Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 13, 2026

Category 2 cable

Category 2 cable, also known as Cat 2, is a grade of unshielded twisted pair cabling designed for telephone and data communications. The maximum frequency suitable for transmission over Cat 2 cable is 4 MHz, and the maximum bandwidth is 4 Mbit/s. Cat 2 cable contains 4 pairs of wires, or 8 wires total.

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Jun 13, 2026
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Category 2 cable, also known as Cat 2, is a grade of unshielded twisted pair cabling designed for telephone and data communications. The maximum frequency suitable for transmission over Cat 2 cable is 4 MHz, and the maximum bandwidth is 4 Mbit/s.12 Cat 2 cable contains 4 pairs of wires, or 8 wires total.3

Official TIA/EIA-568 standards have only been established for cables of Cat 3 ratings or above. Though not an official category standard established by TIA/EIA,4 Category 2 has become the de facto name given to Level 2 cables originally defined by Anixter International, the distributor.

Anixter Level 2 cable was frequently used on ARCnet and 4 Mbit/s Token Ring networks, it is also used in telephone networks but it is no longer commonly used.

References

References

  1. Meyers, Mike (2012). All-In-One ComptTIA Network+ Exam Guide (5th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. p. 69. ISBN 978-0071789226. OCLC 819322430.
  2. CCNA: Network Media Types
  3. Carpenter, Tom (2012). CompTIA CTP+ Convergence Technologies Professional Certification Study Guide (1st ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. p. 231. ISBN 978-0071767576. OCLC 801817374.
  4. "Cable Categories". Encyclopedia. PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016.