The Complete Guide to Ethernet Cable Colors and Their Uses
From watching movies online to playing online games, Ethernet cables are being widely used almost everywhere. But having so many cables in your office or home can be quite a frustrating experience.
While Ethernet cables come in various categories, lengths, and qualities, choosing a reputable supplier is key for long-term performance. Whether you need a Cat6 Plenum 1000ft or another category entirely, a reliable supplier like Monk Cables ensures you get a high-quality product.
A lot of wires and cables have different colored jackets, even though they are all different sizes and shapes. What makes them different? What is the difference between them? What does each color mean? Find out more about these questions and more by reading our article.
Types of Cables and Their Colors
We use different kinds of wires every day. They are used to connect things like wires, the internet, security systems, and more. Jackets or sheaths for electrical wires come in different colors. Each color tells you what the wire is used for. To give you an idea, a neutral line is made of a white cable, and phase 1 is made of a black cable.
Fire alarms also use different kinds of wires. You can also get these wires in white, black, or red. Each color is made of a different kind of material. Ethernet cables are used for phone calls, internet links, and other networking tasks. To name a few, they are white, red, green, blue, yellow, and many more. We will talk more about Ethernet cable color codes in the next sections.
Cable Categories
Coaxial cable, which was made of insulated phone lines twisted into pairs to reduce crosstalk and covered in a plastic jacket, was used by early networkers in the late 1980s. The fastest data that could be sent over the voice-grade Category 1 connection was 1 Mbps, but the temporary Category 2 line quickly sped it up to 4 Mbps.
In the early 1990s, Category 3 cable set an even higher standard. Cat3 wire, which had a frequency of 16 MHz, could send data at speeds of up to 10 Mbps and was commonly used for 10BASE-T Ethernet. For a short time, Category 4 lines showed up and boosted the speed to 20 MHz and 26 Mbps. Token Ring apps were the main ones that used it.
Ethernet Cable Color Codes
A lot of people do not understand how to use Ethernet wire color codes. This is because Ethernet connections come in many colors and are mostly used in the same way. The fact that the conductor lines in Ethernet cables are also color-coded makes the confusion even worse. Each line is given a different color to show what it is for. This is a list of the different colors of Ethernet wires and what each one is used for:
- Grey Ethernet cables are used in standard Ethernet connections.
- Yellow Ethernet cables are used for PoE, PoE+, and PoE++ connections.
- White Ethernet cables are also used for general purposes.
- Blue Ethernet cables are used on terminal servers.
- Green Ethernet cables are used for crossover connections.
- Red Ethernet cables are used in IP security cameras.
Pair Colors That Are Used in Fast Ethernet Connection
There are 8 twisted pairs of conductor wires in the middle of an Ethernet line. Eight of the lines are orange, four are blue, four are green, and one is brown. Each conductor wire is a different color.
Stranded Ethernet Cables:
- Blue wire is paired with blue-white wire.
- Orange wire is paired with orange-white wire.
- Green wire is paired with green-white wire.
Solid-Core Ethernet Cables:
- Green wire is paired with white-green wire.
- Brown wire is paired with White-Brown wire.
- Orange wire is paired with White-Orange wire.
- Blue wire is paired with White-Blue wire.
Conclusion
Ethernet cables are being widely used all over the world. These cables come in different categories, such as Cat 5, Cat 6, Cat 6a, and many more. Having so many cables and wires at home can be confusing. By reading our detailed article on the categories and colors of Ethernet cable, you can have peace of mind.