Cat and Cat5e?

[scratch 0]

Can I use Cat5 instead of Cat5e for a 4k NVR system if the cabling has the correct RJ45 connectors on it, or am I going to notice a difference in video quality?

[larry 2]

Use Cat5e. Is Cat5 even available anymore?

[scratch 0]

2 hours ago, larry said:

Use Cat5e. Is Cat5 even available anymore?

 

Not sure, but I have an extra camera to run, and it already has cat5 there right now.  If all I have to do is put on the correct RJ45 connector, that would save me a bunch of hassle.

[tomcctv 190]

5 minutes ago, scratch said:

 

Not sure, but I have an extra camera to run, and it already has cat5 there right now.  If all I have to do is put on the correct RJ45 connector, that would save me a bunch of hassle.

Hi. It could also give you a lot of hassle 

cat5 is old and also came as cat5 cca.   Which is bad cable ......cat5e is a much better cable and most likely to be pure copper .    You also need to know existing size of the old cat5

[jeromephone 6]

just checked cat5e is around 14 cents per foot. solid copper    at that price why mess around with susect cable?  Hoe much do you plan to save?

[Cortian 9]

Often it's not the cost of the cable, but the cost or difficulty of running it.  That was why, when I did new cable installations for my employer, I always ran 25-50% more runs than the projected need.  (And, when they recently switched from a legacy phone system to IP phones, it still wasn't enough.  But they only had to add a dozen or so new runs, so not bad for a 20-year-old install with close to 500 runs ;).)

Terminating existing cable is inexpensive and trivial.  I'd terminate it, try it, and see if it worked.  If not: Then replace it with Cat5E or Cat6.

 

[scratch 0]

8 hours ago, Cortian said:

Often it's not the cost of the cable, but the cost or difficulty of running it.  That was why, when I did new cable installations for my employer, I always ran 25-50% more runs than the projected need.  (And, when they recently switched from a legacy phone system to IP phones, it still wasn't enough.  But they only had to add a dozen or so new runs, so not bad for a 20-year-old install with close to 500 runs ;).)

Terminating existing cable is inexpensive and trivial.  I'd terminate it, try it, and see if it worked.  If not: Then replace it with Cat5E or Cat6.

 

Great idea.  Worth a shot.

[scratch 0]

On 3/28/2019 at 6:14 PM, tomcctv said:

Hi. It could also give you a lot of hassle 

cat5 is old and also came as cat5 cca.   Which is bad cable ......cat5e is a much better cable and most likely to be pure copper .    You also need to know existing size of the old cat5

How about cat5e CCA, is that still bad cable?  Like this stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZHLSV1/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B071ZHLSV1&pd_rd_w=pgk90&pf_rd_p=733540df-430d-45cd-9525-21bc15b0e6cc&pd_rd_wg=vV41e&pf_rd_r=PK87R433RWHCMHC388KY&pd_rd_r=ae74085e-535b-11e9-b8ff-1749bfa13380

[cctvman1379 2]

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Copper-Outdoor-Resistant-Syston/dp/B076VC77J7/ref=sr_1_4?crid=IKFI3X8D36K2&keywords=cat5e+copper&qid=1554017674&s=gateway&sprefix=Cat5e+copp%2Caps%2C283&sr=8-4

 

That one is pure copper I will not use cca as its poor quality 

[jeromephone 6]

check your local electrical code as cca may not be allowed.  Agree with the poster who suggests putting in spare runs. I was in the cabling business for 14 years and neve had a customer say they were sorry that the cable they needed for a new device was all ready installed.