It’s almost funny how people hear the term ‘frequency’ all the time but very few people know what it is and why it matters? Perhaps because many think that it doesn’t make a difference whether you know about it or not. However, in contrast, knowing what frequency of various electronic equipment such as bulk ethernet cables, may help you in making better networking decisions.
In that regard, we will unveil its definition and explain why you should care about it in this article. Let’s dive in.
Definition of frequency (MegaHertz)
In simple terms, frequency in networking is the number of cycles of a signal per unit time. For example, if your ethernet cable has a frequency of 550 MHz, the frequency will be the number of times the signal completes cycles in one second.
One cycle equals one hertz, so 550 megahertz means that your connection signal will complete 550 megacycles (mega = 5.5×10^8). That is a lot of cycles per second but that’s how it is.
Ethernet Cable Frequency
Frequency in ethernet cable networking is also known as bandwidth. The higher the bandwidth capacity, the more domain your cable has to allow signal transmission.
For example, a Cat5e cable usually has a frequency of 350 MHz and a Cat6a cable has up to 750 MHz frequencies. It means that the augmented category six cable can support more data transfer.
Importance of cable frequency
When you know the importance of ethernet cable frequency you can make wiser decisions when buying cables. For instance, let’s suppose you are buying ethernet cables for a network and for your internet broadband connection which has a frequency of 100 MHz frequency. Now it would be a waste of resources if you bought a 750 or 900 MHz cable for a 100 MHz broadband connection.
Data transfer speed
Data transfer speed in ethernet cables means the number of bits of data that can be transferred in one second. For instance, if a cable has a data transfer rate of 100 MBps, it means that you can transfer 100 megabits of data in one second. The data transfer speed on ethernet cables varies and the latest categories like cat6a, cat7, and cat8 have phenomenal speeds in gigabits.
But how does it matter to frequency, or in other words, what is the relationship between frequency and ethernet cable?
The difference between both of the specifications is that frequency uses analogue signals and the data transfer rate is digital.
Frequency over distance?
How does the frequency of an ethernet cable vary over its length? The signals in ethernet cables are electrical in nature. So the resistance of the cable opposes the flow of signals in all cables. However, as the length of the cable increases, its frequency decreases.
That is why all cables have a specified length at which their performance can be optimum. At longer than the specified lengths, it is reduced. For most ethernet cables such as Cat6 or cat6a, the specified length is 100 meters – at which they can perform at their optimum capacity.
Ethernet cable frequency of ethernet cables: Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6A, Cat7, Cat8.
Now that you know the answers to the hard questions of ethernet cable frequency, let us break down the frequencies of different ethernet cables?
- Cat5e can support up to 350 MHz frequencies.
- Cat6 Cable has a frequency of 550 MHz
- Cat6a cable has a maximum frequency of 750 MHz at a length of 100 meters.
- Cat7 cable has a frequency of up to 900 MHz.
- Cat8 cable has the highest frequency among all – a whopping 2000 MHz but it is only at a length of 30 meters.
Note: Frequencies of ethernet cables can be different for different brands. Check out the frequency of each cable before buying.
Conclusion
In short, the frequency of ethernet cables is the measure of how fast the signal can change. And it matters because you can find out how much data you can transmit on a cable. But do not confuse it with speed – which is literally the speed at which data can be transferred.