Networking Cable: Cat5/6 or USB 2.0?

johnnymk · 09-10-2007, 08:03 AM

Any limitations to either?

Cubsfan · 09-10-2007, 08:15 AM

Is this from your cable/dsl modem to your computer? I think the top speed of USB is lower, but that won't matter if it's just to the internet. Also, I think 5m is the max length of a single USB cable.

DarkFury · 09-10-2007, 09:02 AM

Generally, if I had a choice, I'd pick CAT 6 cable from that group, even though the need for it is not an emergency right now.

http://www.broadbandutopia.com/caandcaco.html

Quote:

Why do I need all the bandwidth of category 6? As far as I know, there is no application today that requires 200 MHz of bandwidth.

Bandwidth precedes data rates just as highways come before traffic. Doubling the bandwidth is like adding twice the number of lanes on a highway. The trends of the past and the predictions for the future indicate that data rates have been doubling every 18 months. Current applications running at 1 Gb/s are really pushing the limits of category 5e cabling. As streaming media applications such as video and multi-media become commonplace, the demands for faster data rates will increase and spawn new applications that will benefit from the higher bandwidth offered by category 6. This is exactly what happened in the early 90’s when the higher bandwidth of category 5 cabling compared to category 3 caused most LAN applications to choose the better media to allow simpler, cost effective, higher speed LAN applications, such as 100BASE-TX. Note: Bandwidth is defined as the highest frequency up to which positive power sum ACR (Attenuation to Crosstalk Ratio) is greater than zero.

What is the general difference between category 5e and category 6?

The general difference between category 5e and category 6 is in the transmission performance, and extension of the available bandwidth from 100 MHz for category 5e to 200 MHz for category 6. This includes better insertion loss, near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss, and equal level far end crosstalk (ELFEXT). These improvements provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing higher reliability for current applications and higher data rates for future applications.

USB 1.1 caps out at 12 Megabits per second

USB 2.0 caps out at 480 Megabits per second

Cat 5 Ethernet in a LAN setting can reach 1,000 Megabits+ per second (provided you have Gigabit adapters at each end)

Cat 6 Ethernet has double the transmission pathways as Cat 5... so I'd think that would be significantly faster than Cat 5.(not that you can use this raw speed today... but who knows what tomorrow may bring.

johnnymk · 09-10-2007, 09:46 AM

I should have clarified. It's for networking from one computer to another. Just copying data.

Thanks, DF for the info.

DarkFury · 09-10-2007, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnymk

Thanks, DF for the info.

No prob...

kame · 09-10-2007, 01:10 PM

I was pondering that last week....

Thanks DF

09-10-2007, 08:03 AM	#1
johnnymk Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: May 2000 Location: LEVITTOWN< PA> USA Posts: 13,621	Networking Cable: Cat5/6 or USB 2.0? Any limitations to either?

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09-10-2007, 08:15 AM	#2
Cubsfan Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,743	Is this from your cable/dsl modem to your computer? I think the top speed of USB is lower, but that won't matter if it's just to the internet. Also, I think 5m is the max length of a single USB cable.

09-10-2007, 09:46 AM	#4
johnnymk Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: May 2000 Location: LEVITTOWN< PA> USA Posts: 13,621	I should have clarified. It's for networking from one computer to another. Just copying data. Thanks, DF for the info.

09-10-2007, 01:10 PM	#6
kame Lieutenant Commander Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 532	I was pondering that last week.... Thanks DF

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