Understanding Cat 5 Cabling

Written By Steve Bryan

To make networks more structured and easier to maintain, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the Electronics Industries Alliance (EIA) released a set of standards known as TIA/EIA 568. These commercial wiring standards led to the birth of Cat 5 cabling, which is widely-found in older wiring installations.

“Cat 5” is short for Category 5, a classification established by the TIA/EIA. Cat 5 cabling uses four pairs of twisted copper cables inside a plastic coating to help eliminate electrical interference and voice "crosstalk." While newer installations use Cat 5e, Cat 6, or higher, Cat 5 is upward compatible meaning installers can still support the technology.

Cat 5 cabling applications
Cat 5 cables that meet TIA/EIA 568 standards have many applications:

• Local Area Networks (LAN): Cat 5 cabling helps connect computers, printers, and routers to a network.
• Voice and data: This cable is ideal for telephone systems, fax machines, and high-speed Internet connections.
• Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM): Networks that make use of an ATM transmit data in fixed-sized packets. This allows the Cat 5 cable to carry audio, video, and data down the same line.
• Token Ring: This classic network configuration allows you to connect several computers so that only one computer has control of the network at one time.

Is Cat 5 right for you?
Since cabling and wiring providers adhere to constantly-changing TIA/EIA standards, few installers still use Cat 5 for expanded or brand new wiring projects. Instead, Cat 5e and Cat 6 cabling has become the standard.

If you plan to add more employees or equipment, you can also use fiber optics which have a higher capacity for data transfers. This increased bandwidth gives your IT department more room to expand.

To learn which type of cabling is right for your business, submit a free BuyerZone request for cabling and wiring service quotes. Our network of suppliers will review your project needs and provide you with customized price quotes to compare.