Two main kinds of CAT5 cables exist. One is the CAT5 crossover cable, which is used to connect two of the same devices, such as PC-to-PC. The CAT5 straight cable, on the other hand, is used for normal network connections.
That is, they are used for connections such as PC-to-router. The main difference is that in a crossover cable, the wires are crossed over or overlapping. In a CAT5 straight cable, the wires simply go straight through the cable. They can support data transmission in excess of 100 megabits per second, but have trouble with gigabit per second data transmission.Using a CAT5 straight cable means that the data being transmitted will go through different devices. They are called straight because of the wiring on the inside of the cable. Pin 1 on one end goes to pin 1 on the other, and the same for the other pins. This way, the data is only transmitted one direction at a time, so it does not overlap. Connecting a computer to a router or hub will require a straight cable, as would connecting a router to a modem.
Like other CAT5 cables, these cables can only transmit data reliably at speeds under one gigabit per second. Unlike the old CAT3 cables, a CAT5 straight cable is capable of transmitting data at over 100 megabits per second. Networking with a straight cable is designed to send information one way at a time. This helps make sure that data is not lost. A crossover cable is used for two-way data transmission, but only between two of the same devices, such as router-to-router.
Unfortunately these cables do have trouble when trying to transmit too much data at the same time. If a CAT5 straight cable is used to try to transmit data at speeds in excess of one gigabit per second, it will not work very well. The more recent CAT6 cables are designed to work with gigabit per second speeds. A straight through CAT5 cable can be of almost any length, but they are usually short because the distances required for the connections are typically not very far.
A CAT5 straight cable has the wiring go straight through without overlapping like a crossover cable has. This means that data can only be transmitted one way at a time. Therefore, it is used for connections like PC-to-router instead of PC-to-PC, which is what a crossover cable is used for. Like other CAT5 cables, it can support speeds up to one gigabit per second, but has trouble with the highest speed.
By : Gottlieb Wendehals
Gottlieb Wendehals owns and operates http://www.cat5s.comCat5 so check it out!
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