Cat5e or Cat6

[to6y]

Should I use Cat5e or Cat6?

Current plan is to pull Cat6 but use Cat5e equipment...what do you think?

Any advice would be greatly received.

Many thanks

 

[SimonO]

...Current plan is to pull Cat6 but use Cat5e equipment...what do you think?..

CAT5e will be more than adequate for a domestic install, however there's obviously to harm in installing CAT6.

 

[Pocky]

Is it pure data and voice you want to do, than Cat5/6 is ok.

Mind you, video - even TV signals - need active "converters/adapters" to be piped over it.

Have a look at the MultiMediaCable at www.HomeNetSupport.eu, might be a better option for you

 

[hornydragon]

who is installing the cable? If your doing it your self Cat5e if not what ever is cheaper, bear in mind if your going to use BAlun technology like AVatrix then you need to use the specified cable as Cat5e and Cat6 are different when you get to cat7 its nightmare.....Its all down to the twists per inch rating


I would also run a mile from any of the dedicvated cabling systems as they are not all they are cracked up to be in the marketing blurb

 

[mossym]

have cat5e all over my house, and no problem getting everything running at gigabit speeds...

 

[to6y]

Cabling is going to be used for vision (currently AVAtrix), audio (currently A-bus), telephone and data.

Not interested in Cat7. Only considering Cat5e or Cat6.

Recognise the only benefit of Cat6 over Cat5e is that it can transfer more data so had consider putting in Cat5e to TV and speakers and Cat6 to telephone/data points but then I thought as the wire cost difference is little why not just install Cat6 everywhere for increased flexibility.

There is still a big difference in switches etc when comparing between Cat5e and Cat6 so I had also thought I would install Cat5e equipment now and upgrade in future.

Saying that...my question is...do you think I will be using increases data transfer within the next 5 years...if not, why even bother with the increased cost of Cat6 wire?

 

[hornydragon]

Saying that...my question is...do you think I will be using increases data transfer within the next 5 years...if not, why even bother with the increased cost of Cat6 wire?

Cat5e properly installed can run 1000Mbps the best broadband is 20Mbps your internal traffic is unlikely to exceed 40-50Mbps I still advocate cat5 cat6 hardware is getting cheaper (need cat6 patch panels and terminations) Avatrix Abus and PSTN dont use the TCP/IP system anyway so dont even run packet data so the Mbps is irrelevent they just send analogue signals down the copper so why use cat5? its cheap, readily available and easy to terminate...

 

[TTT]

Cat5e will run gigabit ethernet. Cat6 won't run 10G. So there is no benefit for data applications. The only conceivable benefit is that the performance/distance of analogue balun signals MAY be improved depending on what signal you are trying to send. For example, some if the HDMI systems will give greater range with the extra bandwidth of Cat6. Bear in mind that this improvement is only seen with Cat6 rated plates and patch panels.