Ethernet cable for highest speeds

Transporting data reliably with Ethernet cable

Ethernet is the most widely used standard for LAN (Local Area Network) cabling. Although transmission rates of up to 400 Gigabit/s are currently specified, the current state of the art is a maximum speed of 40 Gigabit/s. Ethernet cables are divided into categories (Cat) from CAT3 to CAT8. While CAT3 is generally no longer used, the CAT5-CAT7 cable categories are among the most common in the industry. However, the CAT5e standard is still the most widely used in automation technology. PROFINET  and ETHERCAT, which are based on the Ethernet standard, are also derived from it.

Ethernet is the standard in automation technology. Ethernet-based bus systems are used both in mechanical engineering and in image processing systems. The high level of data transmission also allows Industry 4.0 requirements to be realised. Ethernet has become very attractive for mechanical engineering, not least because it allows machines to be integrated relatively easily into the existing office network.

Network cable applications from igus®
The chainflex® cable programme from igus® offers a wide range of Ethernet cables. A total of 32 different Ethernet cable types in CAT5, CAT6 and CAT7 from 9 different cable families are available for different areas of application. All chainflex® Ethernet cables have been developed for permanent movement in the energy chain. Depending on the requirements, you can choose between differentPVC, and TPE outerPUR sheaths . The different bus cable series offer different performance levels, so that the right cable can be selected for every application to achieve the longest possible service life.

All chainflex® bus cables have one thing in common. All chainflex® cables are subject to the same quality standards. It does not matter whether it is a cost-effective cable of the CF888 family or a cable for the highest demands and smallest bend radius , as is the case with the CFBUS.LB family. This is why igus® also offers a 36-month functional guarantee on all chainflex® cables with a service life of up to 10 million double strokes.

The cheapest Ethernet cable that is guaranteed to work****The selection table of the largest range of flexible Ethernet cables

Depending on the cable family, chainflex® network cables are mechanically designed for travel distances of up to 400 m and more, but the longer the cable, the lower the data rate of the bus system. The Ethernet specification describes a total cable length of 100 metres. However, 90 m of installation cable and 10 m of patch cable (2x5 m) are provided here. A total length of up to 100 m can therefore be achieved with fixed installation. With highly flexible Ethernet cables for the energy chain, however, our experience shows that a cable length of up to 50 m between two Ethernet subscribers is possible. However, this length depends on the cable category (CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6, CAT6A, CAT7), the environmental conditions and the application requirements. For long travel distances, we therefore recommend using fibre optic cables , which make a cable length of several hundred metres up to 2 km possible.