Cat3 wire, also called cat3 Ethernet cable, is commonly used for telephone line cabling and computer networking at dial-up speed. Cat3 cables must meet the minimum guidelines set forth by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) for cable performance and capability.
What Is Cat3?
Category 3 Ethernet is part of a family of copper cabling standards put forth by both the EIA and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA).
Physical Characteristics
Ethernet cables utilize Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) technology. Cat3 uses two of the four pairs present in the cabling.
Uses
Whereas Cat3 was the fastest cabling available for computer networking in the early 1990s, it has been replaced by newer Ethernet cables. Cat3 is still an industry standard for telephone wiring, as well as in computer networking at dial-up speeds.
Bandwidth
Category 3 Ethernet cable has a bandwidth capability of 16 megahertz, or 16 million cycles per second. Attempting to use Cat3 wires at higher speeds will result in data integrity problems and data packet loss.
Data Transfer Rates
Cat3 cables have a data transfer rate of 10 megabytes per second. This is also referred to as 10Base-T, which refers to the use of twisted pairs in the cable.
Tags: computer networking, Cat3 cables, Category Ethernet, computer networking dial-up, Ethernet cable, Ethernet cables
