You can’t imagine surfing the Internet without ethernet. These cables play an essential role in wired networking and are an excellent medium for users who want dedicated speed and performance in their systems.
Interestingly, the speed at which your device clocks can significantly increase or decrease based on the cable you’re using. Therefore, this blog looks at the two types of wires frequently mentioned in discussions: cable-ethernet cables, Category 7 or Cat7 Ethernet cables, and Cat8 cables.
The following sections will examine the essential features differentiating Cat7 network cables from Cat8 cables.
Understanding Ethernet Cable Categories
Ethernet cables are classified into several categories based on their features, including data transfer rates, frequency, shielding nature, and maximum size. The greater the category number, the newer the cable, and the faster the cable with better shielding abilities is offered.
What is a Cat7 Ethernet Cable?
The Cat7 Ethernet cables are used by users who expect high performance of the networks in homes or businesses. They were introduced as an upgrade to the prevalent cable types, which include Category 6 and Category 6a cables, and come with the following improvements.
Key Features of Cat7 Ethernet Cables:
Data transmission speed: Cat 7 cables can transmit as high as 10 Gbps(gigabits per second).
Frequency: The data transmission bandwidth of Cat7 network cables ranges up to 600 MHz. Higher frequencies conveniently travel larger distances and at faster rates than their lower-frequency counterparts.
Shielding: This is particularly true regarding shielding, which is a plus for Cat7 Ethernet patch cables. Their transmission media type is a fully shielded twisted pair (S/FTP), thus confirming that the individual wires are shielded. Cat7 minimizes unrelated signals that might disturb the connection, making it more stable and efficient, particularly within an environment with several devices.
Backward Compatibility: Cat7 Ethernet cables are compatible with other low-level cables, including Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6a cables. Thus, they can enhance your network without investing in new hardware.
Cable Length: The cables can go up to 100 meters (328 feet) without losing their speed of 10 Gbps but won’t be classified as Cat7. Because of this, they are recommended for large organizations or even massive office buildings, data farms, or large home networks.
What is a Cat8 Ethernet Cable?
The Cat8 Ethernet cables are the successor to the Cat7 Ethernet cables. They’re designed to perform even more complex duties. They are designed to carry the Internet and other basic applications and manage the high-bandwidth demands of data centers and business-oriented small networks.
Key Features of Cat8 Ethernet Cables:
Data Transmission Speed: The Cat 8 cables can handle data transfer rates ranging from 1GB to 40GB per second. This is four times faster than Cat7 Ethernet cables, making them ideal for applications with extremely high data transfer requirements.
Frequency: Cat8 cables can work at frequencies as high as 2,000 MHz, while the Cat7, as we have seen, only supports up to 600 MHz. This frequency is important for high-speed data transfer in big data transmission zones such as data centers, server rooms, and cloud computing.
Shielding: Like Cat7 cables, Cat8 Ethernet cables have well-designed shields to protect them. The S/FTP (shielded and foiled twisted pair) construction helps to cut down on interference and gives a relatively reliable connection even in an area with many cables.
Backward Compatibility: Like Cat7 Ethernet patch cables, Cat8 is fully compatible with all other Ethernet cables, from Cat5e and Cat6 to Cat7. This ensures that new technologies can be integrated with the available network equipment.
Cable Length: As with the previous types of cables, Cat8 has the drawback of a shorter maximum distance allowed. While Cat7 Ethernet cable reach is up to 100 meters, Cat8 has a maximum reach of only 30 meters (98 feet) at full speed.
Cat7 Vs. Cat8 Cables: Key Differences
1. Speed and Frequency:
- Cat7 provides a data transmission rate of up to 10Gbps and a frequency of up to 600MHZ, which is adequate for use in homes and offices.
- Cat8 cables go beyond. With a transmission rate of up to 40 Gbps and a frequency of 2000 MHz, they are valuable for applications requiring high data transfer rates.
2. Shielding and Interference:
- Cat7 network cables and Cat8 cables both have excellent shielding that minimizes interference and crosstalk, making them reliable in areas with many signals nearby.
- Nonetheless, Cat8 has even further shielding and is a better solution for extremely interfered areas.
3. Maximum Cable Length:
- Cat7 Ethernet cables do not lose their performance up to a maximum cable length of 100 meters, which makes them ideal for large installations.
- However, Cat8 Ethernet cables can transmit at even faster speeds but are only suitable for a maximum of 30 meters in length, which makes them appropriate for some short connections, such as those in data centers.
4. Price:
- Cat 7 Ethernet cables are, in general, cheaper than Cat 8. If your network doesn’t call for the very high speeds Cat8 provides, then Cat7 is the next best thing; it provides[s] better performance at a lower price.
- Cat8 cables are more costly than the other cables because they are enhanced to offer higher performance; thus, they are ideal for professionals and business people.
Which Cable Should You Choose?
Therefore, the following factors should be considered when deciding whether to opt for Cat7 Ethernet cables or Cat8.
- Cat7 Ethernet cables are ideal for home users and business people who want to establish reliable and higher data transmission rates. These cables have a speed of up to 10Gbps, are long cable length, and are good at shielding data. Cat7 cables are great for seamless gaming, streaming, and general Networking applications. The cable is handy for those who want to up their home or office’s networking prowess without ultimately going over the top with price.
- Cat8 Ethernet cables are still unnecessary for standard home use. They are ideally suited to applications such as data centers, where high speed and low latency are essential. If you operate a server room or work with data-generating processes requiring the maximum cable connections, Cat8 is there for you.
Conclusion
A Cat7 Ethernet cable will be sufficient for all your networking applications, whether for general or home use. However, for maximum achievable speed and performance, especially in professional settings, the preferred type is Cat8. Thus, given your network’s current needs and future expansion, you’ll get adequate cable for years ahead.
