Is cat 5e just cat 5 but making use of 4 pair rather than 2??

 

eh, not that I'm aware of. It's just that 5e has to pass more stringent testing so it's rated for higher speeds.

Stefan

 

Same answer here

Shouldn't cost extra on the install...

 

Isn't all new stuff CAT 5e anyway these days?

 

Cat5 is rated to 100MHz. Cat5e is rated higher, with better specifications for cross-talk etc. Cat5e can also be used for 1000BaseT.

Edited to add: Since Cat5e doesn't usually cost any more than Cat5, it's better to go with Cat5e. Plus you have cable that could support 1000BaseT if you wanted to upgrade in the future.

[Edited by mark_h - 11/25/2002 10:54:03 AM]

 

Why not just buy Cat 6???? That is all we will install now just in case the punter decides that they want gigabit to the desktop you'd be amazed how many people like the idea of a gigabit backbone straight to the desk even tho most of the time you are lucky to be using 5%-20% of the available band width.

 

surely cat5e is all thats needed for gigabit?