Ethernet Cable Reference

What each Ethernet category actually does, and how far it does it.

What you provide

Measure the whole path including patch leads at both ends, not the straight-line distance.

Result

Cat 6: 1 Gbps to 100 m, 10 Gbps to 55 m

The sensible default for new runs. Ten-gigabit works over shorter distances. Two things matter more than the number printed on the jacket: the termination, since a poorly punched-down keystone will fail at gigabit on a cable rated for ten, and whether it is solid or stranded core, because solid copper belongs in the wall and stranded belongs in a patch lead that gets moved. Copper-clad aluminium sold cheaply as Cat 6 meets none of this and is the usual cause of a run that will not do PoE.

Diagnostic telemetry
Category
Cat 6
Rated speed
1 Gbps to 100 m, 10 Gbps to 55 m
Maximum runIncluding patch leads at both ends
100 m
Bandwidth
250 MHz
Power over Ethernet
Up to PoE++ (60 W)
Your runWithin specification
40 m
10 Gbps limit
55 m

What this cannot tell you

  • A reference table for the standards, not a test of your cable. It cannot tell you whether a run is terminated correctly or whether the copper is what the jacket claims.
  • Only a certification tester can confirm a run meets its category. A cheap cable tester checks continuity and pin order, which finds a miswired plug and misses almost everything else.

Take this with you

Ethernet Cable Reference on RunTheTests — free browser-based sysadmin tools, no sign-up.