Cat 5 cable speed plays a crucial role in determining your home network’s overall performance. Designed to support speeds up to 100 Mbps, Cat 5 cables may limit your internet experience if you have a faster broadband connection or multiple connected devices. As streaming, gaming, and smart home technology demand more bandwidth, using outdated cables can cause lag, buffering, and slow data transfers. Understanding cat 5 cable speed helps you assess whether an upgrade to Cat 5e, Cat 6, or higher might be necessary to optimize performance and keep up with modern networking needs.