Cat 6 cable lengths

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	Question by Evan Benjamin posted 07 Sep 2000
	Cat 6 cable lengths
Does Cat 6 and Cat 5e share the same distance limitation (328 ft) as Cat 5 cabling? Why is performance standards stricter for 5e/6?? Thanks!
	Answer by Roman Kitaev posted 08 Sep 2000
Hi, Evan! Yes, the length restrictions are the same for Cat6 and Cat5E channels: * max. 90 m (295 ft) horizontal cable * max. combined length of cords 10 m (33 ft) Every cabling channel is a transmission line. The transmission lines are characterized by a maximum frequency they can transmit successfully from the transmitter to the receiver and the maximum distortion they can introduce into the transmitted channel. Copper Cabling Categories are based on this approach. Compared to Cat5, Cat5E has the same frequency range of 100 MHz and additionally defines parameters that allow multi-pair bi-directional transmission (used in Gigabit Ethernet). Cat6 in comparison to Cat5 and Cat5E provides much better frequency range of 250 MHz that will be used by future high-speed applications. You may find additional details here: http://www.cabling-design.com/interaction/tips/03Feb20001.shtml Best regards Roman Kitaev, RCDD
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