Twisted Pair UTP, FTP, Cat 5e/6/6a: Which Cable to Choose

What Numbers Mean

A 305m roll labeled "LW Cat6 FTP outdoor 305M":

LW — manufacturer

Cat6 — category (max speed)

FTP — foiled shielding

outdoor — UV/armored sheath

305M — standard roll length

Categories — Real Performance

CategorySpeedDistanceWhen to Buy Cat 5e1 Gbps100mBasic office, home Cat 61 Gbps / 10G short100m / 55mModern office Cat 6a10 Gbps100mDC, long 10G runs Cat 7Marketing—Not needed Cat 825-40 Gbps30mDC short links Cat 7 is mostly a myth — TIA standard unrecognized, rare connectors, 2-3× price for same real speed. Skip it.

UTP vs FTP

UTP — unshielded, cheaper, fine for 90% cases

FTP — foiled, anti-interference

STP/SFTP — per-pair shielding, rarely needed

Use FTP when:

Cable runs alongside power lines (within 30cm parallel)

Industrial/electrically noisy environments

Long external runs between buildings

Standard office? UTP is enough.

Indoor vs Outdoor

Indoor — PVC sheath, grey

Outdoor — PE with UV protection, black, anti-rodent armor

Outdoor with messenger — between buildings

Outdoor mandatory outside. Indoor PVC cracks within 1-2 years in sun.

How Many Meters

Office workstation — 15-20m

Between WiFi APs — 10-30m

Office → server room — actual length + 5-10m

305m roll covers 12-18 workstations.

Real Cables in Uzbekistan

UseCablePrice (305m) Budget indoorLW Cat6 UTP indoor~2M UZS Standard indoorLW Cat6 FTP indoor~2.5M Between buildingsLW Cat6 FTP outdoor~3M Cheap 1GbpsAndijan Cat 5e FTP~1.5M

Common Mistakes

Cat 7 "for the future." Cat 6a covers everything; Cat 7 = overpay.

UTP in noisy environments. Will drop packets near 380V.

Indoor cable outside. Saved 500k, lose 5M redoing it.

No crimp tool/connectors. Useless cable without RJ45 + crimper (180k).

Cuts too short. Leave 1-2m slack each end.

Bottom Line

Home / small office (≤8 ws): Cat 5e FTP indoor

Office 10+ ws: Cat 6 FTP indoor

Between buildings: Cat 6 FTP outdoor

DC / 10G: Cat 6a UTP/FTP

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