Cat5 cable the same as Cat5e?

amd0727 · 09-12-2009, 08:26 AM

I have a Patch Cable (and I'm reading straight off the cable) that's, "Type CM 24AWG Cat5 Patch Cable UTP" and it's never been used but I tested it and it's a bad cable. I was just wondering if a Cat5e cable is the same or almost the exact thing as a Cat5? I'm using this to hook up my Netgear Wireless router.

Suncoast · 09-12-2009, 09:19 AM

Hello, and welcome to TSF

A Cat5 cable is wired the same as Cat5E. The only difference is the number of twists per inch. The use of Cat5 cables as short patch cables is a debatable issue. Some will say it's no problem, others are adamant they should be tossed. I personally believe they should be tossed. Especially since Gigabit Ethernet is becoming much more common, and some Cat5 cables do not have wire pairs 1 and 4 wired properly, since those pairs were not used with early Ethernet. Since yours is testing bad, I would say toss it.

09-12-2009, 08:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
amd0727 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1 OS: XP service pack: 3	Cat5 cable the same as Cat5e? I have a Patch Cable (and I'm reading straight off the cable) that's, "Type CM 24AWG Cat5 Patch Cable UTP" and it's never been used but I tested it and it's a bad cable. I was just wondering if a Cat5e cable is the same or almost the exact thing as a Cat5? I'm using this to hook up my Netgear Wireless router.

09-12-2009, 09:19 AM	#2 (permalink)
Suncoast Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Largo, FL, USA Posts: 389 OS: XPP, Linux, 2003, Cisco	Re: Cat5 cable the same as Cat5e? Hello, and welcome to TSF A Cat5 cable is wired the same as Cat5E. The only difference is the number of twists per inch. The use of Cat5 cables as short patch cables is a debatable issue. Some will say it's no problem, others are adamant they should be tossed. I personally believe they should be tossed. Especially since Gigabit Ethernet is becoming much more common, and some Cat5 cables do not have wire pairs 1 and 4 wired properly, since those pairs were not used with early Ethernet. Since yours is testing bad, I would say toss it.