There are cables everywhere you look. From HDMI cables to simple cell phone cables, they’re required for a lot of the electronic products that we use every day of our lives. In a technological age, you can’t ignore the importance of cables.
That being said, it’s sometimes difficult to know what important cables do. In this piece, we’ll be discussing some of the key differences between Cat5 cables and Cat6 cables.
What Are Cat5 and Cat6 Cables?
For starters, Cat is an abbreviation for category. So Cat5 and Cat6 cables are really Category 5 and Category 6. These two cables are used for a multitude of purposes, but the most common is as network cables. This means that these particular cables are often used to connect computers and servers to modems and the internet. Because we live in a technological age, these cables have seen a lot of improvement over the years to the point where they’re much more advanced now than they were even five years ago.
The Main Difference
The biggest difference between Cat5 and Cat6 cable bulk packages is the amount of crosstalk. All electronic equipment emits electromagnetic signals. When a bunch of cables are bundled together or working in close proximity, the electromagnetic signals being transmitted from each one can interfere with the others. This disturbance is referred to as crosstalk, and is essentially when the cables try to “talk” over one another. Newer versions of Cat5 and Cat6 cable bulk packages (Cat6 in particular) help reduce the amount of interference that goes on.
Speed
Another one of the main differences is speed. Cat6 cables are usually faster than Cat5 cables as a result of their development over time. Both cables can plug into the same port, but one simply offers faster connection and communication than the other does.
This is only a small portion of the cable industry, but nonetheless an important one. The more you understand about how cables work, the better off you’ll be when it comes time to connect that new television set or computer.
