Looking at the Cat5 vs. Cat6 debateCreated: 5/27/2010 5:37:20 PMAny IT networking project involves wiring, and choosing between Cat5 and Cat6 cable is a constantly debated topic. Marketnews' Lee Distad says that the two cables are structurally different, and are both suited for different purposes.
He says that the cheaper Cat5 cables, which allow transmission of up to 110 megahertz, are perfectly capable of distributing component video. But when the network needs to handle digital HD transmissions, Distad says that integrators should stick to Cat6 to accommodate the higher bandwidth requirements.
The larger wire gauge allows more reliable function at longer distances than Cat5. Cat6 is also backwards compatible, so applications that worked with Cat5 will continue to work after an upgrade. When planning for new installations, Distad says it's important to think toward the future, as HD signals become more prevalent.
"Swapping the hardware in a system is easy. Swapping cables that were buried years ago is hard," Trent Davis, product manager for video distribution company Audio Authority, told Distad.
The Telecommunications Industry Association says that analysts and polls show that 80 to 90 percent of all new installations will be cabled with Cat6 cables because their backwards compatibility makes for easier upgrades.
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