Structured cabling is the umbrella term that is used to describe data and telecoms cabling that is fixed in place to link together network devices throughout a building or a campus. Structured cabling falls into 2 basic categories:

CAT5e Cabling

Despite the introduction of higher performance cabling such as CAT6, CAT6a and CAT7, CAT5e remains the most popular and commonly deployed ethernet cabling standard.

There are various reasons for this and the widely  held belief that the CAT5e is here to stay longer than its predecessors. The main reason for this is that it supports gigabit networking and so if it is used exclusively with gigabit network cards and switches, it will support higher data transfer across the network.

However, the emergence of CAT6 has facilitated a far more effective platform for gigabit networking due to its decreased data loss. So, in reality, if there is a genuine requirement for gigabit ethernet, CAT6 is the category of choice.

Gigabit networking is only relevant when large amounts of data, need to be rendered across the network. For eg. Transmission of large image files and hi defenition videos. Most business users who require internet, email and access to network documents in Word and Excel which do not require a large bandwidth will rarely benefit from the advantages of gigabit networking therefore CAT5e is an ideal infrastructure.

CAT5e has benefits of its own to recommend it. It is more economical to install and moreover it requires less space than the higher diameter CAT6 and is more tolerant to tight bends and therefore easier and faster to install in trunking and where space is limited.
 

CAT6 Cabling

We are often asked - "Why CAT6?" After all CAT5e superseded CAT5 because it would support 1000mbps (gigabit) networking so why the need for a higher standard? It is a legitimate question and to fully understand the answer it helps to understand the basics of network protocols.

To put it in simple words, while CAT5e can facilitate the transmission of data packets at gigabit speed but it is limited to the amount of packets it can cope with and this  results in data loss. Since reliable protocols such as TCP resend lost packets, this will result in the user experiencing a slowdown over the network. For example when opening a large graphics file.

By utilising all four pairs within the cable, increasing the frequency of the twists in each pair and reinforcing the cable with a plastic spine, CAT6 reduces the amount of "cross-talk" that cause this level of data loss.

In other words Cat5e and CAT6 are like two highways with the same speed limit, but the CAT6 highways has many more lanes so traffic jams are less likely. Techies please excuse the over-simplification but as an analogy we think this works!

So who needs CAT6? Certainly anyone rendering large graphics file over a network - most 3D CAD programmes used by architects, structural engineers can produce files measured in gigabytes, In fact any designer or technician who works with large files will require a high speed network with minimum data loss. Then there is the issue of future-proofing. There is no doubt that networking has benefited enormously from the increase in data transmission speeds from 10 mbps to 100mbps and there is no reason to believe that 1000mbps will not be considered as the norm a few years hence.

CAT6 costs about 20% more than CAT5e, so is it worth the extra expenditure if all you anticipate heavy network usage in the future. It is also worth bearing in mind that data will only cross the network at the speed of the slowest network device which means possible investment in gigabit switches and Network Interface Cards will be needed to enjoy the full benefit of gigabit networking over CAT6.

If you have got any doubts regarding the standard that best meets your particular requirement, don't hesitate to consult us and we will be happy to talk you through the pros and cons and find the option that is suitable for you. Since we have got years of experience of providing IT Support Services, we will help to to select the best option.
 

Network Design

Server Consultancy Ltd employs IT Support Engineers who are experts in the designing and installing all types of cabling described above. However, in our experience, best results are achieved by working alongside with your IT department.