables that look like large phone (RJ45) cables, just with more contact points on the plugs.

In a home cinema capacity, you may use them to plug your ethernet port equipped amplifier/receiver, into your home network, so it can recieve online updates. Of course, they can also be used to connect a HTPC to your home network.

Hope this helps.

[Para]

They are also used with ballons to conect up bits of gear. The balons convert your input signal. i.e component video, into cat5 and then has another balon on the end to convert it back to component. Its useful because you can have long distances of cable that are very cheep to replace. they take up a small amount of room compared to most HC cables and they are well shielded due to their data origins.

http://www.svideo.com/1080i.html

[Para]

They are also used with ballons to conect up bits of gear. The balons convert your input signal. i.e component video, into cat5 and then has another balon on the end to convert it back to component. Its useful because you can have long distances of cable that are very cheep to replace. they take up a small amount of room compared to most HC cables and they are well shielded due to their data origins.

have a look at this

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/videoware/500050.swf

[MarkE19]

Basically any office with PC's will have them all connected to the network via cat5 (or better ie cat6 etc) so the PC's can talk to each other, servers, printers etc etc etc. Just about all the equipment in the office can use this cabling, even modern IP Telehpones via bunch of network equipemnt such as routers, switches, patch panels. This will also be the way any office PC connects to the internet and e-mail.
As already explained cat 5 cable is very cheap to install. So in a HC you can use it to pipe AV around the home without spending a fortune on ever changing cabling requirements.
A better idea of what you can do with cat5 can be seen by looking at the baluns you can buy to convert your AV signals. Have a look Here for some examples. They are not cheap, but probably cheaper than wiring up loads of different cables throughout a house.

Mark.