Utility of Shielded CAT5E Cable

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Utility of Shielded CAT5E Cable What is a
Shielded CAT5E Cable? CAT 5E cables are the
standard connection cables that a computer uses
to connect with other computers and the
internet. These cables are used to connect
all sorts of devices on your network --
routers, modems, computers, printers, servers
and more. CAT 5E refers to a particular
kind of cable which is used for
this connection, while 'shielded' means that
the signals travelling along the cable reach
their destination without being interrupted or
distorted. Is a Shielded CAT5E Cable
fast enough for my network?
CAT 5 cables have a bandwidth of 100 MHz. This is
more than enough for common domestic purposes.
CAT 5 cables can support Gigabit
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transfers of up to 1,000 Mbps. While
some modern networking equipments support
this, a lot of devices do not. So before
worrying about the speed of your
cables, make sure that your internet
connection, modem, router, and Ethernet
card all support gigabit speeds. Also since
Gigabit is the fastest home standard
commonly available today, CAT 5 cables are
sufficiently fast for domestic uses. What
features does a Shielded CAT5E Cable have
over a regular CAT 5 cable? Shielded CAT5E
cables, as the leading standard, ensure the
integrity of your signal. The 'e' standard for
CAT 5 cables adds a layer of crosstalk protection
to the cable. This prevents all kinds of
interference which may arise between the
electrical charges of the individual wires.
Shielded cables are strong enough to defend
outside interference as well, preventing
anything from distorting or garbling the
message travelling along the cable. This defense
is critical for signal quality near radios,
microwaves, power lines and cell phones, all of
which generate electromagnetic interference
that can ruin transmission along an
unshielded cable.
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Do I need Shielded CAT5E Cables for my
wireless network?
In a wireless network, devices communicate
with each other and the wireless router using
radio waves. This is excellent for all those
things on your network which have wireless
cards like laptops, phones and even some
printers. But the most important part of your
network, the modem, is unlikely to have wireless
capability built in. The modem is the part of
your network that talks to the internet, so it is
very important that it is connected to all other
devices. In order to do this, there needs to be a
cable which connects the modem to the router so
that the router can send your wireless signals
through a cable to the internet and the internet
signals from the cable out onto your wireless
network. Additionally, because of the nature of
wireless transmission, devices connected over
your wireless network will communicate slower and
less reliably than devices connected to your
router with a shielded CAT 5E cable.
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CAT 5 cables are thus much faster than
most of the home wireless networks. Also,
the kind of electromagnetic radiation that
a shielded cable is designed to defeat can
easily cause your wireless signal to drop or
become garbled. So for all the important
connections that need to be faster, secure and
reliable, consider using a shielded CAT 5E
cable instead of wireless connections.