Suppose you install ethernet cables in some buildings or your home, and you need to learn about them. There are many types of cables available in the market, and getting the right cable can be an overwhelming experience for you.
You need to understand its features and capabilities to get the right cable according to your specifications. There are many cables available in the market; cat5, cat5e, cat6, cat6a, cat7, and cat8 are some of them. Now, Cat7 and Cat8 are new cables compared to the other cables. We will discuss these two cables so you can make an informed decision while installing them in your home and anywhere else.
Category 7 Cables:
Category 7 ethernet cable, also known as Cat7 or Cat-7, is a perfect choice if you are looking for Gigabit Ethernet in any infrastructure. This cable supports high-speed ethernet communication up to 10 Gbps. Its backward compatibility makes it even more user-friendly. You can use it with previous versions of Ethernet Cable. This cable is made of twisted pairs of wires. Cat7 cable is fully shielded. Each of the wire pairs is covered in a shield eliminating many cross-talks. This feature allows you to get more speed with longer cables.
Category 8 Cables:
Cat8 cables or Category 8 ethernet cables are vastly different from the previous versions because they can support a frequency of 2 GHz. It is limited to a 30-meter 2-connector channel. Category 8 cables also require a shielding wire structure. This cable can support a speed of 25 Gbps or sometimes 40 Gbps. The looks and physical appearance of cat8 are like the previous cables. It can be terminated with RJ-45 or non-RJ-45 connections. This cable also comes with backward compatibility. You can also use it with a standard Cat7 connector.
Cat7 vs Cat8:
Here are some factors that differentiate Cat7 and Cat8 cables:
Performance: – this is one of the major factors that differentiate these two ethernet cables. With cat7 cable, you’ll get 600 MHz speed. Cat8 would give you 2000 MHz speed, which is leaps and bounds ahead of cat7.
Length – The maximum cabling length of the Cat 7 network is 100m with 10 Gbps. At the same time, it limits Cat8 to 30m cable’s length with 25 Gbps or 40 Gbps.
Price–cat8 cables are more expensive than the lower category cables. This cable has a lot of features that make it pricy.
Shielding – Both cables have shielding cable construction. Cat 7 cable offers extensive shielding for reduced attenuation. And they require special GigaGate45 connectors to attain the full advantage of its higher performance features.
Category 8 cables require shielded cabling. Unlike Cat5e to Cat6A, it does not come with an unshielded twisted pair. The most likely cable construction for Category 8 will be 22-AWG S/FTP cabling. We carry Cat6a Ethernet cable that is equally good as Cat7 in frequency and data transfer rate.
