Which cable types support the different Ethernet Speeds?

Issue: How to determine the correct cable type by Ethernet network speed

Product Line: Cables and Connectivity Solutions

Environment: Network Cables

Cause: Need to install the proper cabling to support expected network speeds.

Resolution: see below

Cat 5 supports 100 Megabit per second and 100 Megahertz bandwidth. This supports Ethernet 10Base-T, 100Base-T.
Cat 5e supports 1 Gigabit per second and 100 Megahertz bandwidth. This supports Gigabit Ethernet, 1000Base-T.
Cat 6 supports 1 Gigabit per second and 250 Megahertz bandwidth. This supports Gigabit Ethernet, 1000Base-T.
Cat 6a supports 10 Gigabit per second and 500 Megahertz bandwidth. This supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet, 10GbE.
The higher speed cables are backwards compatible to the lower speed cables.

Released for:Schneider Electric UK