Steve Bowman

The Main Specs and Applications for Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7 and Cat8

Though there is a lot of talk about wireless and fiber optic connectivity these days, the business world still revolves around Ethernet cables. In most corporate offices, the PCs are connected via Ethernet cables to a central network hub or switch. The cables allow employees to communicate with one another on the network and to access files from servers.

Copper Is Still King

It’s true that copper wires cannot move data as fast as fiber optic cables, and take more work to install than wireless connections. But through the years Ethernet cables have become steadily faster and able to handle more and more bandwidth while remaining less costly than fiber. Also, they offer tighter cybersecurity and more control over access than Wi-Fi.

It is no wonder that most networking devices are still built with RJ-45 connectors. But Ethernet cabling can be confusing, considering all the cable categories that have been introduced over the past 20 years. To help you simplify your purchase decisions, we at ShowMeCables offer a summary of the main specifications and uses of the most popular categories: Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7 and Cat8.

Cat5e Cable

Specs:

• Bandwidth: 100 megahertz (MHz)
• Maximum data rate: 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) at up to 100 meters (328 feet)
• A big but affordable upgrade over the 10 to 100 megabits p

How to Find What You Need, from DisplayPort to Thunderbolt 4 to HDMI to RapidRun

Gone are the days when hooking up an audiovisual system required only speaker wire and a few RCA and S-Video cables. Today’s AV components do so much more, and with faster data transfer speeds, higher image resolution and pristine sound reproduction.

Of course, such advancements would be impossible without the AV cable assemblies that connect these components. Since starting out in 1995, ShowMeCables has kept pace with the latest trends in audio video cable assemblies. Below we summarize what you will find in our inventory.

Let’s start with the three categories where we have made our latest AV cable additions – DisplayPort 2.0, HDMI 2.1 and Thunderbolt™ 4. All three will allow you to upgrade your conference room, medical device, theater, AV screen or gaming setup to the latest in high-speed, high-definition standards.

DisplayPort 2.0 Cable Assemblies

DisplayPort 2.0 enables up to a threefold increase in video bandwidth performance. It has a maximum link rate of up to 20 gigabits per second (Gbps) per lane and features more efficient 128-bit/132-bit channel coding, delivering a maximum payload of 77.37 Gbps. DisplayPort 2.0 is the first standard to support 8K resolution (7,680 by 4,320 pixels) at a 60 Hz refresh rate with full-color 4:4:4 resolution, including with 30 bits per pixel (bpp) for HDR-10 support.

Ultra-High-Speed HDMI® 2.1 Cable Assemblies

If you Google “Ethernet patch cable” you will get over a million hits. But while shopping for them can be confusing, you really only have to know four main things:

• What exactly is a patch cable?
• What are the main differences of the cable categories?
• What are your form factor options?
• What are your cable jacket options?

What Exactly Is a Patch Cable?

In a typical corporate office, the PCs are connected via Ethernet cables to a central network hub or switch, located in an IT room or closet. The hub or switch allows the PCs to communicate with one another on the network and to access files from servers. Also in the room are other network devices such as servers, routers and network media players. All these devices are connected, typically through patch panels. With its multiple ports, a patch panel is a switchboard of sorts that employs short Ethernet patch cables with connectors on both ends to make it easier to reconfigure the routing of the devices.

So, Ethernet patch cables, aka patch cords, are basically short Ethernet cables with connectors on both ends. They are used with patch panels, VoIP (voice over internet protocol) phones, Ethernet switches, and routers, and to connect workstations to wall outlets.

What Are the Main Differences of the Cable Categories?

Like the longer Ethernet cables, Ethernet pat

As the demand continues for increased bandwidth and data rates, there is also a need for freeing up more space in data centers and IT closets. In today’s enterprise IT world, smaller cable sizes are sometimes required along with the need for higher performance.

To help you meet these needs, ShowMeCables continues to update its offerings of Category 7 cables, which have many of the functions of Cat8, as well as Cat6a and Cat6 cables. These products offer not only faster throughput, with speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps), but take up less room, with features such as a flat, slim or “super slim” profiles. Two other options with increased demand are cable jackets that are bacteriostatic or low smoke

Power cords are the last thing on your mind – until you misplace one or it malfunctions. Then the smooth running of your business is threatened and you wish you had a backup or at least a way to get a quick replacement.

That is where ShowMeCables can help. We recently expanded our line of AC and DC power cords to help you keep your critical functions operating. They are heavy duty and dependable for long life, and we keep them in-stock for same-day shipping. And we carry hundreds of types – not just standard replacement cords but models that can improve your installation, such as:

• Splitter power cords run two or three devices at once.
• Cords with angled connectors make sharp turns in tight spaces.
• Locking power cords stay tight under tension or vibration.

To make it easy to find the power cord you need, we have divided our vast inventory into the following sections:

Computer Power Cables

Whether you are a home user or running a data center, these are the cables you cannot live without. We have them in many types, lengths and colors. Most adhere to either NEMA or IEC standards, and they conform as well to RoHS, UL, WEEE, REACH and ISO 9001.

You may have heard differently, but it is indeed possible for your organization to have data, voice and video transmission lines that are both robust enough to last a long time AND cost-effective and economical.

The key to having both benefits at once is to buy your Ethernet cable in bulk from ShowMeCables. We offer more than 100 types of bulk cable, which typically come in spools of 1,000 or 500 feet. You can also get shorter rolls of any length down to 1 foot.

Buying in bulk at SMC costs less than ordering shorter Ethernet cable assemblies, but without compromising quality. Here’s how we manage to do both.

How Bulk Cable Will Save You Money

Lower cost per foot. You will save money by buying cable in bulk. For instance, a 500-foot or 1,000-foot roll of Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a or Cat7 Ethernet cable can cost from 20% to 80% less than when it’s purchased in short segments. Also, with bulk Ethernet cable you can cut it to the exact lengths you need, which means shorter, more efficient connections and less wasted product.

Quicker maintenance. Eliminating the mess of excess cable also makes it easier to install, remove or re-route cords and to troubleshoot wiring problems. Faulty connections are easier to find in a well-ordered installation, which means les

Whether your company’s data center is a big room or a small closet, it will be more functional if it is well organized. At ShowMeCables we are passionate about well-ordered data centers. Many of our 15,000+ products exist to make your job easier by organizing your IT equipment.

The two main types of these products are equipment organizers and cable organizers.

Equipment Organizers

The best way to organize and protect your electronic components is to put them in either floor-mounted racks or wall-mounted racks.

Floor-Mounted Racks

Most companies install their servers and related IT equipment together in floor-mounted racks, aka server racks, which hold not only computer servers but patch panels, network switches, power distribution units and other components related to the network. They are floor-mounted on feet or on wheels, and some have a wall-securing option. They offer up to 45U of vertical capacity and depths of up to 42 inches.

Floor-mounted server racks offer four big benefits.

• Our server racks have built-in fans to enable thermal management. Doors and s

A large office might keep its computer servers in a data center while a smaller one can get by with an IT closet. But there is one thing most offices have in common: Their servers and related IT equipment are installed together in server racks.

Server racks hold not only computer servers but patch panels, network switches, power distribution units and other components related to the servers. They are either floor-mounted on feet or on wheels, or wall-mounted. Server racks are popular because they serve four crucial functions.

Ventilation

ShowMeCables’ server racks have several features for keeping your equipment cool. They have built-in fans to enable thermal management. Doors and side panels are vented for circulation. On most models, top panels are either vented or have dedicated ports for installing fans. Some cabinets have cable-routing features that keep interiors less cluttered to promote air flow. For the best circulation, we offer open-frame racks.

Security

Networking equipment is t

Whether you’re mining coal, copper or cryptocurrency, one thing is true: To be successful, you need the right equipment.

Crypto mining for digital currency has exploded in popularity in recent years. It started in 2009 with the first decentralized cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. As of 2022, the marketplace offers more than 9,000 cryptocurrencies, with the top two alone having over $791 billion of coins in circulation, according to CoinMarketCap. Mining all that crypto profitably requires a computer rig with a core processing unit (CPU), graphics processing units (GPUs), a motherboard and other elements.

Crypto Mining Rigs Need Cables

Regardless of a rig’s size, it needs cables to power and to connect the devices. Below we describe the main types of antennas and cables you will need to outfit a crypto mining rig:

• Helium miner antenna upgrade kits to optimize the range of your LongFi radio
• Cat5e cable assemblies for cost-effective crypto mining
• THHN tray cable for dependable CPU connections
• 3-conductor EPR portable power cables to handle high voltage and heat
• Splitter power cords for powering devices with two power ports

Helium Miner Antenna Upgrade Kits

One popular way to obtain cryptocurrency is by mining helium coins, called HNT, using a helium hotspot that uses RF radio signals. Our helium miner antenna upgrade kits were designed for

In a previous blog post, we listed five reasons why wired Ethernet networks continue to be more popular than wireless connections for most organizations. Those five points hold true especially for industrial manufacturers, and you can add three more reasons why wired connections work best for manufacturing.

First, a quick recap of the five main advantages of wired Ethernet networks:

• Wired is more secure – much harder to hack than wireless.
• Wired is more reliable – signal strength is more consistent, less affected by other wired signals.
• Wired is faster – and data speeds are more consistent in heavy traffic.
• Wired provides more control – user access is easier to monitor.
• Wired is cost-effective – popular for decades, the hardware is widely available and affordable.

For manufacturing, wired connections have at least three more benefits:

Wired Manufacturing Networks Do the Heavy Lifting

As long as wired Ethernet connections are, on the whole, more secure and reliable than wireless networks, they will play a major role in executing companies’ most mission-critical tasks. We see this in all the manufacturers who use both wired and wireless connections, but employ wired for data that controls their most critical systems, and wireless connections for the slightly less important job of monitoring and gathering data. Thus, for the heavy lifting, companies want to rely on what has been referred to as “a physical backbone of connectivity.” This is especially understandable on a high stakes production line, where a malfunctioning connection could result in physical injury or potentially thousands of lost dollars due to network down time.

Wired Manufacturing Networks Block Out the Noise