Why do cat5 cables sometimes have the fluffy fiber bit in them?
Why do cat5 cables sometimes have the fluffy fiber bit in them
cablecat5
Related Solutions
I believe that the difference between 5 and 5e is a more specific description of the twists per pair and twists per foot of each pair.
Cat5a and Cat6 further enforce the geometry of the pairs relative to each-other over the course of the entire cable and restrict the untwisted amount at the ends.
In practice, if it says Cat5, it is an old cable. "Cat5" hasn't been made in years, and any twisted pair cable suitable for use in networking (ie not cat3 or something used for a thermostat or lawn sprinklers) will be a Cat5e or better.
A true Cat5 installation is sufficient for gigabit ethernet. I've seen plenty of things labeled cat5 that are not actually up to spec for one reason or another, that run 100mb fine but don't work with gig.
Parallel to usb adapters do exists. Here is a picture of one from Belkin:
I'm not sure if the combination of extender+adapter would work, but given the price of both, the total cost of the experimentation would be around 20USD.
This is much cheaper than an arduino + ethernet shield, without the programming/electronic hassle.
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Best Answer
Actually it's for pulling the outer shielding away from the inner wires. When you're punching down the cable you pull the fiber string down from the top of the cable and it makes a nice split in the outer shielding that allows you to pull the outer shielding down to cut it off without damaging the inner wires. Here's a video that shows the process:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHy8mtW9eak at 1:23