
According to the definition in ISO/IEC 11801, IEC 61156, EN 50173 and ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-A, Category 5 cable (Cat 5) is a twisted pair copper cable for network data transmission, but the category 5 was deprecated in 2001 and superseded by the category 5e specification. Cat5 Ethernet cable supports) speed up to 100 Mbps,100base-T at bandwidth 100MHz, Cat5e network cable supports speed up to 1 Gigabit (1000 Mbps),1000base-T at bandwidth 100MHz (Exceeds 155Mhz). Now manufacturers will default all CAT5 cable requirements to CAT5E.
Overview
1, What is Unshielded and Shielded Cat5e network cable?
2, What are the Solid and Stranded conductors of Cat5e cable?
3, What is the Raw Material of Cat5e cable?
4, What is the Termination of Cat5e cable?
5, What is the Twisted Pair Color Code and Wiring Scheme of Cat5e cable?
6, What is the Testing of Cat5e cable?
7, What is the parameters of Cat5e cable?
8, What is the Performance Index of Cat5e cable?
9, What is the Electrical Characteristics of Cat5e cable?
10, What is the Bending radius of Cat5e cable?
What is Unshielded and Shielded Cat5e network cable?
Cat5e network cable can be divided into two types: unshielded and shielded; Most Category 5 cables are unshielded, relying on the balanced line twisted pair design and differential signaling for noise rejection. The shielded Cat5e network cable uses aluminum foil to wrap the entire 4 pairs of inner wires to shield external noise. You can choose according to your actual use environment and needs.
U/UTP (UTP) = Unshielded completely
F/UTP (FTP) = Overall foil shield, individual twisted pairs unshielded
What are the Solid and Stranded conductors of Cat5e cable?
The conductors of Cat5e network cable are divided into Solid and Stranded, The size of the conductor is 24AWG (1/0.51mm for solid,7/0.2mm for stranded), Cat5e network cable with solid conductors are generally used in structured cabling, they are more suitable for long-distance cabling. Stranded conductor is composed of 7 small copper wires of 0.2mm, Stranded conductor cable is softer, more flexible, has a smaller bend radius, and is generally used for network patch cables;
What is the Raw Materials of Cat5e cable?
Conductor material: The standard is pure copper, but there are also cheaper Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA) available.
Indoor using Outer Jacket: PVC, Flame retardant PVC, LSZH;
Indoor & Outdoor using Outer Jacket: Modified PVC;
Outdoor using Outer Jacket: PE;
Colors: Black, White, Blue, Grey, Red, Orange, Pink, Yellow, Green or Custom;
What is the Termination of Cat5e cable?
Unshielded (UTP) Cat5e cable: Unshielded RJ45 8P8C Modular Plug, Unshielded Keystone Jack (90 degree or 180 degree), Boot (Assembly boot, Molded boot);
Shielded (UTP) Cat5e cable: Shielded RJ45 8P8C Modular Plug (Gold or Nickel plated shell shielded), Shielded Keystone Jack (90 degree or 180 degree), Boot (Assembly boot, Molded boot);
What is the Twisted Pair Color Code and Wiring Scheme of Cat5e cable?
Twisted Pair Color Code:
Pair1=Orange, Orange-White
Pair2=Blue, Blue-White
Pair3=Green, Green-White
Pair4=Brown, Brown-White
(Standard: TIA/EIA-568-B.1-2001)
T568B T568B T568A
What is the Testing of Cat5e cable?
Cat5e network cables will pass the standard test of network analyzer and FLUKE tester at the factory.
Fluke test is divided into Cat5e Channel test in 90 meters, Permanent-link test in 90 meters, patch cord component test.
What is the Parameters of Cat5e cable?
Cable Type | Pairs | Conductor Diameter (mm) | Insulation Thickness (mm) | Insulation Diameter (mm) | Outer Jacket Thickness (mm) | AL-Foil Shielded | Braid Density | Finished outer diameter (mm) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cat5e UTP | 4 | 0.52 | 0.21 | 0.93 | 0.7 | / | / | 5.4 |
Cat5e FTP | 4 | 0.52 | 0.21 | 0.93 | 0.7 | Al-foil vertical package | / | 5.6 |
Cat5e SFTP | 4 | 0.52 | 0.21 | 0.93 | 0.7 | Al-foil vertical package | 50%~60% | 6.0 |
What is the Performance Index of Cat5e cable?
UTP Cat5e 4 pairs 24AWG Solid Conductor | Units | Frequency(MHz) | UTP Cat5e Value |
DC Resistance | Ω/100m,20℃ | 9.38 | |
DC resistance unbalance maximum value | % | 2.5 | |
Capacitance to ground Unbalance maximum value | pF/100m | 330 | |
Characteristic impedance | Ω | 1.0~100 | 100±15% |
The return loss value of the structure should be greater than or equal to the values listed in the table. In the frequency range greater than 20MHz and less than or equal to 100MHz, the return loss should be calculated by the following formula:
Return Loss≥23-101g(f/20)(For UTP Cat5); Return Loss≥28-101g(f/20)(For UTP Cat5e); |
dB/100m | 1.0~20.0 | 23 |
25.0 | 24.3 | ||
31.25 | 23.6 | ||
62.5 | 21.5 | ||
100 | 20.1 | ||
Attenuation data is used for engineering design rather than test basis. When testing at 40°C, the maximum attenuation value should increase by 8%, and when testing at 60°C, the maximum attenuation value should increase by 16%. At room temperature within the frequency range of 0.772~100MHz , when testing the maximum loss of each pair of conductors, use the following formula to calculate: Attenuation (f)≤1.967f+0.023f+0.050 |
dB/100m | 0.772 | 1.8 |
1.0 | 2.0 | ||
4.0 | 4.1 | ||
8.0 | 5.8 | ||
10.0 | 6.5 | ||
16.0 | 8.2 | ||
20.0 | 9.2 | ||
25.0 | 10.4 | ||
31.25 | 11.7 | ||
62.5 | 17.0 | ||
100.0 | 22.0 | ||
Worst pair near-end crosstalk (NEXT), min.
In the frequency range of 0.772~100MHz at room temperature, the minimum crosstalk coupling loss per pair of conductors in a sample with a length of at least 100 meters shall be calculated by the following formula:
NEXT(f)≥62.31gf (for UTP Cat5) NEXAT(f)≥65.3-151gf (for UTP Cat5e) |
dB/100m | 0.772 | 67 |
1.0 | 65 | ||
4.0 | 56 | ||
8.0 | 51 | ||
10.0 | 50 | ||
16.0 | 47 | ||
20.0 | 46 | ||
25.0 | 44 | ||
31.25 | 43 | ||
62.5 | 38 | ||
100.0 | 35 | ||
Power Sum Near End Cross Talk (PSNEXT) | dB/100m | 20 | 42.8 |
25.0 | 41.3 | ||
31.25 | 39.9 | ||
62.5 | 35.4 | ||
100 | 32.2 | ||
Equal-level far-end crosstalk (ELFEXT) | dB/100m | 0.772 | 66 |
1.0 | 63.8 | ||
4.0 | 51.7 | ||
8.0 | 45.7 | ||
10.0 | 43.8 | ||
16.0 | 39.7 | ||
20.0 | 37.7 | ||
25.0 | 35.8 | ||
31.25 | 33.9 | ||
62.5 | 27.8 | ||
100.0 | 23.8 | ||
Power-sum equal-level far-end crosstalk (PS-ELFEXT) | dB/100m | 0.772 | 63.0 |
1.0 | 60.8 | ||
4.0 | 48.7 | ||
8.0 | 42.7 | ||
10.0 | 40.8 | ||
16.0 | 36.7 | ||
20.0 | 34.7 | ||
25.0 | 32.8 | ||
31.25 | 30.9 | ||
62.5 | 24.8 | ||
100.0 | 20.8 | ||
Attenuated Crosstalk Ratio (ACR ) | dB/100m | 0.772 | 65 |
1.0 | 63.3 | ||
4.0 | 52.2 | ||
8.0 | 46 | ||
10.0 | 43.8 | ||
16.0 | 39 | ||
20.0 | 36.5 | ||
25.0 | 33.9 | ||
31.25 | 31.2 | ||
62.5 | 21.4 | ||
100.0 | 13.3 |
What are the Electrical Characteristics of Cat5e cable?
Frequency Requirement | Impedance | Maximum Attenuation Value (dB/100m) | NEXT (dB)(The Worest Pair) | Maximum DC resistance (100m/20℃) |
256kHz | - | 1.1 | - | 9.38Ω |
512kHz | - | 1.5 | - | |
772kHz | - | 1.8 | 66 | |
1MHz | 85~115 | 2.1 | 64 | |
4MHz | 4.3 | 55 | ||
10MHz | 6.6 | 49 | ||
16MHz | 8.2 | 46 | ||
20MHz | 9.2 | 44 | ||
31.25Hz | 11.8 | 42 | ||
62.5Hz | 17.1 | 37 | ||
100Hz | 22.0 | 34 |
What is the Bending radius of Cat5e Cables?
Generally, when the UTP Cat5e network cable is installed, the bending radius is not less than 8 times the outer diameter of the cable, the bending radius after installation is not less than 4 times the outer diameter of the cable.
And the bending radius when the FTP Cat5e network cable is installed is not less than 10 times the outer diameter of the cable, the bending radius after installation is not less than 5 times the outer diameter of the cable.
If the bending radius is too small, the wires of the cable will be severely squeezed, causing obvious deformation of the cable product or even damage to the outer jacket, which will eventually lead to the overall decline of the transmission performance. For the turning part of the wire groove, 90-degree corners should be avoided, especially the vertical part.
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