Network cables are used to connect computers and computer devices within computer networks. Although wireless technology and devices are becoming more popular all the time, physical cables are still used in most communications networks, both big and small. There are a range of different network cable products that are used, including the category 5 cable; a twisted pair high integrity type of cable that came in both shielded and unshielded versions. While the Cat 5 has been superseded for Ethernet services, during its time it would have provided the Ethernet connections for a number of blog websites and other communities; online spaces that would not exist if it were not for the wonders of computer networking.

The category 5 specification has been superseded by the Cat 5e, Cat 6, and Cat 7 designs – some of which are also used in the design of structured Ethernet cables. Category 5 cables included twisted pairs of cable inside one jacket, with balanced lines used to try and preserve as good a signal-to-noise ratio as possible. These cables were most commonly used in 100 Mbit/s networks such as 100BASE-TX Ethernet. Cat 5e is a later version of this cable, with updates to improve far end crosstalk from other network cables in the area.

While the specifications used in the design of the Cat 5 have been updated, they once provided a speed and efficiency of communication that helped the Internet and other computer networks to flourish. Blogs, social networking, and all the other new interactive online phenomena that we now take for granted may not exist if it were not for technologies such as these. The cat 5 cable is also able to carry a number of other signals, including voice, token ring, and ATM. While there may not be many blogs and online forums dedicated to the memory of specific network cables such as these, there is no doubt that they played an important part in the setting up and proliferation of computer networks all around the world.