Category Cables CAT 5e
Windy City Wire manufactures commercial-grade, low-voltage Category Cable designed for professional network infrastructure. Our SmartWire brand cat5e wire is engineered for consistent performance in voice, data, controls, security, and building systems where dependable network cables are essential. We partner directly with integrators, contractors, and distributors to deliver products and solutions that align with demanding jobsite requirements and evolving networking technologies. We do not sell to end users or consumers.
Made in the United States, SmartWire CAT 5e is available in shielded and unshielded constructions for plenum, non-plenum, and outdoor environments, providing flexibility across new builds, upgrades, and maintenance work. All options use 24 AWG bare copper conductors and are verified to CAT 5e performance standards to support reliable connectivity and installation efficiency across your projects.
Why choose SmartWire CAT 5e for commercial and industrial projects
Available constructions
Applications
How SmartWire CAT 5e adds value to your next project
Choosing Windy City Wire means working with a U.S. manufacturer focused on the needs of professional installers. Our SmartWire CAT 5e line pairs consistent electrical performance with construction options that fit your environment—plenum, non-plenum, outdoor flooded, and direct burial—so you can standardize across facilities and job types. With SmartWire Glide lubrication to reduce pulling friction and availability in multiple lengths, you can streamline labor, reduce installation time, and simplify material planning. Combine that with direct support for integrators, contractors, and distributors, and you get a dependable CAT 5e category cable offering that helps keep projects on schedule and on budget.
Windy City Wire Category Cables – CAT 5e
Windy City Wire partners directly with professional integrators, electrical contractors, and distributors to deliver dependable CAT 5e Category Cable for commercial and industrial networks. Built with 24 AWG solid bare copper and verified to ANSI/TIA 568-C.2 performance, our cat5e wire supports Gigabit Ethernet and power delivery for a wide range of building systems. Whether you are deploying new network cables, refreshing legacy drops, or extending campus infrastructure, our CAT 5e portfolio gives you consistent, code-appropriate options that install cleanly and perform reliably.
What’s in the CAT 5e family
Lengths
Available in multiple put-up options to match project scope: 100 ft, 250 ft, 500 ft, and 1000 ft.
Core performance highlights
Systems and applications well-suited for CAT 5e
Industry segments we support
Selecting the right CAT 5e cable
Installation efficiencies for project teams
Why integrators, contractors, and distributors choose Windy City Wire
Get started
Partner with Windy City Wire for reliable cat5e wire that keeps your projects on schedule and within specification. Discuss your environment, code requirements, and device mix with our team to choose the right Category Cable for your application, or coordinate through your preferred distributor. When your network cables are designed for real jobsite conditions, everything downstream works better.
These cat5e wire products use 24 AWG solid bare copper conductors and are available in both shielded and non-shielded constructions.
Available color options include: White-Blue/Blue; White-Orange/Orange; Blue/White; Orange/White; White-Green/Green; White-Brown/Brown.
They are manufactured with solid 24 AWG bare copper conductors for permanent in‑wall runs of network cables.
At Windy City Wire, we manufacture and stock SmartWire Category Cable in 1,000 ft as our standard length. Additional lengths available include 100 ft, 250 ft, and 500 ft. All stock SmartWire cables include SmartWire Glide lubrication to reduce pull friction by up to 70%.
Our SmartWire Category Cable is boxed in our patented RackPack carton to maximize labor savings and jobsite efficiency. Learn more about our RackPack: https://windycitywire.com/solutions/rackpack-overview
- CAT5e: Typically supports up to 1 Gbps and 100–350 MHz depending on the cable; our SmartWire CAT5e is rated up to 350 MHz. Ideal for most everyday networking technologies and small business networks.
- CAT6: Higher performance than CAT5e (up to 250 MHz); 1 Gbps to 100 m, and 10 Gbps up to about 37–55 m with proper installation.
- CAT6A: Augmented CAT6 with improved alien crosstalk control; up to 500 MHz and 10 Gbps to 100 m—great for high‑density PoE and backbone runs.
- CAT7: Typically shielded, up to ~600 MHz and 10 Gbps to 100 m using ISO/IEC‑specified connectors; not part of ANSI/TIA cabling categories in the U.S. but used in certain specialized environments.
Color conventions vary by organization, but common uses include:
- Blue: General data drops/user workstations
- White: General office/ceiling runs or neutral identification
- Red: Critical systems, uplinks, or security networks
- Yellow: PoE devices, VoIP phones, or cameras
- Green: Management networks or legacy crossover identification
- Orange: Demarcation, ISP circuits, or special services
- Purple: DMZ or segmented networks
- Gray: Standard patching or default data
- Black: AV systems or security devices
- Brown: Building automation/BMS
Always follow your site or customer color standards for Category Cable labeling.
Category Cables CAT 5e
Windy City Wire manufactures commercial-grade, low-voltage Category Cable designed for professional network infrastructure. Our SmartWire brand cat5e wire is engineered for consistent performance in voice, data, controls, security, and building systems where dependable network cables are essential. We partner directly with integrators, contractors, and distributors to deliver products and solutions that align with demanding jobsite requirements and evolving networking technologies. We do not sell to end users or consumers.
Category Cables CAT 5e
Windy City Wire manufactures commercial-grade, low-voltage Category Cable designed for professional network infrastructure. Our SmartWire brand cat5e wire is engineered for consistent performance in voice, data, controls, security, and building systems where dependable network cables are essential. We partner directly with integrators, contractors, and distributors to deliver products and solutions that align with demanding jobsite requirements and evolving networking technologies. We do not sell to end users or consumers.
Made in the United States, SmartWire CAT 5e is available in shielded and unshielded constructions for plenum, non-plenum, and outdoor environments, providing flexibility across new builds, upgrades, and maintenance work. All options use 24 AWG bare copper conductors and are verified to CAT 5e performance standards to support reliable connectivity and installation efficiency across your projects.
Why choose SmartWire CAT 5e for commercial and industrial projects
Available constructions
Applications
How SmartWire CAT 5e adds value to your next project
Choosing Windy City Wire means working with a U.S. manufacturer focused on the needs of professional installers. Our SmartWire CAT 5e line pairs consistent electrical performance with construction options that fit your environment—plenum, non-plenum, outdoor flooded, and direct burial—so you can standardize across facilities and job types. With SmartWire Glide lubrication to reduce pulling friction and availability in multiple lengths, you can streamline labor, reduce installation time, and simplify material planning. Combine that with direct support for integrators, contractors, and distributors, and you get a dependable CAT 5e category cable offering that helps keep projects on schedule and on budget.
Windy City Wire Category Cables – CAT 5e
Windy City Wire partners directly with professional integrators, electrical contractors, and distributors to deliver dependable CAT 5e Category Cable for commercial and industrial networks. Built with 24 AWG solid bare copper and verified to ANSI/TIA 568-C.2 performance, our cat5e wire supports Gigabit Ethernet and power delivery for a wide range of building systems. Whether you are deploying new network cables, refreshing legacy drops, or extending campus infrastructure, our CAT 5e portfolio gives you consistent, code-appropriate options that install cleanly and perform reliably.
What’s in the CAT 5e family
Lengths
Available in multiple put-up options to match project scope: 100 ft, 250 ft, 500 ft, and 1000 ft.
Core performance highlights
Systems and applications well-suited for CAT 5e
Industry segments we support
Selecting the right CAT 5e cable
Installation efficiencies for project teams
Why integrators, contractors, and distributors choose Windy City Wire
Get started
Partner with Windy City Wire for reliable cat5e wire that keeps your projects on schedule and within specification. Discuss your environment, code requirements, and device mix with our team to choose the right Category Cable for your application, or coordinate through your preferred distributor. When your network cables are designed for real jobsite conditions, everything downstream works better.
These cat5e wire products use 24 AWG solid bare copper conductors and are available in both shielded and non-shielded constructions.
Available color options include: White-Blue/Blue; White-Orange/Orange; Blue/White; Orange/White; White-Green/Green; White-Brown/Brown.
They are manufactured with solid 24 AWG bare copper conductors for permanent in‑wall runs of network cables.
At Windy City Wire, we manufacture and stock SmartWire Category Cable in 1,000 ft as our standard length. Additional lengths available include 100 ft, 250 ft, and 500 ft. All stock SmartWire cables include SmartWire Glide lubrication to reduce pull friction by up to 70%.
Our SmartWire Category Cable is boxed in our patented RackPack carton to maximize labor savings and jobsite efficiency. Learn more about our RackPack: https://windycitywire.com/solutions/rackpack-overview
- CAT5e: Typically supports up to 1 Gbps and 100–350 MHz depending on the cable; our SmartWire CAT5e is rated up to 350 MHz. Ideal for most everyday networking technologies and small business networks.
- CAT6: Higher performance than CAT5e (up to 250 MHz); 1 Gbps to 100 m, and 10 Gbps up to about 37–55 m with proper installation.
- CAT6A: Augmented CAT6 with improved alien crosstalk control; up to 500 MHz and 10 Gbps to 100 m—great for high‑density PoE and backbone runs.
- CAT7: Typically shielded, up to ~600 MHz and 10 Gbps to 100 m using ISO/IEC‑specified connectors; not part of ANSI/TIA cabling categories in the U.S. but used in certain specialized environments.
Color conventions vary by organization, but common uses include:
- Blue: General data drops/user workstations
- White: General office/ceiling runs or neutral identification
- Red: Critical systems, uplinks, or security networks
- Yellow: PoE devices, VoIP phones, or cameras
- Green: Management networks or legacy crossover identification
- Orange: Demarcation, ISP circuits, or special services
- Purple: DMZ or segmented networks
- Gray: Standard patching or default data
- Black: AV systems or security devices
- Brown: Building automation/BMS
Always follow your site or customer color standards for Category Cable labeling.