The important difference between Category 5e (Cat5e) and Category 6 (Cat6) cable is performance. Both Cat6 and Cat5e network cables plug-in to identical ports with RJ45 connectors,
however capabilities and construction differ between Cat6 and
Cat5e to increase speed and reduce crosstalk. Cat6 cable is gener-
ally used in network infrastructures rather than workstation runs
since Cat6 handles up to 10 gigabits of data, but with bandwidth
limited to 150 feet. Cat6 cable run beyond 150 feet will have data
decay to 1 gigabit, making it similar to Cat5e. Although Cat5e can
support gigabit speed, Cat6 is certified to handle gigabit Ethernet.
Construction of Cat6 cable is also better suited for environments
that can degrade performance of twisted-pair cable such as power
lines, manufacturing equipment and lighting. To achieve true gigabit
Ethernet speeds, each network component including switches and
computers must be gigabit rated to perform at increased speeds