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General discussion

Cat 5 versus Cat 5e Ethernet cord

by jo2pat Oct 2, 2010 12:12PM PDT

I am running Verizon DSL on Vista want to buy a 50 ft ethernet cord need at Cat both ends are mail what is the difference between Cat 5 and Cat 5e

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2 Posts

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CAT 5e Would Probably Be Best

by Grif Thomas Forum moderator Oct 2, 2010 3:04PM PDT

CAT 5e is superior to CAT 5 in that it has additional specifications regarding signal bleeding between cables and is able to handle higher bandwidth needs.. BUT CAT 6 is superior in transmission performance and should be used if you have true Gigabit needs in mind. That is... a Gigabit modem/router and ethernet card will be needed for the system to benefit from CAT 6 cable which is certiied to handle Gigabit. CAT 5e works with Gigabit speeds but CAT 6 is certified to do so..

Here's a link that might help with a basic discussion of the variables you are asking about:

http://www.networkcablingdirectory.com/articles/structured-network-cabling-id_1151.htm

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Cat 5

by jo2pat Oct 2, 2010 9:54PM PDT

Thanks that certainly clears up the situation went to Micro Center it was mind boggling all the cables.

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