Cat5e: For applications needing more bandwidth

Cat5e or Category5e cable, for all practical purposes, is an enhanced version of the previous generation Cat5 cable. Cat5e has some more specifications for far end crosstalk. That it is an enhanced version is suggested by the suffix ‘e’ in its name. In 2001 Cat5e was defined as the TIA/EIA-568-B standard. It now no longer recognizes the original Cat5 specification. More stringent performance specifications notwithstanding, Cat5e cable is even now limited to an upper limit of 100m in length for Ethernet networks. It can be used successfully with 1000BASE-T although it was earlier designed with Cat5 cable in mind. TIA/EIA-568-B.2-2001 contains Cat 5e cable performance characteristics and test methods definitions for interested people.
Like its predecessor Cat5, Cat5 also has 100 ohm impedance and electrical characteristics that can support transmissions up to 100 MHz. In terms of performance abilities, the two are different in almost all aspects such as resistance, frequency, attenuation, capacitance, and NEXT. The components of Cat5e were designed with high-speed gigabit Ethernet in mind. However, performance of these components is not satisfactory in high-data transfer cases. Cat5e cables can work with ATM and gigabit speed products. In case you are using a 100Mbps switch, it is better to use Cat5e instead of Cat5.
Cat5e is formally referred to as ANSI/TIA/EIA 568A-5, and it is completely backward compatible with available Cat5 equipment. Because of its superior electrical performance, Cat5e cable is able to support those applications that must need more bandwidth, such as gigabit Ethernet or analog video.

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