Ethernet cable categories differ mainly in bandwidth, transmission speed, maximum reach and shielding performance:
- Cat5e: 100MHz bandwidth, up to 1Gbps at 100m. Cost-effective for homes, general offices and PoE surveillance.
- Cat6: 250MHz bandwidth, 1Gbps at 100m, or 10Gbps for short runs up to 55m. Widely used for small and medium commercial buildings.
- Cat6A: 500MHz bandwidth, stable 10Gbps at full 100m, supports PoE++. Preferred for enterprise campuses and large projects.
- Cat7: 600MHz bandwidth, 10Gbps at 100m with S/FTP full shielding. Excellent resistance to electromagnetic interference for industrial sites.
- Cat8: 2000MHz bandwidth, supports 25G/40Gbps within 30m, fully shielded. Designed for short links in data centers.
UTP unshielded cables work for regular environments. FTP/SFTP/S/FTP shielded cables are recommended for industrial, outdoor and high-interference locations.
