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Thread: Cat5 Patch Panel

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
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    1

    Cat5 Patch Panel

    Hi,

    Can anyone tell me if there's a performance difference between a Cat5 patch panel and a Cat5e panel?
    I was asked to re-terminate existing Cat5e wiring to a newer panel and was wondering if this swap would improve overall network performance.

    Thanks.
    Matthew

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    2,945

    Re: Cat5 Patch Panel

    The main difference is that cat6 panel can handle the faster cat6 cable, which can terminate the cable exacting the same as cat 5e do. This is for yoyr references.
    • CAT-5 is rated to 100M
    • CAT-5e is rated to 350M
    • CAT-6 and CAT6e is rated to 550M or 1000M depending on your source
    • CAT-7 is supposedly rated to 700M or presumably 1000M


    Hope so it helps you out.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    4

    Re: Cat5 Patch Panel

    Although CAT5 cable usually contains four pairs of copper wire, Fast Ethernet communications only utilize two pairs. A newer specification for CAT5 cable - CAT5 enhanced (CAT5e) - supports networking at Gigabit Ethernet speeds (up to 1000 Mbps) over short distances by utilizing all four wire pairs, and it is backward-compatible with ordinary CAT5.

    Twisted pair cable like CAT5 comes in two main varieties, solid and stranded. Solid CAT5 cable supports longer length runs and works best in fixed wiring configurations like office buildings (in the walls). Stranded CAT5 cable, on the other hand, is more pliable and better suited for shorter-distance, movable cabling such as on-the-fly patch cabling (the cable connecting the PC to the wall plate).

    Though newer cable technologies like CAT6 and CAT7 are in development, CAT5 / CAT5e Ethernet cable remains the popular choice for most wired local area networks (LANs), because Ethernet gear is both affordable and supports high speeds.

    You may also want to replace all of the RJ45s because they may be Cat5 and not Cat5e. This goes true for all the RJ45 Jacks that you may have. Just changing the punch down may not help speed up the network. Your network is as fast as its slowest device. If you have one Cat5e device, connector, etc. your system will be rated a Cat5 network (although you may have faster speeds). Better to be safe than sorry.
    Last edited by adj; 31-07-2009 at 07:59 AM. Reason: update

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    89

    Re: Cat5 Patch Panel

    My guess is that the CAT5e panel is probably built a bit better as far as construction practices go, but I can't assume you seeing a major change in performance. Are you running gigabit through the panel? If not, there's even less chance that you'll see anything.

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