The general difference between Category 5e and Category 6 is in the transmission performance and extension of the available bandwidth from 100 MHz for Category5e (Cat5e) to 200 MHz for Category 6 (Cat 6). This includes better insertion loss, near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss and equal level far end crosstalk. These improvements provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing higher reliability for current applications and higher data rates for future applications.

Because of its improved transmission performance and superior immunity from external noise, systems operating over Cat6 cabling will have fewer errors vs. Cat5e for current applications. This means fewer re-transmissions of lost or corrupted data packets under certain conditions, which translates into higher reliability for Cat6 networks compared to Cat5e networks.

Although Cat6 and Cat5e connectors may look alike, the former have much better transmission performance. For example, at 100 MHz, NEXT of a Cat5e connector is 43 dB, while NEXT of a Cat6 connector is 54 dB. This means that the latter couples about 1/12 of the power that a Cat5e connector couples from one pair to another pair. Conversely, one can say that a Cat6 connector is 12 times less 'noisier' compared to a Cat5e connector. This vast improvement in performance was achieved with new technologies, new processes, better materials and significant R&D resources, leading to higher costs for manufacturers.

Source: www.tiaonline.org

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