Cat5e Cable Structure and Cat5e Wiring Diagram
Network cables like cat5, cat5e and cat6 are widely used in our network. Various ethernet network cables are being invented. They can support different transmission distances and applications. cat5e cables can support 1000base-t transmission up to 100m, which meets the requirements of various applications in our home, office and data center. It has better performance than cat5 and lower price than cat6, making it a widely accepted type of ethernet cable. This post introduces the details of cat5e cable structure, cat5e wiring and wiring diagram.
cat5e uses four twisted pairs for transmission in each cable. The following picture shows the structure of cat5e cable. termination of cat5e ethernet cable must use rj45 connectors. Since there are four pairs of copper wires within a length of cat5e cable, the cable’s pinout needs to be managed carefully. for cat5e, there are two commonly used methods for termination: direct and cross.
each pair of copper wires in cat5e is insulated with a specific color for easier identification. cat5e wiring must follow the standard color code.
for the direct wiring method, there are two standards recognized by ansi, tia and eia: t568a and t568b. both can be used. however, the t568b is considered better than the t568a cabling standard. The following image shows the wiring diagram for the two standards.
When direct cabling, the cable pinout at the two ends of the cat5e cable must be the same. however, for the crossover wiring method, the rj45 pinouts at each end of the cat5e are different. The image below shows how all eight wires are used for transmission in a cross-terminated cat5e cable.
Actually, if you want to connect a t568a device with a t568b device, you can use this cross-wiring method. The following image shows the pins at each end of the cat5e cable.
To terminate a cat5e cable, you must prepare the cable. here we recommend a network installation toolkit that contains everything you need to wire a category cable.
Below is the process of how to terminate the ethernet cable:
step 1, cut the cable to proper length and use the wire stripper to remove the outer jacket.
step 2, untwist the wires and trim the excess part. Flatten the wires as much as possible, as they must be very straight to insert properly into the connector.
step 3, hold the ends of the cable and place the wires in order from left to right according to the t568a or t568b wiring diagram.
step 4, insert the wires into the rj45 connector. the wires must be sequenced in the same order as in step 3.
step 5, use the crimping tool to tighten the plug. this ensures a firm connection between the cable and the plug.
Step 6, repeat the process on the opposite end and test the terminated cable to ensure proper communications between the ends of the cable and the network.
cat5e cable has great advantages in various applications and there are many related products such as cat5e patch cord, cat5e bulk cable, cat5e patch panel are offered in the market. If interested, please contact [email protected] for more details on cat5e products.
Related Articles: Cat5, Cat5e, and Cat6 Ethernet Cables at a Glance Home Ethernet Cabling Guide: How to Get a Wired Home Network? Patch Cord vs. Crossover Cable: What’s the Difference?
