Cat 3 vs Cat 5

[djtt]

What happens if you try to use a Cat 3 connection for data instead of Cat 5 or Cat 6?

 

[skip555]

you get a slower connection

as I recall 3 is rated for 10 MBS

 

[SYQUEST]

What happens depends on what type of "data" you plan to send, and how the CAT 3, 5e or 6 rated cable is terminated. If you are talking about Ethernet transmission or 10/100/1000Base-T, they may all work for 10Base-T, but for 100/1000Base-T the CAT5e/6 will work and the CAT3 may not or be severely limited in bandwidth or not sync at all. Cable with a CATEGORY rating ONLY applies to Ethernet transmission! Its has no other reference or meaning. Serial transmission of the EIA-232, 422, and others of that ilk, including telephone transmission - analogue or digital- do NOT apply! Different cables have all kinds of uses and applications, but certain specifications apply only to the transmission path or paths for which it was designed and the limitations there in...


....JIM....

 

[djtt]

Thanks for the information!

 

[RikRodgers]

Make sure you use termination hardware that's rated for the speed you're aiming for, too.

I've seen a few sites where the cable guys ran Cat5e, then installed Cat3 jacks. Bad things happened.

 

[skip555]

I've seen a few sites where the cable guys ran Cat5e, then installed Cat3 jacks. Bad things happened.

what "bad things happened " ?

if its for voice that would be just fine and its what I would do

 

[RikRodgers]

He's talking about data.

I agree with you, for non-voip voice, cat3 jacks are fine.

The bad things- when the customer moved in to the site, their network wouldn't link up, so they called me in to diagnose the network cabling. The electricians that wired their lan used cat3 jacks for v and d. War pretty well ensued with the contractor, and the customer ended up paying me to swap all the jacks and certify the runs.

 

[buitenhek]

argg ! CAT5e cable and CAT3 jacks for voice !!

Equates to a Maserati with regular gas. The price for the CAT5e jacks is the same as the CAT3. I think they may have had some CAT3 jacks laying around, do you think?

Regards
Peter Buitenhek
ProfitDeveloper.com

"Never settle for a job well done...always look for cost cutting measures

 

[skip555]

argg ! CAT5e cable and CAT3 jacks for voice !!

Equates to a Maserati with regular gas. The price for the CAT5e jacks is the same as the CAT3. I think they may have had some CAT3 jacks laying around, do you think?

if the "Maserati " only needs regular gas then that's what I would use there would be no benefit with a higher grade

so you think the voice will benefit from the cat 5 connection ?

how ?

can you show me some "cat 5 "6 place 4 connector jacks

or do you do cat5e 8x8 voice and data and have phones plugged into the data network ?

as to price cat 3 are about 30% less where I shop

 

[Infinity306]

argg ! CAT5e cable and CAT3 jacks for voice !!

Equates to a Maserati with regular gas. The price for the CAT5e jacks is the same as the CAT3. I think they may have had some CAT3 jacks laying around, do you think?

How does that work? Regular gas and Premium/plus/super Gas do not cost the same...

 

[RikRodgers]

ICC may make cat3 and 5e jacks for the same price, but Hubbell doesn't. (At least their distributors charge more.)

Ironically, I have found that some cable manufacturers are actually charging more for cat3 now. That does kind of make sense, as more people are asking for cat5e only, they'd have to keep a seprate line open for the few of us still using cat3.

I'm sure jacks will follow suit.