Russell Bateman
June 2025
last update:
| Type | Maximum speed | Maximum bandwidth |
|---|---|---|
| Category 3 | 10 Mb | 16 MHz (old telephone) |
| Category 5 | 10/100 Mb | 100 MHz (old Ethernet) |
| ( . . . i g n o r e e v e r y t h i n g t o h e r e — d o n ' t u s e ! ) | ||
| Category 5e | 1 Gb | 100 MHz |
| (s h i e l d e d c a b l i n g f r o m h e r e . . . ) | ||
| Category 6 | 1 Gb | 250 MHz |
| Category 6a | 10 Gb | 500 MHz |
| (m o d i f i e d R J - 4 5 f r o m h e r e . . . ) | ||
| Category 7 | 10 Gb | 600 MHz |
| Category 7a | 10 Gb | 1 GHz |
| Category 8 | 40 gb | ? |
These statistics hold for up to 300' of cable although later standard recommendations run closer to 150'.
A gold-plated connector doesn't increase speeds, it only resists tarnish.