Cat 4006 gig copper ports, is Cat 6 cable really necessary?

[e.maloney]

We may be upgrading our cat 4003 to 4006 with gig copper ports. My question is, can cat 5e cable give us near or at 1000mbs? We are recabling our office and it's down to Cat 5e or Cat6. Cat 6 is still too expensive though, and from what I here, cat 5e will get your near gig speed if properly terminated. Anyone running gig ethernet over Cat 5e?..

Thanks

- Ted

[scottmac]

Cat5e is the common specification for GigE over copper. Many/Most/All(?) current switches actually spec CAT5 as minimum.

The primary difference between Cat5 and 5e is that since GigE uses all four pair, the two pair not normally used by 10/100 are also swept and certified for high-speed data (that's the "E"nhanced part of Cat5e).

If you are re-cabling your location, it may be worth the budget to go with Cat6; you never know what may be coming down the line a few years from now.

Remember to also update your panels and outlets; the cabling system takes on the rating of the lowest rated component (includes outlets, mod plugs, panels, jumper cables ... anything that the signal passes through ... should all be the same (appropriate) rating.

The bottom line is that it's usually a good idea to put in the most current cable if you can afford it. After that, buy the best you can afford, and live within the constraints of the medium.

For a business, have a contractor install the cabling. The contractor should be able (you should demand) to provide (on paper, as a legal document) certification to the specification level. He should also be able to provide a warranty.

Good Luck

Scott

[e.maloney]

Great, thanks for the input. For budget reasons, it's looking like cat 5E everywhere(yes, I'd rather go 6, but where talking a small budget here). Our cable contractor tells me the patch panels will be rated at 5e.

Thanks!

- Ted