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Category 'X' Frequency Specs
CategoryRatingTypical Use
Category 1No Freq RatingTelephone/Intercom Wiring, Alarm Wiring, etc
Category 2<= 1mhzTelephone/Intercom Wiring
Category 3<= 16mhz10Base-T Ethernet
Category 4<= 20mhzToken-Ring
Category 5<= 100mhz10 Base-T Ethernet, 100Base-T Ethernet
Category 5e<= 350mhzGigabit Ethernet
 *Note, you can always substitute a higher CAT rating for a lower CAT Rating. Ie: You can run telephone on Cat5e, and many people do, it's just not required.
10 Base What?
10Base210Mbit Ethernet on thin 50ohm coax
10Base510Mbit Ethernet on Thick 50ohm coax
10BaseF10Mbit Ethernet on fiber
10BaseT10Mbit Ethernet on UTP, using 2 pairs
10Broad3610Mbit Ethernet on broadband cable
100BaseT100Mbit Ethernet on UTP, using 2 pairs
100BaseT4100Mbit Ethernet on UTP, using 4 pairs

 
Coax Specs
Cable TypeImpedanceUse
RG-6, RG-6Q75ohmCATV, CCTV, Long runs
RG-5850ohmThin Ethernet
RG-5975ohmCATV, CCTV, Short runs
RG-6293ohmARCNet
RG-850ohmThick Ethernet
 
Recommended Distances From Interference Sources (ForUTP)
SourceSource Is:UTP Is:Distance
Power (110v/220v)UnshieldedUnshielded>= 6in
Power (110v/220v)UnshieldedIn grounded conduit>= 3in
Power (110v/220v)Is grounded conduitIn grounded conduit>= 0in
Transformer/Motor-Unshielded>= 3ft
Flourescent Light-Unshielded>= 1ft
 
Minimum bend radius for common cables
Cable Type:Radius:
UTP (Cat 3/4/5)4x Diameter
UTP (25+ pair)10x Diameter
STP3 Inches
Plenum Cables6 Inches
Fiber10x-20x Diameter, Min 1.18 Inches
 
Maximum Cable Lengths
NetworkMediaLength
10BaseTCat5 Twisted Pair100Meters
10BaseFLMultiMode Fiber2Km
10BaseFLSingleMode Fiber~20Km
100BaseTXCat5 Twisted Pair100Meters
100BaseT4Cat3 Twisted Pair100Meters
100BaseFXMultiMode Fiber2Km
100BaseFXSingleMode Fiber~20Km


Wiring Color Codes:
EIA/TIA 568A - Also called ISDN
PinWire ColorPair
1/2Green White/GreenPair 3
3/6Orange White/OrangePair 2
4/5Blue/Blue WhitePair 1
7/8Brown White/BrownPair 4
 
EIA/TIA 568B - Also Called AT&T
Pin Wire Color Pair 
1/2Orange White/OrangePair 2
3/6Green White/GreenPair 3
4/5Blue/Blue WhitePair 1
7/8Brown White/BrownPair 4
*NOTE: The only difference between 568A and 568B is the swapped locations of the Orange and Green pairs. They both work equally well.
USOC Jack
6 Pin Jack8 Pin JackWire ColorPair
3/44/5Blue/Blue WhitePair 1
2/53/6Orange White/OrangePair 2
1/62/7Green White/GreenPair 3
1/8Brown White/BrownPair 4
 
T568B Based Wiring Configurations
Technology Speed Pairs Used Pins Used 
ATM155Mbps2 / 41-2 / 7-8
Ethernet10Base-T2 / 31-2 / 3-6
100Base-T2 / 31-2 / 3-6
100Base-T41 / 2 / 3 / 44-5 / 1-2 / 3-6 / 7-8
100VG-AnyLAN1 / 2 / 3 / 44-5 / 1-2 / 3-6 / 7-8
Token-RingAll1 / 34-5 / 3-6
 
Ethernet Patch Cable Wiring - T568B
RJ45 Plug Wire Color RJ45 Plug Signal 
1White/Orange1Tx+
2Orange2Tx-
3White/Green3Rcv+
4Blue4None
5White/Blue5None
6Green6Rcv-
7White/Brown7None
8Brown8None

Ethernet Patch Cable Wiring - T568A
RJ45 Plug Wire Color RJ45 Plug Signal 
1White/Green1Tx+
2Green2Tx-
3White/Orange3Rcv+
4Blue4None
5White/Blue5None
6Orange6Rcv-
7White/Brown7None
8Brown8None

Ethernet Patch Cable Wiring - Crossover Cable
RJ45 Plug Wire Color RJ45 Plug 
1White/Orange3
2Orange6
3White/Green1
4Blue4
5White/Blue5
6Green2
7White/Brown7
8Brown8
After reading these specs, people often ask, 'Okay, so where is pin#1', the following diagram should help:

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