Cat5e Vs Cat6 Ethernet Cables | Which One Is Best For You?

An in-depth comparison between two popular choices

4 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

In the article today, we will make a Cat5e vs Cat6 comparison, so that you are able to see which one fits your needs best.

A Cat5e Ethernet cable is the successor ofCat5, the latter being now rarely found on the market. While they’re physically similar,Cat5e Ethernet adheres to more stringent IEEE standards.

By comparison,Cat6cables take things one steps further especially in terms of performance rates, which is oftentimes the main aspect that clients look for in any tech-related product.

Choosing between these two is, in the end, a matter of cost vs. performance, and we want to make things easier for you by focusing on some aspects such asspeed, safety, and costs.

Cat 5e vs Cat 6 – What are the differences between them?

As mentioned, with Cat5E cables certain capabilities were enhanced, namely reducing the potential for crosstalk (interference that transfers from adjacent wires).

Cat5E is suitable for small space installations like households, though it is still used in commercial spaces.

Cat6cables reduce crosstalk, even more, using tighter wound wire pairs and usually also havea plastic core through the middle of the cable to better insulate the internal wires, which also makes it more resistant in time.

Otherwise, the two cables come with the same end port thatplugs into any Ethernet jack on a computer, router, or another similar device.

How much better is Cat6 than Cat 5e?

Naturally, the big difference between Cat5e andCat6cables lies in their performance or the amount of data that can be sent over through each one of them. As expected,Cat6has a higher bandwidth compared toCat5.

Cat5e supports a maximum frequency of up to 100MHz and aspeedof up to 1Gbps (which is why it was also known as the Gigabit Ethernet).Cat6cables increased that bandwidth to 250 Mhz, which also boosted up the transfer speed to 10Gbps.

One drawback ofCat6cables is that though standardEthernetsupports distances of up to 100 meters, they only support 37-55 meters (depending on crosstalk).

Should I run Cat 5e or Cat6?

There’s no correct answer to this question. Both cable types are being widely used. Perhaps of all the current cabling options, Cat5e is the least expensive option.

Cat5e is also the most common type of cabling for residencies, due to its profitability when balancing cost and performance.

Just think that most on-demand video streaming services require somewhere around 14-16Mbps Internet speed (or even less) to stream 4k content, so you can imagine that with a Cat5e Ethernet cable you’d be just fine.

On the other hand, for better Internet speed and transfer speeds 10 times faster between several devices,Cat6cables are definitely the better option.

For more comprehensive guides, check out our guide onCat 7 vs Cat 8.

You can also find out which are thebest Ethernet splittersavailable on Amazon right now from our dedicated article.

Lastly, if you’re interested in someUSB C to Ethernet adapters, we have yet another list with expert-made reviews for you.

We hope you managed to choose between Cat5e vs Cat6 using our guide and that you are happy with your purchase. Let us know in the comments section below what you decided to go with.

Cat5e Vs Cat6 Ethernet Cables | Which One Is Best For You?#

Cat 5e vs Cat 6 – What are the differences between them?#

How much better is Cat6 than Cat 5e?#

Should I run Cat 5e or Cat6?#

Cat5e Vs Cat6 Ethernet Cables | Which One Is Best For You?

Cat 5e vs Cat 6 – What are the differences between them?

How much better is Cat6 than Cat 5e?

Should I run Cat 5e or Cat6?