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Ethernet network cables are known for providing high-speed internet connections. But there are certain factors that can affect their data transmission speed. Length is one of the many factors. To answer the question, if the length of the Ethernet cables has anything to do with the speed of the connection – yes it does.
The Cable run limitations of Ethernet cables in your network have a direct impact on the speed of your internet connection. Here, “run-length” refers to the length of individual cables in your Ethernet network. Different Ethernet network cables have specific Cable run limitations, at which they can perform at their optimum capacity. The Cable run limitations apply to all of the ethernet cables categories.
For example, Cat6 cables can support data transmission speeds of up to 1Gbps over a distance of 100meters or 328 feet.
Cat5e Cables
Cat5e cable is the enhanced version of category 5 cable. These cables support decent bandwidth and data transmission speed. For average household applications, these cables work just fine.
You can get your data packets delivered at speeds of up to 100 Mbps over a Cable run limitation of 100meters or 328 feet. And you can get transmission speeds of up to 1Gbps over a length of 50 meters (165 feet). The bandwidth capacity of Cat5e cables is up to 350 MHz.
Cat6 Cables
As mentioned earlier, the data transmission speed of Cat6 cables is up to 1 Gbps over a distance of 100 meters. And it is up to 10 Gbps over a cable length of 50 meters. These cables are perfect for commercial applications. The 1 Gbps data transfer rate at a length of 100 meters is ideal for all sorts of household and commercial applications.
Cat6 cables can support plenty of ethernet network technologies such as ANSI X3T9.5 TP-PMD (FDDI), ATM PMD 155 Mbps IEEE 802.3 Fast Ethernet:10 Base-T, 100 Base-T4, 100 Base-X IEEE 802.5:4/16 Mbps Token Ring, and IEEE 802.12:100 Base-VG.
The bandwidth capacity of the category 6 ethernet cables is up to 550 MHz and it is also immune to the effects of the cable length.
Cat6a Cables
These are the augmented version of Cat6 cables. Cat6a cables can support data transfer speed of up to a whopping 10 Gbps over a distance of 100 meters. These are high-performance ethernet networking cables with applications in data centers and corporate server rooms.
Cat6 cables support all preceding ethernet cable applications such as Fast Ethernet:10 Base-T, 100 Base-T4, 100 Base-X IEEE 802.5:4/16 Mbps Token Ring, including 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Power over Ethernet (PoE).
On these cables, you get bandwidth capacities of up to 750 MHz.
Factors that can affect the speed of ethernet cables
Apart from the run length of ethernet cables, there are other factors that can have an impact on the speed of the ethernet cables. For example, extreme environmental conditions.
If the Ethernet network is installed in extreme environmental conditions such as high-temperature or extremely low temperature, the data transfer speed of the cables can slow down. This is caused due to the reaction of the conductor element to the variations in the environmental temperature.
The design of the cables can also have a significant impact on the speed of the ethernet cables. Shielded cables are more immune to electromagnetic interference and crosstalk. What the shielding in a cable does is that it prevents various resistances from disrupting the signal flow. Which ultimately prevents the speed of the cable from slowing down.
Conclusion
To put it simply, the data transmission speed of ethernet network cables remains constant as long as they are run at their specified lengths. However, running cables longer than their recommended lengths reduce the data transmission speeds.
NewYork Cables test their cables rigorously to ensure their compliance with the market standards. As a result, our products are known for not just meeting the market standards but also exceeding them.
| Specification | Cat5e | Cat6 | Cat6a |
| Cable Jacket | Plenum, Riser & PVC | Plenum, Riser & PVC | Plenum & Riser |
| Wire Gauge | 24-AWG | 23-AWG | 23-AWG Highly Twisted |
| Frequencies | 350 MHZ | 550 MHZ | 750 MHZ |
| Installation Temp | 0°C to 60°C | 0°C to 60°C | 0°C to 60°C |
| Pairs | 4 Twisted Pairs | 4 Twisted Pairs | 4 Twisted Pairs |
| Package | Easy Pull Box | Easy Pull Box | Wood Spool |
| Colors | Black, Blue, White, Red, Green, Yellow | Black, Blue, White, Red, Green, Yellow | Black, Blue, White, Red, Green, Yellow |
| Standard Compliance | ETL, FCC, CE, CSA, ISO/IES, RoHS | FCC, CE, CSA, ISO/IES, RoHS | ETL, FCC, CE, CSA, ISO/IES, RoHS |