Basic Cablling
What are the 5 categories of UTP and what is the minimum acceptable category for 10baseT?
The following categories of unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable were established by the EIA/TIA* to support the networks indicated:
- Category 1 - Traditional telephone cable; supports voice only, not data
- Category 2 - Data transmissions up to 4 Mbps (but not token ring)
- Category 3 - 10 Mbps Ethernet
- Category 4 - 16 Mbps token-ring
- Category 5 - 100 Mbps; supports ATM
The minimum acceptable cable for 10baseT Ethernet is Category 3.
*EIA/TIA 568 is the standard developed by the Electronic Industries Association/Telecommunications Industry Association applies to all UTP that works with networks.