CAT5e VS CAT3

[CCCI]

I do mostly high voltage electrical work. I am starting to be asked to do some phone and network cables.

I have one person that wants a CAT3 cable (for an analog phone) at a building that I am the maintenance electrician. I told him that we only stock CAT5e cable and would that be good. He said no it has to be CAT3 cable. Would CAT5e not do everything that a CAT3 cable does but better?

I have one more person that wants CAT5e SHIELDED cable because it goes in a power pole next to flex that has 120/208v power. The power and cables will only be next to eachother for about 10'(and the power is in a separate flex.) I told him that I have never seen a SHIELDED CAT5e cable in a powerpole and that regular CAT5e would be fine.

In todays offices isn't CAT5e all that most people need?

 

[dereckbc]

Cat 5 anything can do anything better than CAT3 can except cost less.

 

[cadpoint]

shielded ...

shielded ...

Leviton has a nice slick site. They didn't talk about Cat 3 but 5, 5E and 6.
Shielded for an office phone IMO is why over kill.
Besides most power poles have isolation channels, I beleive
they'll be fine unless they are hiddening that Flux Capacitor.
Pull two wires drop one off top side, when he get off that analog
phone your be ready.

 

[dereckbc]

CCCI, I didn't read all your post in refererence to shielded CAT5. It is available but it takes special tools and connectors to terminate it, and special jacks and equipment to terminate the shield.

What I am getting at unless the equipment terminal like a router, switch or PC LAN card is made specifically for shilded RJ-45 jack, a shielded cable is useless. Since the AC power is in a dedicated metalic raceway that should be grounded makes its own shield, makes no since to follow up with shielded CAT5 that has no means for termination

 

[danickstr]

some people that only use analog phone may want cat3 for the purpose of keeping all the same, for whatever reasons.

Shielded cat5 would not hurt anything and it is a cumulative effect, so a majority will help, but almost no one uses it and it would help in situations that should not exist anyway, such as a line voltage AC or NM cable running parallel to it and right next to it.

But even then, it is mainly audio cables that have to be protected from line voltage, I have not heard of any ethernet problems from line voltage effect.

 

[Michael15956]

Dan,

Can you home run with Cat5e to all outlets and terminate with standard phone jacks?

This way upgrades will be easy in the future.

Michael

 

[electronic-widget-69]

CAT3, CAT4, CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6, etc. are all twisted pair cables all of them can be a shielded cable or not... Shielded cable is labeled STP and unshielded cable is labeled UTP...

This means that pairs of the wires in the cable are twisted together...

CAT 5 is made from a better grade of copper than CAT3...

 

[brantmacga]

in my area, cat3 is the same price as cat5; double check your prices. you may mention to your customer the expansion benefits of cat5 over cat3. your limited to two phone lines w/ cat3, where as you can go w/ a 3 line jack using cat5.

 

[LarryFine]

CAT 5 is made from a better grade of copper than CAT3...

No, the CAT number is merely the twist rate.

your limited to two phone lines w/ cat3, where as you can go w/ a 3 line jack using cat5.

Not true. You can get 4-pair CAT-3.

 

[mdshunk]

I've been installing Cat5 when Cat3 was called out for the past few years. It's actually a little bit cheaper for me to buy Cat5e. A person that insists on Cat3 over Cat5e requires a little education. If Cat3 was cheaper than Cat5 when Cat3 was called for, I'd install Cat3. Since Cat5e is a little bit cheaper and exceeds the requirements, no sane person should have a problem with it.

 

[LarryFine]

It's actually a little bit cheaper for me to buy Cat5e.

Intersting. CAT-3 is still cheaper here. I stock both.

 

[petersonra]

I didn't even think they made Cat3 any more.

 

[brantmacga]

Not true. You can get 4-pair CAT-3.

well i certainly did not know that. i can also get private label 'house brand' cat5 for cheaper than cat3, btw.