If you are setting up your home office and you are trying to figure out the right equipment to use for optimal internet connectivity, then a few questions can come to mind. What type of laptop should I use? What type of router should you use for your internet connection? What cable do you need to connect various devices and ensure that data can be quickly transferred between the physical and online “cloud” services?
Although all of this can seem confusing, it is actually the best way that you can determine what type of cables you should buy for your home office setup. Without doing research beforehand, you will end up with a slow, unreliable, and unsafe internet connection. Some of the most popular cables that people use for their connection include the cat6 plenum cable and the cat5e cable – but which one is better for you?
Cat6 plenum cable vs. cat5e cable – which one should I use?
Let’s compare the different types of cat cables and which one you should use for your home office setup and why!
Cat5e vs cat6 performance
There are performance differences between the cat5e cable and the cat6 cable. The cat6 cable has more bandwidth and a quicker processing time, with it being able to run up to 250 MHZ compared to just 100 MHZ on the cat5e cable. Furthermore, you can use a cat5e cable and the cat6 cable for the same distance – up to 328 feet. Despite being able to run the same distance, they are not the same size. The cat5e cable will usually have the same AWG size as the cat6 cable, but the cat6 can also have bigger wires. In basic terms, although they are similar in many ways, the cat6 cable can provide better performance benefits at shorter distances than you would find with the cat5e cable.
But what is the cat6 plenum cable?
Now that you know the performance comparison and how the cat5e cable and the cat6 cable stack up against one another, you might be wondering – how does the cat6 plenum cable come into play? The cat6 plenum cable is a cat6 cable that has an ethernet coating that can further protect the cable from any electrical fires and provide extra heat resistance than you would find with cat6 or cat5e cables.
The cat6 plenum cable is a very heavy-duty, durable, and demanding cable when it comes to fire protection – it contains extra safety and heat protection. The cat6 plenum cable is designed to protect the user and hardware against a flame risk and ensure it can work in small spaces. The cat6 plenum cable is usually made of polymer or polyvinyl chloride to provide ample protection.
Conclusion
If you are concerned about any damage to your internal systems and fire risk, then going with the cat6 plenum cable is the way to go. Although the cat5 cables and the cat6 cables have similar performance benefits, the cat6 plenum cable has extra protection that is good for users who are constantly using complicated systems.