Why is Category 6 line faster than Category 5 line?

A friend asked, is the thickness of the network cable theory? Why is the transmission rate of Category 6 line faster than Category 5 line? This is a good question. We usually use network cables, but we do n’t know much about the various types of network cables. When we do many projects, we all have the illusion that there is little difference between Category 5 and Category 6 cables. Let's take a look at the difference between Category 6 and Category 5 lines.

1. Comparison of attributes between Category 5 and Category 6

Cat 5 line (CAT5): The transmission frequency is 100MHz, which is used for voice transmission and data transmission with a maximum transmission rate of 100Mbps, mainly used in 100BASE-T and 10BASE-T networks. This is a commonly used Ethernet cable, which increases the winding density and coats a high-quality insulating material.

Cat5e line (CAT5e): The transmission frequency is 100MHz, which is mainly used for Gigabit Ethernet (1000Mbps). It has small attenuation, less crosstalk, and has a higher ratio of attenuation to crosstalk (ACR) and signal-to-noise ratio (StructuralReturn Loss), smaller delay error, and performance has been greatly improved.

Category 6 cable (CAT6): The transmission frequency is 250MHz, which is suitable for applications with a transmission rate higher than 1Gbps, and is mainly used for Gigabit Ethernet (1000Mbps). The category 6 twisted pair is different from the category 5 or super category 5 twisted pair in appearance and structure. It not only adds an insulated cross skeleton, but also places the four pairs of twisted pairs in the four cross strands. Inside the groove, and the diameter of the cable is also thicker.

Category VI or 6A (CAT6A): The transmission frequency is 200 to 250 MHz, and the transmission speed can also reach 1000 Mbps, which is mainly used in gigabit networks. Super Cat.6 cable is an improved version of Cat.6 cable. It is also an unshielded twisted pair cable specified in ANSI / EIA / TIA-568B.2 and ISO Class 6 / E standards. It has crosstalk, attenuation and signal noise. There is a big improvement in comparison.

CAT7 cable: The transmission frequency can reach at least 500 MHz and the transmission rate can reach 10 Gbps. It is mainly used to adapt to the application and development of 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology. This line is a new shielded twisted pair in the ISO 7 / F standard.

Second, the difference between Category 5 and Category 6

Difference 1: The loss is different. An important difference between Category 6 and Category 5C cables is improved performance in terms of crosstalk and return loss. It is recommended to use Category 6 network cable directly for home decoration.

Difference 2: The thickness of the core is different. The core of the super five-type network cable is between 0.45mm and 0.51mm, and the core of the six-type network cable is between 0.56mm and 0.58mm. The network cable is much thicker;

Difference 3: The cable structure is different. The outer skin of the super five-category network cable is marked with "CAT.5e". The six-category network cable obviously has the "cross skeleton", and the skin is marked by "CAT.6".

Although the super five types of unshielded twisted pair can also provide transmission bandwidth of up to 1000Mb / s, but often need to rely on the support of expensive special equipment.

"Category 6" refers to Category 6 unshielded twisted pair (CAT6).

The parameters of the six types of unshielded twisted pair have been greatly improved, and the bandwidth has also been extended to 250MHz or higher. The category 6 twisted pair is different from the category 5 or super category 5 twisted pair in appearance and structure. It not only adds an insulated cross skeleton, but also places the four pairs of twisted pairs in the four cross strands. Inside the groove, and the diameter of the cable is also thicker.

The cross frame at the center of the cable rotates at an angle with the change of length. The four pairs of twisted pairs are caught in the grooves of the frame to maintain the relative position of the four pairs of twisted pairs, improving the balance characteristics and crosstalk attenuation of the cable. In addition, ensure that the balance structure of the cable is not damaged during installation. The diameter of the bare copper wire of the six types of unshielded twisted pair is 0.57mm (the wire gauge is 23AWG), the diameter of the insulated wire is 1.02mm, and the diameter of the UTP cable is 6.53mm. Of course, the thicker the better. The signal is stable.

Third, the difference between Category 6 and Category 7 lines

Super Cat 6 cable: The highest transmission frequency is 500MHz, which is twice that of Cat 6 cable. It is mainly used for 10G network and the outer skin is marked with "CAT.6A". In addition, Cat 6 cable supports 10G Ethernet. There will be a similar logo of 10Gigabit on the exterior;

There are two types of Category 6 wires. Generally, the diameter of a single strand of bare copper wire is 23 AWG, which is approximately equal to 0.573 mm. There are also Category 6 wires of 24 AWG, with a thickness of approximately 0.511 mm.

CAT7 cable: CAT7 cable has similar performance to CAT-6 cable. It uses pure copper 8-core and has a shielding layer. The performance is more powerful and the transmission rate can reach 10Gbps. It is used in data center and other occasions.

Each pair has a shielding layer (usually a metal foil shield), and then there is a shielding layer outside the 8 cores (usually a braided metal shield), the interface is the same as RJ-45. Total shielding (usually metal braided wire mesh shielding) + wire pair shielding (usually metal foil shielding) Category 7 S / FTP Cat.7 (HSYVP-7) The maximum transmission frequency is 600MHz, and the transmission frequency of Category 7 cables is 1000MHz , Seven categories fully support 10 Gigabit.

Type 7 wire core uses high-quality oxygen-free copper with a diameter of nearly 0.58mm as the transmission conductor, which is slightly thicker than type 6 wire. The use of chemical foam insulation greatly improves the transmission ability of a single conductor.

From the perspective of the core of the network cable, the diameters of the cores of category 5, category 6, and category 7 have increased. The higher the quality of the copper used, the faster and more stable the transmission rate.