In today's electronic world, the following statement could accurately summarize the rules for data transmission: More data, going longer distances, at a faster rate.
This rule makes perfect sense when you consider the technology of today that includes products, ranging from high definition televisions to cell phones, on which you can perform tasks that include watching movies or browsing the internet. At some point in the data transmission system that enables these and other technology driven products to function properly, we will find wire and cable.
In a majority of these cable applications, Category cable will be the product of choice.
For many users of Ethernet products, terms like Category Cable, NEXT, Insertion Loss, and Return Loss are terms that appear to require an electrical engineering degree in order to understand. While an electrical engineering background would add the ability to comprehend these terms with great depth, this paper is written to help the non-technical user better understand the performance characteristics that drive their Ethernet cable products.
A couple of terms that are often used interchangeably are Ethernet cable and Category cable. In actuality, the term Ethernet and Category are quite different. Generally, Ethernet refers to a LAN (Local Area Network) method of accessing data. Defined by the IEEE 802.3 standard, Ethernet technology is used to connect computers to each other, to a network, or to a modem for Internet access, for example. Many electronic products have Ethernet capabilities built in, such any newer model computers or today's high definition televisions. Category cable refers to the cable used in Ethernet based systems. Some popular types of Category cable include Category 5, Category 5e, and most recently, Category 6. Category cables are usually constructed using four pairs. As with many products of this type, their electrical and data carrying performance is outlined by industry standards, such as TIA/EIA-568-B in the case of Category 5 cable.
Some of the most common high-level terms around the performance measurements of Category cables include EMI, cross talk, and alien cross talk.