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Thread: cat 5 cable

  1. #1
    Jerome W. Young's Avatar
    Jerome W. Young Guest

    Default cat 5 cable

    anyone familiar with a white colored cat 5 cable. Any way you can determine cat5 from basic phone/fax line wiring. This house had white cables with 6 or 8 little colored wires inside. I thought cat5 was blue?

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  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Default Re: cat 5 cable

    Cat 5 has a wider plug than standard phone jacks. It will not fit into phone equipment.
    Cat 5 comes in many colors.

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  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Default Re: cat 5 cable

    I think he is asking about cat5 distribution in a house.

    Cat5 patch cables (not inside the walls) do have the wide plug for ethernet use.

    When you wire a house with cat5, 5e, 6, you can use regular telephone jacks and equipment. The advantage is extra/spare wire pairs, each pair is twisted 3 times per inch and eliminates crosstalk and provides for a higher signal quality.


  4. #4
    Join Date
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    SpringHill Tennessee
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    Default Re: cat 5 cable

    Cable comes in many colors and I am sure it is coded for different applications. Your cable was probably CAT5E if it was in a residential setting. Here is a link that will surely muddy up the waters even more, or maybe, at least, show you the many choices that are available. Bulk CAT5e, Solid, Stranded, Plenum - ComputerCableStore.com


  5. #5
    Nolan Kienitz's Avatar
    Nolan Kienitz Guest

    Default Re: cat 5 cable

    Cat 5 or Cat 6 can come in almost any color of sheath. The multi-strand you described can be even Cat 3 (old original telephone cable).

    Cat 5 or 6 can be used for original voice communications or for data (IE: ethernet - LAN connections).

    Original telco wiring (known as Cat 3) has typically only 4 strands of copper in the sheath and is a tad heavier gauge than what is used with Cat 5 & 6 wiring.

    In my former life I was responsible for the design/development/construction of internet web-hosting data centers. Managed bunches of folks wiring the data centers for customers (IE: Yahoo, Amazon.com, etc.) and all their servers. Ran tons of copper (Cat 5 & 6) and fiber.

    Have had some customers that requested specific color (sheath) of Cat 5 & 6 to synch up with certain ways the cable was routed for prime and backup, etc., etc.


  6. #6
    John Steinke's Avatar
    John Steinke Guest

    Default Re: cat 5 cable

    Cat 5 has 8 twisted pairs of conductors, not 6. The jacket - which can be any color, anywhere - has markings on the jacket as to the rating and application. For example, it may say "5E ..... Riser ..... etc."

    This does NOT mean the house has "Cat 5" internet. Such a statement can be made only after actually testing the system for data transmission, and so certifying it. Such testing is clearly in the realm of a specialty contractor.

    Correction: I meant to say 8 wires, in 4 twisted pairs. Thx, all who caught this.

    Last edited by John Steinke; 04-26-2008 at 09:39 AM.

  7. #7
    Michael Larson's Avatar
    Michael Larson Guest

    Default Re: cat 5 cable

    Quote Originally Posted by Nolan Kienitz View Post
    Cat 5 has 8 twisted pairs of conductors
    I think you mean 8 conductors in 4 pairs.


  8. #8
    That Guy's Avatar
    That Guy Guest

    Default Re: cat 5 cable

    Some houses today are even being constructed using Cat 6 Cable.


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