Quick question about mix of Cat6 and Cat5

[turnstyle]

Hi all, quick question...

Let's say I have:
Device 1 wired by Cat6 to my router
Device 2 wired by Cat6 to my router
Device 3 wired by Cat5 to my router

Does the presence of the Cat5 cable somehow impact the performance of the Cat6 cables & devices?

For example, I'm assuming that the presence of a Cat 5 cable on the router isn't going to impact "Device 1" to "Device 2" (which both have Cat6) communication performance, is that right?

 

[L&LD]

In a 1GBe LAN Network, no it will not have any impact with the example you show.

But depending on the router, it may bring everything down to the Cat5 spec (are you sure you don't mean Cat5e?).

Always recommended to not mix different types of cabling (even for things other than LAN).

 

[turnstyle]

Thanks, the router is an Archer C8.

Yeah, it's Cat5 -- it just what I happened to have when I first plugged that device in years ago, and never seemed to have a reason to change it (it's an 'appliance' that doesn't have a fast port) -- I just replaced the router, but haven't replaced cable. All my 1000Mbit gear does have Cat6, but some old appliances are using Cat5.

So using one Cat5 might actually force the whole router down to Cat5 -- even for communication between two devices that are plugged into the router via Cat6?

 

[L&LD]

Thanks, the router is an Archer C8.

Yeah, it's Cat5 -- it just what I happened to have when I first plugged that device in years ago, and never seemed to have a reason to change it (it's an 'appliance' that doesn't have a fast port) -- I just replaced the router, but haven't replaced cable. All my 1000Mbit gear does have Cat6, but some old appliances are using Cat5.

So using one Cat5 might actually force the whole router down to Cat5 -- even for communication between two devices that are plugged into the router via Cat6?

In your example, I would not expect it to. But mixed cables is the first thing I 'fix' when looking to optimize a network for a new customer. Cheap, fast (usually) and leaves the brain free for real troubleshooting.

 

[System Error Message]

If the cable is cat5e than no but if it is cat5 or cat5a than it will be doing 100Mb/s which in some switches is a mess.

 

[TonyH]

Hi all, quick question...

Let's say I have:
Device 1 wired by Cat6 to my router
Device 2 wired by Cat6 to my router
Device 3 wired by Cat5 to my router

Does the presence of the Cat5 cable somehow impact the performance of the Cat6 cables & devices?

For example, I'm assuming that the presence of a Cat 5 cable on the router isn't going to impact "Device 1" to "Device 2" (which both have Cat6) communication performance, is that right?

My priority would be choosing best quality cables I can afford, and then Cat5e or Cat6. BTW, I don't have
many cables(altogether less than 10) in use, all Cat7 spec'd.

 

[KenZ71]

Can you test it out by taking the item on the older cable offline?

 

[sfx2000]

Short range, CAT5 vs. CAT6 shouldn't make a difference..

Could always be a bum cable...

The Amazon has cable testers for a fair price - 4 bucks...

 

[coxhaus]

Your network will slow down for the 100Mb/s when the rest of it is capable of a faster speed 1GIG. There really is not anything to do as the appliance is the appliance unless you can change the NIC otherwise it can only talk at 100Mb/s. I always try to use at least CAT5e cables even with slower devices.
PS
One of the first things I do when having trouble with a device is to change the CAT cable. The crimps do release over time on some cables.

 

[Cloud200]

There is no difference in using a mix of CAT5e and CAT6 patch cables in a 1GBase-T network vs using only CAT5e going from device to device.
CAT6 has some inherent benefits over CAT5e but unless you have a reason for it (better Alien Crosstalk, NEXT, FEXT reduction), its basically no difference.
If you have issues due to EM interference, going from CAT5e to CAT6 is not as beneficial as going to a STP cable or even better, using a fiber optic solution.

Now for the use cases where you DO NOT WANT TO MIX.
If you have a structured cable infrastructure. IE Patch panels, In wall wiring etc.
Mixing CAT5e and CAT6 Cables, Plugs, and Jacks will cause issues but only on the same line.
Eg.
Switch CAT5e 8p8c --- CAT6 cable --- CAT6 8p8c --- CAT5e RJ45 --- CAT5e cable --- CAT6 RJ45 --- CAT6 8p8c --- CAT5e cable --- CAT5e 8p8c --- Desktop Computer
The reason this is an issue is purely mechanical.
An RJ45 keystone jack designed for CAT6 will not fit properly when terminated on a CAT5e cable. Vice-a-versa also applies. Same applies to 8p8c connectors.

The following for example is OK;
Switch CAT5e 8p8c --- CAT5 cable --- CAT5e 8p8c --- CAT6 RJ45 --- CAT6 cable --- CAT6 RJ45 --- CAT5e8p8c --- CAT5e cable --- CAT5e 8p8c --- Desktop Computer
The only thing that will happen is the connection will work at the lowest cable spec used; CAT5e.