Difference between Cat6 and Cat5e Riser Cable

Are you one of those who does not know whether to use Cat6 riser cable indoors or outdoors? Are you one of those who cannot differentiate between the Cat6 riser from the Cat5e riser cable? If you are one of those, this guide is for you. In this guide, we will walk you through the fundamental differences between the Cat6 and the Cat5e riser cable. So read on to find out.     

What Even is a Riser Cable?

A riser cable gets its name from its jacket – riser. This jacket is for indoor vertically rising spaces. The key component of its design includes preventing the propagation of flame, should the cable catch fire. 

In this case, the riser cable is a twisted-pair ethernet cable that comes with a riser jacket. If confusion persists, consider this: ethernet cables that run indoors in walls, elevator shafts, and between floors are riser cables. 

The shielding, conductors, spline, rip cord, etc, etc so why is the jacket so important? The answer is simple. An ethernet cable, like a riser cable, is defined by its jacket because the jacket is responsible for two of the most important things the cable can do. First, it gives the cable its structural integrity which essentially makes its existence possible. And second, the jacket determines the safety of the cable and nothing is more important than safety.

So the conclusion here is that a riser cable is any ethernet cable with a jacket that is safe enough for indoor vertically rising installations. 

Cat6 vs Cat5e

Before you understand the differences between Cat6 and Cat5e riser cable, it is important to know the general similarities and differences between just Cat6 and 5e. 

Cat5e is the enhanced variant of category 5 of ethernet cables. It is ‘enhanced’ because of the rather better resistance of the cable against EMI and external noise. This is due to the more tightly twisted conductor pairs as compared to its predecessor, the Cat5 cable. Cat5e Cable has a data transfer speed of up to 100 MBit/s over 100 meters with 350 MHz bandwidth. Conductors of the Cat5e cable are made from 24 AWG wires. 

Cat6 ethernet cable on the other hand has a 1 GBit/s data transfer speed over the same 100-meter run length with a 550 MHz bandwidth capacity. The conductors of this cable are made from 23 AWG conductor pairs which are twisted even more tightly than the Cat5e conductors. A pair separator, also known as spline, is another important component of the Cat6 cable which is not present in 5e. 

So, these are the differences in the overall enhanced category 5 and category 6 cables. Now, let’s find out the differences between the riser variants of these two cables. 

Cat6 Riser vs Cat5e Riser: What’s the Difference?

Well, now that you know the difference between the general categories of the two cables, you will understand the difference between their riser jackets much more easily. 

Uses

Cat5e and Cat6 ethernet cables are for the same purpose but in different capacities. What that means is this: Cat5e riser cable is in indoor riser spaces and outdoors but in residential networks. Cat6 riser cable is also run in indoor riser spaces and outdoors but in commercial networks usually. 

Performance

The performance of the cables is starkly different. As mentioned previously, both the Cat5e riser cable and Cat6 riser cable have the performance specifications for their categories which are significantly different. 

Cost

The quality of the cable jacket remains the same across cables of different categories. That is also true in the case of the Cat5e and Cat6 riser cables. And because the quality of the jackets is the same, their price is also not different. 

Now do not confuse the cost of the jacket with the cost of the whole cable. Since there are many components of the cable that determine its cost. So both of these cables have different costs with the Cat6 being more costly as compared to the Cat5e. 

Safety

Both of the riser cables are quite safe but not for indoor open spaces (plenum). However, there is one factor that makes the Cat6 riser slightly safer than the Cat5e. It is the conductor size. As mentioned earlier, the Cat6 cable comes with 23 AWG conductor pairs which can handle high voltages in PoE more easily. This reduces the different risks of fire hazards. Although fire hazards are rare in copper cables, it is nice to have an extra safety feature.

Which one do you need?

Whether you need the Cat5e riser or the Cat6 riser depends on what you use in your LAN.

For commercial networks, use the Cat6 and the Cat5e riser cable for residential settings. 

That is not always necessary and you should always buy a cat6 Riser 1000ft that is tailored to your needs. 

Conclusion

Share this article if you found it helpful. There is no joy in knowing and not sharing. Please read the FAQ section below if you are still confused about the two 1000ft riser cables.

FAQs

Are Cat5e and Cat6a jacks the same?

Yes. 

What is the Cat5e riser cable for?

Cat5e riser is for domestic and commercial networks with moderate performance requirements. 

Can I use the Cat6 jack for Cat5e?

Yes. 

Should I replace the Cat5e riser with Cat6?

If your Cat5e riser cable cannot support your performance requirements, you should.