Difference between patch cable and UTP

Question

I already searched for answer to this, but I have seen so many different answers to this..

Does patch cable mean all UTP Cat5e, Cat6 etc? Or is it something else?

Thank you for any help.

Answer 1

Yes, a patch cable will conform to one of the CAT standards. A CAT5e patch cable will use CAT5e cable, terminated with RJ45 connectors. The cable will be tested and will conform to the CAT5e standard. A CAT6 patch cable will conform to the CAT6 standard etc.

Answer 2

I'm not a cabling expert, but I've always heard "patch cable" refer to a relatively short cable from a wall port or patch panel (hence the name) to the end device such as a PC.

Cat 5E, Cat 6, Cat 6A, refer to different standards for cables defined in TIA/EIA specifications. All support transmission over twisted-pair copper up to 100 meters (much longer than any patch cable). The difference between the standards has to do with protection against crosstalk and support for higher speeds (e.g., Cat 6 supports 10 gigabit Ethernet up to 100 meters while Cat 5 and 5E do not).

Answer 3

Does patch cable mean all UTP Cat5e, Cat6 etc?

The answer to that is that it depends on what your equipment needs. The answer is not an unequivocal Yes or No.

A patch cable can be either UTP copper, fiber, or something else, depending on the cable infrastructure used. For instance, a Category-6 cable cannot be used when the equipment to which you are trying to connect has fiber transceivers.