Which LAN cable type is designed for gigabit speeds up to 1000 Mbps?

Which LAN cable type is designed for gigabit speeds up to 1000 Mbps?

• A. CAT5
• B. CAT5e
• C. CAT6
• D. CAT6a

Answer: (B)

Understanding what each cable category can carry helps here. To run gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) reliably, the cable must support at least 1 Gbps. CAT5e was designed to meet that need, offering reliable 1 Gbps performance up to about 100 meters thanks to improvements over CAT5 that reduce crosstalk and interference. CAT5, being older, is typically limited to around 100 Mbps and isn’t suitable for gigabit speeds. CAT6 and CAT6a can handle higher frequencies and even 10 Gbps in many cases, so they’re built for more than just gigabit, but the category specifically aimed at enabling standard gigabit Ethernet in everyday networks is CAT5e.

Understanding what each cable category can carry helps here. To run gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) reliably, the cable must support at least 1 Gbps. CAT5e was designed to meet that need, offering reliable 1 Gbps performance up to about 100 meters thanks to improvements over CAT5 that reduce crosstalk and interference. CAT5, being older, is typically limited to around 100 Mbps and isn’t suitable for gigabit speeds. CAT6 and CAT6a can handle higher frequencies and even 10 Gbps in many cases, so they’re built for more than just gigabit, but the category specifically aimed at enabling standard gigabit Ethernet in everyday networks is CAT5e.