Gigabit ethernet over Cat5?

Is it possible to have gigabit ethernet over Cat5 cables, or is Cat5e the absolute minimum?

I tried googling this issue, and while all sites were unanimous in recommending Cat5e or Cat6, some claimed that it was possible to get some degree of benefit from partial Gigabit ethernet speeds out of Cat5, while others claimed that it was outright impossible.

So which is it?

 

Yes, you can use CAT-5 cable for gigabit ethernet. The 1000Base-T specification supports the use of CAT-5 cabling. CAT-5 has eight wires, and 1000Base-T specification uses four pairs (10 and 100Base-T use only two pairs), and since 4 X 2 = 8, CAT-5 can and does support 1000Base-T.

One of the most important reasons (in my mind) that CAT-5 was used during the testing and certification phases is that, even today, CAT-5 cabling dominates most office buildings. Could you imagine how much it would cost a company to replace all of their existing wiring?

You can go to the IEEE website and read about the gigabit ethernet standard.

http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/802.3ab.html

 

Thanks that's precisely what I wanted to know

 

if installing it yourself, you need to use top-quality connectors and really keep the twisted pairs twisted when fabbing the cables. I mean a tight twist right up to the connector before you use the crimping tool.

Otherwise, buy pre-made cable.

 

It's nothing that complex - the wiring was installed ages ago, all I'm doing is swapping out the old 10/100 router for a gigabit one and hoping for some sort of benefit.

If I was putting in the wiring today, I'd definitely use Cat6

 

In that case, you lose nothing by trying it first on the existing wiring. If it works, great, nothing more to do. If it doesn't, well, then it's time to rewire the place.

 

Unless rats chewed through the wiring, it'll work.

 

Or the plumber went the wrong way, or someone drove a nail into the wrong spot, or .... But, true enough, if nothing's damaged the wiring, it should work.