Network Installation2 Network Installation Network Cabling Concepts and Standards Network cables provide a pathway for data transmission. Copper twisted-pair cables within a plastic sheath create one Ethernet cable which transmits data in waves. The different standards of these cables were categorized by TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) and EIA (Electronics Industries Alliance). Category 5 (Cat5) ethernet cables were developed for speeds up to 100 Mbps with a 100 MHz signal. Category 5 enhanced (Cat5e) is an enhanced version with heavier twisted-pairs to prevent cross-talk and data loss. Cat5e cables have a speed of up to 1 Gbps at 100 MHz. Cat6, or Category 6, has heavily twisted pairs with a significantly reduced amount of cross-talk with speeds of up to 10 Gbps at 250 MHz. Category 6 augmented (Cat6a) is an improved version with the same speed up to 10 Gbps but at a 500 MHz signal.
