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Identifying Category Cables

Identifying Category Cables

By Jim Witt

Understanding different cables and their specified categories can be a little confusing. Many cables look the same even when they have different cable jack ends. You want to make sure you don't mistake one for something it's not. Here is a brief description of all the category cables and what their specifications are.

Cat 1 cables aren't really defined as real cables. They were used for telephone communication and simple doorbell wiring. They are also known as voice-grade copper.

A category 2 cable or cat 2 cable isn't used anymore either. It was used for transmitting information with the speed of 4 Mbit/sec. It is similar to the cat 1 cables in that it's not really seen as a true cable.

Starting with category 3 cables, we start getting into the recognized cables that are used today. Category 3 cables include a bandwidth of 16 MHz and can transmit data with speeds up to 10 Mbit/s. These cables were used for computer networks before the invention of the category 5 cable a little over a decade ago.

A category 4 cable isn't a very common cable. It does have a greater speed and bandwidth than the cat-3 but was mainly used in token ring networks. The cat-5 cable clearly overshadowed both of these categories.

The well-known category 5 cabling came into use over a decade ago. People also call these cables Ethernet cables that are plugged into Ethernet ports. These Ethernet ports require RJ-45 cable ends which are normally found on the category 5 cables. If there is a different jack end on the cables, the Ethernet port won't be able to take it.

The last two categories are 6 and 7. Category 6 and category 7 are completely interchangeable with category 5 cables. The only difference is their faster transmitting capacities and larger bandwidths. They also have insulated wires, which improves any interference coming through.

All of this information can be confusing but there are a couple things you should make sure you know. Cat-5 cables are really the most commonly used in our day and can be interchanged with cat-6 and cat-7 cables. Don't try and use a different cable because you could really mess your Ethernet port up. These cables are used to allow us to access the Internet and exchange large amounts of data across the network.