A widely deployed specification of unshielded twisted pair cabling designed for Ethernet networks. It contains four pairs of copper wire tightly twisted to reduce crosstalk and electromagnetic interference. While original Cat 5 is rated for 100 megabits per second, its enhanced successor handles gigabit speeds and remains a staple in building infrastructure and patch panels.
Heard on the job
Strip back the jacket on that Cat 5 and punch it down into the patch panel on rack three.
Also heard as
- Category 5
- Cat5e
Related terms
Ethernet card
An expansion board that provides a physical connection between a computer host and a local area network.
Structured wiring
A standardized architecture for building telecommunications cabling infrastructure.
RJ
A standardized physical network interface for connecting telecommunications equipment.