Ethernet, developed by the Electrical and Electronic Engineers Institute, IEEE Standard 802, is the most popular LAN (local area network) technology used today. It defined the number of conductors that are required for a connection, the performance thresholds that can be expected, and provides the framework for data transmission.
CAT 5E CABLES (100Mhz)
Cat5e cables (with the 'e' standing for 'enhanced') are identical in construction to Cat5 but are built under strict standards in order to reduce crosstalk issues. This is the most common Ethernet cable type used. Cat5e patch cable (Category 5e) is developed by TIA/EIA in 2001 to improve certain cable characteristics. It was made to support 1000Mb/s and 100MHz within 100 meters of cable.
CAT 6 CABLES (250Mhz)
Cat6 cables support higher bandwidths than Cat5 or Cat5e and have a different construction. Cat 6 cables are wound tighter than those of their predecessors and are often outfitted with foil or braided shielding. This shielding protects the twisted pairs, helping to prevent crosstalk and noise interference. Cat-6 cables can technically support speeds up to 10 Gbps, but can only do so for distances of up to 55 meters.
CAT 6A CABLES (500Mhz)
The 'a' in Cat 6a stands for Augmented. In comparison to regular Cat 6 cables, Cat6a cables support twice the maximum bandwidth and are capable of maintaining higher transmission speeds over longer cable lengths. Cat 6a cables are always shielded, and their sheathing - which is thick enough to eliminate crosstalk completely - makes for a much denser, less flexible cable than Cat 6. Cat6a is able to support 10Gigbit up to 100 meters, better suited for industrial environments.
CAT 7 CABLES (600Mhz)
Cat7 cables utilise the newest widely-available Ethernet technology, and support higher bandwidths and significantly faster transmission speeds than Cat 6 cables. They’re proportionally more expensive than other Ethernet cables, though their performance reflects their premium price tag. Supporting 10Gbps within 100 meters, It is also capable of transmitting up to 40Gbps at 50 meters, Cat 7 cables are capable of reaching up to 100 Gbps at a range of 15 meters, making them an excellent choice for connecting modems or routers directly to devices. Cat 7 cables are always shielded, and use a modified GigaGate45 connector, which is backwards compatible with regular Ethernet ports.
CAT 8 CABLES
Cat8 cable (Category 8) is the next generation twisted-pair copper cabling standard specified by ANSI/TIA-568-C.2-1. It operates at a frequency of up to 2 GHz (2000 MHz) for up to 30 meters of cabling. The physical appearance of Cat8 cable is similar to lower category cables and still terminated in RJ45 connections. Cat8 network cable is also backward compatible with its previous versions. Designed to support 25GBASE-T and 40GBASE-T applications, it is suitable for small or middle enterprise LANs, especially for data center switch-to-server interconnections.