Cat5E Networking Cables

Cat5e carries gigabit Ethernet across the full 100 metre channel at 350MHz. It remains the most cost effective way to connect anything that will never need more than a gigabit: printers, VoIP handsets, older access points, and the long tail of equipment in most buildings that has no 10G ambitions at all.

Where it still makes sense

Replacing a failed patch cord on a gigabit network, wiring a device whose port is 100Mbps or 1Gbps in the first place, or adding drops to a building you do not expect to re-cable. It also handles Power over Ethernet without difficulty, which covers most camera and access point deployments.

Where it does not

Anything you intend to run at 10 Gigabit, and any new permanent installation. The labour cost of pulling cable through a building dwarfs the price difference between Cat5e and Cat6A, so new horizontal runs are almost always better served by a higher category even when today's requirement is modest. Cat5e is the right answer for patching and for replacement, less often for new structured cabling.

Further reading: Bulk Ethernet Cable: Solid vs Stranded