ClearOne Digital Media - Manual (Page 9)

Category 5 / 6 Cable
Category 5 (Cat 5) cable for use in networks is tested for reliable transfer of signal
frequencies up to 100 MHz. Category 5 cable is terminated in either the T568A
scheme or the T568B scheme. Canada and Australia use the T568A standard,
and the U.S. commonly uses T568B scheme. Both schemes work equally well and
may be mixed in an installation so long as the same scheme is used on both ends
of the cable. An interesting fact regarding Category 5 network cable termination
is that 8P8C modular connectors are used but are often incorrectly referred to as
“RJ-45”. Of the four pairs of wire found in a Category 5 cable, each has differing
precise number of twists based on prime numbers so as to minimize crosstalk and
improve signal integrity. The pairs are made from 24 gauge (AWG) copper wires
within the Cat 5 cable standard. Although, cable assemblies containing 4 pairs are
common, Category 5 is not limited to 4 pairs. In fact backbone applications may
use up to 100 pairs.
A newer cable standard known as Category 6 (Cat 6), is the cable standard
for Gigabit Ethernet and is backward compatible with the Category 5/5e and
Category 3 cable standards. Compared with Cat 5 and Cat 5e, Cat 6 features
more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise reduction. Category
6 provides performance of up to 250 MHz and is suitable for 10BASE-T, 100BASE-
TX (Fast Ethernet), 1000BASE-T/1000BASE-TX (Gigabit Ethernet) and 10GBASE-T
(10-Gigabit Ethernet).
pg 9 StreamNet Digital Media and System Design Reference Guide
Common AV Signals and Interfaces
1 2 3 4 5
T568A
6 7 8
1 2 3 4 5
T568B
6 7 8