What is Category-8 and when did it debut on the market?
Category-8, also known as CAT-8, represents the most up-to-date and best-performing of the “Cat Cable” family of Ethernet Patch Cable standards. Category-8 was fully ratified by the ANSI TIA/EIA standards committee TR43 working group under 568-C.2-1 in 2016. It is therefore a fully published (non-draft-stage) cabling standard for use in North American Local Area Network (LAN) installations.
Are Category-8 (CAT-8) cables fully compatible with all Ethernet ports?
Absolutely, Cat 8 cabling uses the same 4-pair. 8-conductor wiring arrangement as its predecessors, all while preserving use of the venerable RJ45 connector in an upgraded shielded high-bandwidth configuration. This makes CAT8 Network Patch Cords 100% compatible with ALL RJ45 style connector ports (receptacles).
Where does Category-7 and Category-7a (augmented) fall into the picture?
Category-7 (CAT-7), was ratified over 20 years ago (2002) with the intention of supporting 10-Gigabit Ethernet traffic over a maximum cable length of 100-meters (330-feet) using 600-MHz of bandwidth. CAT-7a expanded the bandwidth limit to 1000-MHz with the aim of acting as a substitute for coaxial cable in 860-MHz Cable TV applications.
Why are Category-6a (CAT-6a) and Category-8 (CAT-8) preferred over Category-7/7a?
Upon ratification of the Cat 7 standard in 2002, Cat 6a had yet to be developed – only Cat 6 was in place. The fundamental problems with CAT7/CAT7a are two-fold – use of proprietary ARJ45, GG45 and TERA connectors in lieu of the RJ45 and their lack of TIA/EIA certification. Cat-6a, adopted in 2009 by TIA/EIA, offers CAT7-like performance (10G throughput up to 100-meters @ 500 MHz), using the popular RJ45 connector.
How much better is Category-8 (CAT-8) compared to Category-6a (CAT-6a)?
The Category-8 (CAT-8) Cable standard represents a remarkable technological evolution over its CAT-6a predecessor. Even though Cat 6a doubled the bandwidth of Cat 6, both standards, just like Cat 7, are limited to 10G link speeds. CAT-8’s bandwidth rating is a massive 2000-MHz (2.0 GHz), quadruple that of CAT-6a (500-MHz), thus delivering quadruple the network throughput, a remarkable 40.0-Gigabits-per-second!
Pictured Below: Performance Comparison of all TIA/EIA Compliant Ethernet Cable Classes
| Ethernet Cable Category | Bandwidth | Max Link Speed (Gbps) @ Max Link Distance (m) |
| Category-5e (CAT-5e) | 100 MHz | 1.0 Gbps (1000BASE-T) @ 100m |
| Category-6 (CAT-6) | 250 MHz | 10.0 Gbps (10GBASE-T) @ 55m |
| Category-6a (CAT-6a) | 500 MHz | 10.0 Gbps (10GBASE-T) @ 100m |
| Category-8 (CAT-8) | 2000 MHz | 25.0/40.0 Gbps (25G/40GBASE-T) @ 30m |
What Ethernet standards and speeds are supported by Category-8 (CAT-8) Cables?
Category 8 Network Patch Cords offer complete backwards compatibility with existing Ethernet over Twisted Pair standards, including Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) and 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-T). The TR43 work-group had the fore-thought to allow scalable Ethernet throughput in the CAT8 standard, by supporting both 25-Gigabit Ethernet (25GBASE-T) and 40-Gigabit Ethernet (40GBASE-T) link speeds at distances up to 30-meters (98-feet).
What are the advantages of supporting dual speeds (25G/40G) via Category-8 (CAT-8)?
Category 8 was developed with native 25G/40G support to permit switch/server OEM’s the ability to tailor their hardware to interface with existing High-Speed backbone links in server rack / datacenter installations. Typically, one 100G server backbone will feed into four switches, each with 25G inputs. Similarly, a 400G server link could feed into ten switches, each with 40G inputs. The switches would support dozens of 1000BASE-T LAN links each.
Can Category-8 (CAT-8) Cables substitute for SFP28 Cables and QSFP28 Cables?
Absolutely, the aforementioned server/switch OEM’s are designing their hardware to use Category-8 Network Patch Cords in lieu of far more costly High-Speed Direct Attach (DAC) Cables, Optical Transceiver Modules and Active Optical Cable (AOC) assemblies. A 25Gbps or 40Gbps CAT8-based link can substitute for a 25Gbps SFP28 or 40Gbps QSFP+ link – all with a per-cable cost reduction of up to 90% comparatively!
If I choose to build out my network using Category-8 Cables, how long will it last?
Using Category 8 (Cat 8) Cables for your Local Area Network (LAN) build-out is a wise investment, even if you have yet to upgrade to 25GBASE-T/40GBASE-T CAT8-capable server/switch/HBA hardware. Amphenol Cables on Demand is able to offer our CAT8 Cable line-up at factory-direct prices that are comparable to our CAT6a Cables. Cat 8 is truly “future-proof” with a projected service life of well over 30-years.
Are there Category-9 (CAT-9) Cables in development and how does it compare to CAT8?
The TIA/EIA has openly forecasted that CAT-8 hits the maximum predicted performance envelope using the series’ standardized 4-pair (twisted) wire and companion RJ45 8P8C (8-pin, 8-conductor) connector type. Any future designs are likely to feature more wire pairs and/or a switch to parallel (bonded) pair wire, necessitating the use of a non-RJ45 connector. Thus, there is no market demand nor a settled design standard for CAT9, making CAT8 the preeminent Ethernet Cable design for decades to come.
Is there any performance benefit of using Category-8 in a basic home/office network?
Even though typical home and office networks are almost uniformly using Gigabit Ethernet link speeds, with occasional enthusiasts like gamers running 10G Ethernet, there are still perceivable performance benefits of using CAT-8 Ethernet Cables in these installs. CAT8’s high-bandwidth shielded cable and connector designs permit superior insertion loss, cross-talk and SKEW characteristics for a 100-fold improvement in Bit-Error-Rate (BER) over CAT6a – equating to a smoother, low-latency network application experience.
What key design parameters define CAT-8 Cables from Amphenol Cables on Demand?
Category 8 Network Patch Cables from Amphenol Cables on Demand feature stranded all-copper 26-AWG wire construction, as this provides the ideal balance between signal integrity and cable flexibility. Our CAT8 Cables feature U/FTP topology, which means no outer shield, but each wire pair is foil-screened (aka STP Shielded Twisted Pair). This offers excellent interference immunity and the absence of the outer shield makes short tight turn radius intra-rack cable runs a breeze.
Do Category-8 (CAT-8) Cables have native PoE (Power over Ethernet) support?
Yes, all Category 8 (CAT8) Cables support Power over Ethernet natively, however, not all Cat 8 Cables are equal in this regard. This is because the latest TIA/EIA release standards governing all CAT-type Ethernet Cables permit usage of reduced-diameter 28-AWG thin-line patch cables. However, since Amphenol-brand CAT8 Cables from Cables on Demand are 26-AWG, they support all of the PoE power classes up to 100-watts.
What Cat-8 Cable length/color options does Amphenol Cables on Demand offer?
As CAT-8 is fairly new to the marketplace and our Cat-8 Cable line-up only recently debuted, we are offering our cables in the popular color of black. However, we have the capacity to produce them in customized colors and lengths should an OEM/Reseller show interest. Please contact our Customer Service team, toll-free, at 1-866-223-2860 or e-mail customerservice@cablesondemand.com to inquire.
At present, you may purchase any of the following standard CAT8 Cable lengths (color=black) from the Cables on Demand website – in-stock now and available to ship out on the same day when ordered by 3:00PM Eastern Time:
Available Lengths include 1ft, 3ft, 5ft, 7ft, 10ft, 14ft, 20ft, 25ft, 30ft, 40ft, 50ft and 65ft.
What other Network Patch Cables does Amphenol Cables on Demand offer?
Amphenol Cables on Demand (https://cablesondemand.com) offers one of the largest selections of Network Patch Cords on the web today. Genuine Amphenol brand Ethernet Cables are renowned for their superior quality and reliability by IT professionals and switch/server OEM’s alike. Dell, HP and Oracle use Amphenol-brand CAT-Cable Patch Cords from Cables on Demand to outfit their datacenter rack build-outs.
Our Network Patch Cable Assemblies, including CAT8, undergo extensive qualification testing prior to shipment from the factory. We endorse a zero-failure-rate quality-control policy by channel testing our cables with the newest generation Fluke DSP Cable Qualifier, ensuring flawless performance in your network install from day one. Shop over 500 patch cords from our product categories below:
- CAT-5e & CAT-6 Couplers
- Category 5e (Cat5e) Cables
- Category 6 (28-AWG Slim Cat6) Cables
- Category 6 (Cat6) Cables
- Category 6a (28-AWG Slim Cat6a) Cables
- Category 6A (Cat6A) Cables
- Category 8 (CAT8) Cables
- Modular Phone Cables
Nick "The Cable Guy" Blas has enjoyed a fulfilling career as Amphenol Cables on Demand's exclusive Product Manager and resident tech expert, having worked for the company just months after its debut launch in December of 2006. Prior to Amphenol, Mr. Blas worked for another interconnect giant, Deutsch Connectors (Now Tyco), in their Defense and Aerospace division as their youngest Program Manager at just 25. While in college for Electrical Engineering and Business Administration/Information Management at UC Riverside and Cal State San Bernardino, Mr. Blas excelled in retail marketing management and sales for Canon USA and Hewlett Packard, both in their printer and imaging business units. Mr. Blas has been a self-professed "tech nerd" since age 10, with a particular fascination with radio and broadcast communications and antenna systems, which led to his grant work for TRW, where he created an entire lab course on antenna engineering concepts at age 19 as a Sophomore (the class was subsequently instructed to Junior class Engineering students in multiple University of California Schools). Mr. Blas earned his Executive MBA at California State University, Monterey in 2012, graduating with honors. He and his wife, Shelly and son, Ethan, currently reside in the stunning Ozark mountains, just outside of Bentonville, Arkansas (home of the world's largest company, Wal-Mart).