Monoprice 102168 Cat5e 100ft Ethernet Cable Orange — main product image

Monoprice 102168 Cat5e 100ft Ethernet Cable Orange

Monoprice

Monoprice 102168 Cat5e 100ft Ethernet Cable Orange

Name: Monoprice 102168 Cat5e 100ft Ethernet Cable Orange
Brand: Monoprice
SKU: 102168

★★★★★4.7 (1393 reviews)

Deliver reliable 350MHz Cat5e connectivity across 100 feet with gold-plated contacts and solid bare copper conductors.

$23.79*

Check availability

*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Jul 15, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change.

Affiliate Disclosure: Studio Supplies may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you. This helps support our editorial team.

Notice a mistake? Let Us Know

Overview

The Monoprice 102168 is a 100-foot Cat5e Ethernet cable built with 24AWG bare copper conductors and rated for 350MHz bandwidth — comfortably above the 100MHz minimum for the Cat5e standard. In practical terms, this means full 1Gbps Gigabit Ethernet throughput with enough frequency headroom to maintain signal integrity across the entire run length. The 50-micron gold-plated RJ45 contacts are a meaningful upgrade over the 15-micron or nickel-plated connectors found on budget cables, providing lower contact resistance and better corrosion resistance over years of use.

This cable is best suited for permanent or semi-permanent installations where you need to span a significant distance — connecting a home office to a router in another room, linking devices in a server closet, or running a line to a network-attached storage device. The solid bare copper construction favors long, fixed runs over frequent flexing, so this is not the ideal choice for a short patch cable you'll be plugging and unplugging regularly. The UTP design keeps the cable lightweight and manageable, though users in environments with heavy electrical interference should consider shielded alternatives. For the vast majority of home and office networking scenarios, this cable delivers exactly what the spec sheet promises.

Key Features

Monoprice Cat5e fixed length network cables are the perfect combination of value and performance

Available in a large assortment of colors and lengths we have a cable to fit every situation

Each cable is made of 24AWG stranded pure copper conductor pairs with 50m gold plated contacts (short body)

Most budget cables skimp with only 10m

Each cable features color matched snagless strain relief boots

Specifications

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

Bare copper conductors deliver lower signal attenuation than copper-clad aluminum alternatives over the full 100ft run
350MHz bandwidth supports full Gigabit Ethernet throughput with headroom above the 100MHz Cat5e minimum spec
50-micron gold-plated contacts resist corrosion and maintain consistent contact resistance over thousands of insertion cycles
Snagless strain relief boots prevent connector tab breakage in dense cable management scenarios
100ft length covers most single-room and cross-room runs without requiring couplers or switches

👎 Cons

Unshielded (UTP) construction offers no protection against electromagnetic interference in electrically noisy environments
Cat5e specification caps at 1Gbps — insufficient for 2.5G, 5G, or 10G networking equipment
100ft of solid-conductor cable is stiff and difficult to route through tight conduit or around sharp bends
No crossover configuration — strictly a straight-through patch cable requiring a switch or router at one end
Orange color may not blend well in visible residential installations where white or gray cabling is preferred

Frequently Asked Questions

What data transfer speeds does this cable support?

As a Cat5e cable with 350MHz bandwidth, it supports up to 1Gbps (Gigabit Ethernet) at distances up to 100 meters. The 100ft length is well within spec, so you'll get full rated throughput without signal degradation.

Is this cable compatible with Cat6 and Cat5 equipment?

Yes. Cat5e is backward compatible with Cat5 and forward compatible with Cat6 ports. The RJ45 connectors are universal across Ethernet standards, so it will work with any standard network switch, router, or NIC.

Does this cable use solid or stranded conductors?

It uses 24AWG bare copper solid conductors. Solid copper provides lower attenuation over long runs compared to copper-clad aluminum (CCA), making it the better choice for permanent installations at this 100ft length.

Will the snagless boots make a difference in a rack or cable run?

The snagless strain relief boots protect the locking tab from breaking when routed through tight spaces or bundled with other cables. This prevents the connector from becoming loose in the port over time — a common failure point on unbooted cables in dense patch panels.

Is this cable shielded?

No. This is an unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable. For most home and office environments, UTP is sufficient. Shielded (STP) cables are only necessary in environments with significant electromagnetic interference, such as near industrial motors or high-voltage wiring.