Cat 5 vs Cat5e vs Cat6

Cat 5 vs Cat5e vs Cat6

	Cat5	Cat5e	Cat6
Performance	Adequate, but greater potential for crosstalk/interference.	Less crosstalk/interference than CAT5. Potentially more interference than CAT6.	SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) is higher
Speed	100Mbps	1000Mbps	10 Gbps
Frequency	Up to 100MHz	Up to 100MHz	Up to 250 MHz
Cost	Varies by length and manufacturer, but generally a little cheaper than CAT5e.	Varies by length and manufacturer, generally $0.20 - $0.30 per foot.	Varies by length and manufacturer, with $0.40 - $0.60 per foot as an average; generally about 20% higher than Cat5e.
Max. Length	100 meters	100 meters	55 meters
Future uses	Limited	Adequate	More
Protection	Low	Moderate	High

Cat6 Cable