PrimeCables.ca is the best online source for cables in Canada, offering the greatest deals, lowest everyday prices, and the expertise you want to know what you need. If you’re looking to install an Ethernet cat cable system in your home, office, or place of business, then here’s everything there is to know about Ethernet cat cables.

If you’re doing a home or office network setup or just want to hook up a phone set, then look no further than your standard Cat5e cable, such as the PrimeCables® Cat 5e RJ45 Ethernet Network Cable, just $1.59 each, available in bundles, too. Measuring six feet in length and featuring a white jacket, this 350MHz UTP patch cable with 24 AWG 4 pair stranded design is the ideal universal solution for all your networking needs.

Often referred to simply as Cat 5, this type of cable transmits up to 100 Mbps, typically uses RJ45 connectors, and features standard 100 MHz bandwidth. Unless you’re an engineer, this is most likely the type of cable installed to connect your desktop to the network and hook up the phone in your cubicle or office.

Cat 6 refers to a backwards compatible Ethernet cable that is superior in both its prevention of crosstalk, system noise, and in its standard performance of 250 Mhz bandwidth, as well as supporting 10-Gigabit Ethernet. Our recommended Cat 6 cable is the PrimeCables® Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Network Cable, just $1.49 each, also sold in packages containing 5 and 10. These 550MHz UTP 24AWG cables are our ubiquitous solution to all your Cat 6 cable needs.

Whereas Cat 6 can transmit 10Gbit/s over a distance of 55m total, Cat 6a, on the other hand, augments the maximum allowable length up to standard 328 feet (about 100m) distance. You can find our catalogue of Cat 6 and 6a cables here.

You may come across Cat 6e, although this is not a standard label recognized by the telecommunications Industry Association, responsible for designating the categories of Ethernet cables. It either refers to a false upgrade, mimicking the difference between Cat 5 and Cat 5e, or erroneously refers to Cat 6a by mistake.

There are no longer any legitimate RJ45 connector Cat 7 cables being manufactured nowadays; the connectors it features are GG45, TERA, and ARJ45, which currently find themselves on no network hardware devices at all. The next generation of Gigabit Ethernet compatible cables are designated as Cat 8.

For that, we have the Monoprice® Cat8 S-FTP Ethernet Network Cable from the Entegrade Series coming soon. This 2GHz bandwidth, 40Gbit/s Ethernet compatible cable is as sexy, fast, and safe as they come. Starting at just $16.30, they come in a variety of lengths, up to 50 feet, and colours, including black, purple, orange, white, and more.

For all your network solutions, cables, deals, and more, visit us today at PrimeCables.ca