Cat5 and Cat6 Ethernet cables are both popular choices for wired networks, but there are some important differences between them, which is why it's best to choose the newer Cat6 standard for your next network upgrade.
Supports 100 Mbps Ethernet up to 100 meters away.
Commonly used in existing networks.
cheaper.
Seldom sold with shield.
Designed to reduce manufacturer specifications.
Unshielded cables can be thinner and more flexible.
Supports 1,000 Mbps Ethernet with transmission distance up to 100 meters.
Supports 10,000 Mbps at distances up to 55 m.
Backwards compatible with Cat5.
More expensive.
More blocking options.
Tighter manufacturing specifications.
Thicker cables may be more difficult to route.
Cat5 and Cat6 Ethernet cables are not completely different. They all utilize RJ45 connectors to connect to devices and network hardware and are constructed using twisted copper pairs.
They both transmit data at high speeds over the network with low latency. They come in a range of shielding options and different specifications, such as being suitable for use behind a wall or having extra fire protection.
However, the original functionality of Cat5 and Cat6 cables is quite different. Cat6 cables can carry more data faster than Cat5, and because they are manufactured to higher specifications, they are generally of higher quality and less likely to interfere.
They also offer a wider range of shielding options, although in these cases thicker cables may make them more difficult to fit through narrower gaps or large amounts of wiring.
Category 5 lineUp to 100 Mbps, up to 100 m.
Maximum speed supported by wider network hardware.
Much slower than most Wi-Fi standards.
Cannot support Internet speeds exceeding 100 Mb.
Supports 10,000 Mbps at distances up to 55 m.
Supports 1,000 Mbps up to 100 m away.
Faster network hardware is required to take advantage of the increased performance.
Supports even the fastest internet connections.
In terms of raw performance, there's no real comparison between Cat5 and Cat6 Ethernet cables.
Cat5 cable is an older, slower standard with a maximum rate limit of 100 Mbps over 100 meters of Ethernet cable. This speed covers almost any device with an Ethernet port from the past 20 years, so compatibility is not an issue. But now that faster networks are becoming more common, 100 Mbps is much slower than the older Wi-Fi standard.
Cat6 Ethernet cable supports Gigabit Ethernet (1,000 Mbps) with cable lengths up to 100 m, but if the cable length is kept under 55 m, you can enjoy 10,000 Mbps. You'll need hardware that supports that speed in your router/switch and connected devices to take full advantage, but the option exists for those transferring large data collections over their local network.
Category 5 lineUsually sold in unshielded form.
Lower manufacturer specifications make the cable itself more susceptible to EMI and crosstalk.
Blocking options are available for an additional fee.
The lack of shielding makes the cable lighter, easier to install and cheaper.
Foil wrap, metal braid and spline options.
Higher build quality better protects cables from EMI.
Shielding and thicker wire gauges can make cables thicker and more difficult to fit through tight spaces.
Shielding protects the cable and the data it carries from electromagnetic interference and interference from other wires in the cable (crosstalk).
Cat5 cable is usually sold in unshielded form, but in some cases you can pay for additional shielding - options are more limited than with Cat6. This does make Cat5 cables generally cheaper to ship and easier to install because they are more flexible without shielding and have thicker wire gauges.
Cat6 has thicker standard wire gauges and uses shielding such as aluminum foil wrapping, plastic spline separators between twisted pairs, and metal braiding to provide better protection against interference.
This kind of protection is only really relevant in busy apartment buildings, offices, and data centers because there are so many other electronic devices and Ethernet cables around. It doesn't actually hurt either, but the extra shielding and wire thickness may make Cat6 installation and transportation trickier.
Category 5 lineOutdated performance.
As more devices come online, limited shielding options will worsen EMI.
Much more convenient than Wi-Fi.
Works with newer Ethernet standards.
Supported performance far exceeds most people's needs.
A range of blocking options are supported.
Backwards compatible with Cat5 and other older Ethernet standards.
If you're building or upgrading a wired network and want to continue to perform well enough to be useful in the future, there's really no comparison. Cat5 cable is outdated, has poor performance, and has limited shielding options. Most modern devices support faster Wi-Fi speeds, but limited blocking options make it a poor choice in busy environments.
Cat6 cable offers performance that data centers and high-end professionals can really use now, but 10,000 Mbps Ethernet is well beyond the needs of the average consumer. Longer distance Gigabit Ethernet can be saturated with high-end Internet connections, but Cat6 transmission speeds are much faster than more typical cable lengths under 55 m.
Cat6 is also backwards compatible with Cat5, so you can start replacing cables piecemeal with Cat6 if you want. It will all work fine, but when you eventually replace all your network hardware with faster devices, you'll be able to take full advantage of the new Cat6 speeds.
There are real performance and shielding reasons for choosing the new standard, but if you look at many of the network cables in use today, you'll probably find that many of them are Cat5.
Both Cat5 and Cat6 Ethernet cables are suitable for transmitting data over wired networks, but there's no competition when it comes to choosing one over the other.
Cat5 is outdated and has limited shielding options. Not only is Cat6 faster and able to compete reliably with today's fastest Wi-Fi standards, but it also has more shielding options and is built to a higher standard, making it a better cable overall.
These improvements make Cat6 slightly more expensive, but its backward compatibility and higher quality make it a better choice for network upgrades.
