Ethernet cables have been around long before the wireless revolution and they continue to be for a sound reason: they are reliable, faster, and have lower latency than wireless connections.

Ethernet is a more practical option when the priority is performance. While the performance gap between the best wired and wireless connectivity options is narrowing significantly, let’s focus on one of the best-performing and most recent additions to wired connections: Category 8 Ethernet or Cat-8.

Ratified only as recently as 2016 under 568-C.2-1 specification by ANSI TIA/EIA standards committee, this standard is fully published and recognized for use in North American Local Area Network (LAN) installations. The previous edition, the Cat-7, was ratified in 2002; it took another 14 years for a new version to hit the market. However, the latest addition comes with features that have made giant leaps, to say the least.

As the newest member to the list of Ethernet cables, let us look deeper into what this cable and connector offer, and what their performance, features, and compatibilities are. We will also look at the capabilities of Amphenol Cables on Demand, which is a leading manufacturer and supplier of CAT 8 cables across the globe.

Overview of Cat-8

Before we begin to analyze the performance and features of the Cat-8 cables, one must understand where Cat-8 stands in the spectrum of Ethernet cables. Although it chronologically comes after the Cat-7/7a, it is often the Cat 6/6a Ethernet cable that it is compared to.

Here is some context to understand why Cat-7/7a might be overlooked in favor of Cat-6/6a in terms of Ethernet cables.

The Unfortunate Case of Cat-7/7a

The Cat-8 predecessor was the Category-7 (Cat-7) cables which were introduced in 2002. It was designed to support 10-gigabit Ethernet over a maximum distance of 100 meters utilizing 600-MHz bandwidth. Its augmented version Category-7a (Cat-7a) extended the bandwidth to 1000 MHz. Although this was quite a feat at the time, and it also aimed to replace coaxial cables in certain applications, it massively misfired due to two reasons.

The first setback was the proprietary connectors it came with. It used connectors such as ARJ45, GG45, and TERA instead of the popular RJ45 connector. This made it incompatible with many devices which were till then using the RJ45 connector. This issue was coupled with the lack of TIA/EIA certification. The lack of credibility cast a shadow over it, which it could not recover from.

So, despite the better performance and specs, the Cat 7/7a was overlooked in favor of Cat-6a due to sheer non-compatibility.

In comparison, Cat-8 cables are a significant leap over Cat-6/6a. While Cat-6/6a cables offer 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds up to 100 meters within a 500-MHz bandwidth in the augmented version, Cat-8 cables quadruple this bandwidth to 2,000 MHz, delivering impressive speeds of up to 40 Gigabits per second over a 30-meter distance.

Here is a tabular visualization of the different TIA/EIA-compliant Ethernet cables (Cat-7/7a has been excluded)

Features of Cat-8

Backward Compatibility

One of the standout features of Cat-8 cables is their backward compatibility. A Cat-8 cable uses the same 4-pair, 8-conductor wiring arrangement as the previous generations and maintains the use of the RJ45 connector, backward-compatible with almost any RJ45 port. This means you can upgrade to a shielded high-bandwidth configuration even while connecting to other existing network setups.

Dual-Speed Support

Category 8 cables were designed with built-in support for 25G and 40G speeds, making them a perfect fit for modern data centers and server racks. Imagine you have a powerful 100G server backbone—this can connect to four switches, each handling 25G inputs. If you have an even more robust 400G server link, it can split into ten switches, each with 40G inputs. These switches, in turn, can support numerous 1000BASE-T LAN connections, ensuring smooth and efficient network performance throughout your setup.

Supported Ethernet Standards and Speeds

Cat-8 cables are fully backward compatible with existing Ethernet standards, including Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) and 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-T). Additionally, they support the newer 25-Gigabit (25GBASE-T) and 40-Gigabit (40GBASE-T) Ethernet standards, ensuring futureproofing for high-speed network demands.

Applications

Cat8 Ethernet cables are designed to meet the demands of environments requiring high data transmission speeds and reliability.

Data Centers and Server Rooms: Cat8 cables are ideal for data centers and server rooms as they support data transfer to speeds up to 40 Gb/s. The massive 2,000MHz bandwidth supports the fast and reliable connection of servers and other network equipment.  With low latency, high speed, and efficiency, it is ideal for data center and server operations.

It is a future-proof solution that can handle increased data loads for operations like video conferencing, cloud computing, and large data transfers, which require substantial bandwidth, without the need for frequent upgrades.

Amphenol's Cat-8 Cable Options

Amphenol offers a range of Cat-8 cables in various lengths, with the standard color being black. Custom colors and lengths can be produced upon request for OEMs and resellers. The available lengths include 1ft, 3ft, 5ft, 7ft, 10ft, 14ft, 20ft, 25ft, 30ft, 40ft, 50ft, and 65ft.

Beyond Cat-8, Amphenol Cables on Demand provides a vast selection of network patch cords, renowned for their superior quality and reliability. Our Ethernet cables are trusted by leading IT professionals and major OEMs. Each cable undergoes rigorous testing to ensure optimal performance and zero-failure rates, utilizing advanced DSP Cable Qualifiers.