Here is the short answer: pull Cat6. Not because you need 10-gigabit — you almost certainly do not — but because the price gap over Cat5e is now small, the labour is identical, and the cable will outlive three generations of the kit plugged into it.
And here is the part almost nobody asks about, which matters far more than the category number: check whether the conductor is copper or CCA. That single question affects more real installations than Cat5e versus Cat6 ever has.
We have sold data cable off the drum at Villa Road for decades. This is the conversation we have at the counter, in the order we have it.
1. What the categories actually mean
Cable categories are performance specifications, not brands. Each one guarantees a bandwidth over a standard 100-metre channel.
- Cat5 — obsolete. 100 Mbps. If you find it in a building, it predates almost everything you would want to plug into it.
- Cat5e — the "e" is enhanced. Gigabit over 100m. Still perfectly serviceable, and still what a great many working offices run on.
- Cat6 — gigabit over 100m with more headroom, and 10-gigabit over shorter distances. It is physically stiffer, often with a plastic spline separating the pairs.
- Cat6a — the "a" is augmented. 10-gigabit over the full 100m. Thicker again, frequently shielded, and noticeably less fun to pull round a tight bend.
The honest summary: for a house or a small office, every one of Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat6a will deliver gigabit and you will not feel the difference. The reason to fit Cat6 is not today's speed. It is that the cable is the part you cannot easily change once the plaster is on.
Which brings us to the thing that genuinely will bite you.
2. Copper or CCA — the question that actually matters
CCA stands for copper-clad aluminium: an aluminium conductor with a thin copper skin. It is cheaper, and for a short patch lead carrying data alone it will work.
The problem is Power over Ethernet. Aluminium has higher resistance than copper, so a CCA run drops more voltage over distance and dissipates more of the difference as heat. On a long PoE run to a camera you can end up with a device that boots, works in daylight, then drops out the moment infrared illuminators come on and the current demand rises. That failure is intermittent, temperature-dependent and genuinely horrible to diagnose — and it looks exactly like a faulty camera.
Our position, and we will not be talked out of it: if the run carries PoE, pull solid copper. If it carries data only over a short distance, CCA is a legitimate way to save money. Know which one you have bought.
The Mercury 808.025UK is our economy Cat6 drum, and its specification is honest about what it is.
The 808.025UK is a 305m drum of economy Cat6 U/UTP in grey with a PVC sheath, and its stated construction is solid CCA. That makes it a sound choice for data-only runs and the wrong choice for a long PoE camera run — which is precisely the distinction this section exists to draw.
Trade tip: you can identify CCA on site without any test gear. Strip a conductor and nick it back with your thumbnail or a blade — copper-clad aluminium shows a silvery core under the copper skin, and it snaps rather than bends when you work it back and forth a few times. Solid copper bends, dulls and stays in one piece. Ten seconds, no instruments, no argument with the wholesaler.
3. When to step up to Cat6a
Cat6a is the right buy in three situations: runs approaching the full 100m where you genuinely need 10-gigabit; environments with serious electrical noise, where a shielded U/FTP construction earns its money; and anywhere you are cabling once for a very long horizon.
The Mercury 808.032UK is a 305m drum of Cat6a U/FTP in grey, stated as oxygen-free copper. Copper conductor, shielded construction — this is the one to reach for on long PoE runs and noisy environments alike.
Going outside or between buildings is a different sheath question again.
The Mercury 808.034UK is a 305m outdoor Cat6a U/FTP drum in black with an LDPE sheath. LDPE is the UV-stable outdoor jacket — an indoor PVC sheath run along a fence will go chalky and crack, and it will do it faster than you expect. For a shorter run, the 100m Cat6 UTP bulk reel saves buying 305m you will never use.
4. Why we do not stock a Cat5e drum
Worth saying plainly, because customers ask. We keep Cat5e outlets and modules, but we do not hold Cat5e bulk cable — and that is deliberate rather than an oversight.
The reasoning is simply that the saving no longer justifies the compromise. The cable is a small fraction of the cost of any cabling job; the labour is the same whichever category you pull; and once the cable is buried in a wall the only way to upgrade it is to open the wall again. Given a modest price difference and identical installation effort, pulling the lower specification is a false economy we would rather not sell you.
If you are repairing or extending an existing Cat5e installation, our Ethernet and network sockets and data modules and faceplates ranges cover Cat5e terminations properly.
5. Terminating it, and the patch leads at the end
The cable is only as good as its terminations. Two routes, both valid:
Punch down to a module. The professional answer for a fixed installation.
The NETCAT6GY is a 25 x 50mm UTP Cat6 RJ45 outlet module in grey with IDC terminals and ABS construction, rated IP20 — sized for a euro-module faceplate. The AV:Link 122.565UK is the keystone equivalent, a 50 x 25mm Cat6 RJ45 socket with 180-degree punch-down IDC.
Crimp a plug on the end. Right for patch leads and for temporary work.
The Haydon RJ45 Cat6 rapid-fit crimp connectors are pass-through, supplied in tens. Pass-through means the conductors run out through the front of the plug so you can verify the colour order before you crimp, then trim flush. Anyone who has crimped a plug blind and got a pair reversed will understand immediately why that is worth paying for. We hold pass-through crimp tools too, though stock on those runs thin — ring ahead.
For the runs between kit and outlet, use a made-up patch lead rather than a home-crimped one.
The NETC65M is a 5m UTP Cat6 networking cable rated for gigabit Ethernet at 1000Mbps with RJ45 plugs, in black. Factory-terminated, tested, and cheaper than the twenty minutes you would spend making a worse one.
Trade tip: keep the untwist at each termination under 13mm. Those twists are not decoration — the twist rate is what cancels crosstalk between pairs, and a generous 30mm untwist at a punch-down will fail a certification test on a cable that is otherwise perfect. It is the single most common reason a brand-new run tests badly.
Cat5 vs Cat6, Summarised
| Category | Realistic use | Conductor to insist on | WME pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat5 | Obsolete — replace it | — | — |
| Cat5e | Existing installs, repairs | Copper for PoE | Cat5e outlets |
| Cat6, data only | Homes, small offices | CCA acceptable | Mercury 808.025UK |
| Cat6, short run | One or two drops | 100m reel | 100m Cat6 UTP reel |
| Cat6a, PoE / long / noisy | CCTV, 10G, industrial | Copper, shielded | Mercury 808.032UK |
| Cat6a, outdoor | Between buildings | LDPE sheath | Mercury 808.034UK |
Expert Help in the West Midlands
Villa Road, Birmingham, since 1975. Tell us the longest run, whether it carries PoE and whether any of it goes outside, and we will tell you the category, the conductor and the sheath in one answer. We cut from the drum at the counter, so you are not buying 305m for a 40m job.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Cat5 and Cat6?
Cat5 is an obsolete 100 Mbps specification. Cat6 supports gigabit over the full 100m channel with more headroom, plus 10-gigabit over shorter distances, and is physically stiffer with tighter tolerances. In practice, the relevant comparison today is Cat5e against Cat6.
Is Cat6 worth it over Cat5e for a home?
Yes, but not for speed. Both deliver gigabit. Cat6 is worth it because the cable is the part you cannot easily replace once it is in a wall, and the extra cost over an entire house is small relative to the labour.
Can I use CCA cable for PoE cameras?
We would not. Copper-clad aluminium has higher resistance, so long PoE runs drop more voltage and run warmer — which shows up as cameras that work by day and drop out when the infrared comes on. Use solid copper for anything carrying power.