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Depending on the frequency and signal-to-noise ratio, common network cables include Category 5 (CAT5), Category 5 Ultra (CAT5e), and Category 6 (CAT6), which are twisted-pair cables with RJ45 connectors at both ends and have a maximum transmission distance of 100 metres. In addition, the network cable also includes Category 1 cable (CAT1), Category 2 cable (CAT2), Category 3 cable (CAT3), Category 4 cable (CAT4), Ultra Category 6 cable (CAT6A), Category 7 cable (CAT7) and so on. Generally speaking, the larger the type number, the newer the version, the more advanced the technology, the wider the bandwidth, and of course, the more expensive.

According to the presence or absence of shielding layer, network cable can be further divided into Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) and Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP). Shielded Twisted Pair reduces radiation and prevents information from being eavesdropped, as well as blocking the entry of external electromagnetic interference. It offers higher transmission rates than its unshielded counterpart, but is also relatively more expensive and more difficult to install. The advantages of unshielded twisted-pair cable are: low cost, light weight, easy to bend, etc., and its performance for the general network has little impact, so it is relatively more widely used. However, except for Category 7 twisted-pair cable, because to achieve full-duplex 10Gbps rate transmission, so only shielded twisted-pair cable, and no unshielded Category 7 twisted-pair cable.

The details of each type of network cable are as follows:

Category 1 cable (CAT1): mainly used for transmission of voice (a class of standards mainly used for telephone cables before the early 1980s), not for data transmission.
Category 2 cable (CAT2): transmission frequency of 1MHZ, used for voice transmission and data transmission at a maximum transmission rate of 4Mbps, commonly used in the old token network using the 4Mbps specification of the token transfer protocol.
Category 3 cable (CAT3): Transmission frequency of 16MHz, used for voice transmission and data transmission at a maximum rate of 10Mbps, mainly used in 10Base-T networks, and is used by ANSI/TIA-568.C.2 as the lowest usage class.
Category 4 cable (CAT4): Transmission frequency of 20MHz, used for voice transmission and data transmission at a maximum rate of 16Mbps, mainly used for token-based LANs and 10Base-T/100Base-T networks.
Category 5 (CAT5): Transmission frequency of 100MHz, used for voice transmission and data transmission at a maximum rate of 100Mbps, mainly for 100Base-T and 10Base-T networks. This is the most commonly used Ethernet cable, and this category has increased winding density and a high-quality outer jacket insulation.
Category 5 Extra (CAT5e): Transmission frequency up to 100MHz, mainly used for Gigabit Ethernet (1000Mbps). It has low attenuation and crosstalk, and has a higher attenuation-to-crosstalk ratio (ACR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), smaller time-delay spreads, and much improved performance.
Category 6 cable (CAT6): Transmission frequency of 250MHz, suitable for networks with transmission rates higher than 1Gbps. Category 6 twisted-pair cable is somewhat different in appearance and structure from Category 5 or Ultra Category 5 twisted-pair cable. Not only does it increase the insulated crossbones, placing the four pairs of twisted-pair cable in each of the four grooves of the crossbones, but also the diameter of the cable is thicker.
Super Category 6 cable (CAT6A): The transmission frequency is 500MHz, which is twice that of Category 6 cable, and the maximum transmission speed can reach 10Gbps, which is mainly used in 10Gbps networks. Super Category 6 cable is an improved version of Category 6 cable, also an unshielded twisted pair cable specified in ANSI/EIA/TIA-568B.2 and ISO Category 6/Class E standards, with major improvements in crosstalk, attenuation and signal-to-noise ratios.
Category 7 cable (CAT7): With a transmission frequency of at least 600 MHz and a transmission rate of up to 10 Gbps, it is primarily designed to accommodate the application and development of 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology. This cable is the latest type of shielded twisted-pair cable in the ISO Class 7/Class F standard. In addition, the connector type of Category 7 cable is different from other types of network cable, which is GigaGate45 (CG45).

Basic parameters of common network cables