Monoprice 111286 Cat5e 25ft Gray Ethernet Patch Cable — main product image

Monoprice 111286 Cat5e 25ft Gray Ethernet Patch Cable

Monoprice

Monoprice 111286 Cat5e 25ft Gray Ethernet Patch Cable

Name: Monoprice 111286 Cat5e 25ft Gray Ethernet Patch Cable
Brand: Monoprice
SKU: 111286

★★★★★4.7 (834 reviews)

350MHz Cat5e over 25 feet of pure bare copper — consistent Gigabit throughput with zero-compromise conductor spec at a commodity price.

$7.13*

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

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Overview

The Monoprice 111286 is a 25-foot Cat5e Ethernet patch cable built on 24AWG stranded pure bare copper conductors with a 350MHz bandwidth rating, UTP construction, and snagless RJ45 connectors with 50-micron gold-plated contacts. To put the 350MHz spec in operational context: Cat5e requires 100MHz bandwidth to support Gigabit Ethernet under TIA-568 standards; this cable's 350MHz rating represents 3.5x that minimum, providing meaningful signal headroom against crosstalk, impedance variation, and aging in densely-cabled environments. The gold-plated contacts address the physical interface where most long-term connectivity degradation originates — oxidized contacts increase resistance at the mating point, introducing noise at Cat5e frequencies. At 50 microns, the plating depth is the correct specification for a patch cable expected to remain in service for years rather than a device cable that might be replaced annually.

This cable is the correct choice for home network runs, small office patch bays, and any structured cabling installation where gray is the designated color for a specific service type. Twenty-five feet covers the most common practical distance between a desktop workstation or NAS and a nearby switch or router without creating slack management problems. The pure bare copper spec ensures the cable performs to its rated standard across the full temperature range of a conditioned space and supports PoE and PoE+ loads for powered devices like access points, IP cameras, and VoIP phones. For buyers building or maintaining a color-coded patch environment — where cable color encodes network segment, service type, or VLAN — the gray jacket provides a neutral, professional appearance that integrates cleanly into any installation.

Key Features

Unshielded Twisted Pairs (UTP)

350MHz bandwidth

50m gold plated contacts

Color matched, snagless strain relief boots

Specifications

Length

25 feet

Color

Gray

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

350MHz bandwidth rating provides 3.5x the headroom above the 100MHz Gigabit Ethernet minimum, maintaining performance margin in high-density patch environments with adjacent cable crosstalk
Pure bare copper 24AWG conductors deliver full TIA-568 Cat5e compliance, avoiding the elevated resistance and attenuation of copper-clad aluminum cables
50-micron gold-plated RJ45 contacts resist oxidation and maintain consistent contact resistance across extended service life, particularly in humid or frequently-patched environments
Gray jacket color enables structured color-coding schemes in multi-service cabling installations without the visual ambiguity of black or white cables
25-foot length covers desk-to-switch and cross-room runs in most residential and small office environments without requiring a coupler or extension

👎 Cons

Cat5e tops out at 1Gbps for standard network deployments — this cable is not a viable path to 2.5GbE, 5GbE, or 10GbE, which require Cat6 or Cat6A cabling for reliable performance at distance
UTP construction provides no EMI shielding — unsuitable for runs in close proximity to high-current power cabling, fluorescent lighting ballasts, or industrial equipment without conduit separation
Stranded construction, while necessary for patch cable flexibility, has marginally higher attenuation per meter than solid-core — not a practical issue at 25 feet, but relevant for spec-sheet comparison against solid-core structured cabling
At 25 feet, slack management may be required in tighter desk or rack installations — a shorter cable in the same series would be a better fit for adjacent-device connections
No locking RJ45 variant in this series — in environments where accidental disconnection is a risk, a locking connector alternative provides additional security that this cable cannot offer

Frequently Asked Questions

What network speeds does this cable reliably support?

The 111286 supports 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet) at its full 25-foot length. Cat5e is rated for Gigabit up to 100 meters, and the 350MHz bandwidth rating provides headroom above the 100MHz minimum required by the 1000BASE-T standard. At 25 feet, you are operating at approximately 23% of the cable's maximum rated distance — signal integrity is not a variable here.

What is the practical difference between this gray cable and Monoprice's green Cat5e cables?

Electrically, they are identical — same 24AWG stranded pure bare copper construction, same 350MHz bandwidth, same UTP shielding, same snagless RJ45 connectors. The only difference is the jacket color. Gray is a common choice for distinguishing data traffic from other cable runs (e.g., green for public network, gray for management, blue for VoIP) in structured cabling color-coding schemes.

Do the 50-micron gold-plated contacts matter for Ethernet performance?

Gold plating on RJ45 contacts serves two functions: corrosion resistance and consistent contact resistance at the mating interface. In a climate-controlled environment with infrequent plug cycles, the difference between gold and nickel contacts is minor. In higher-humidity environments or applications with frequent re-patching, gold plating maintains lower, more consistent contact resistance over the connector's service life, which preserves signal integrity at Cat5e frequencies.

Is this cable suitable for PoE (Power over Ethernet) applications?

Yes. 24AWG pure bare copper at 25 feet supports PoE (802.3af, 15.4W) and PoE+ (802.3at, 30W) without meaningful voltage drop. The cable meets conductor resistance specifications for both PoE standards. Higher-power PoE++ (802.3bt, 60W/90W) over 25 feet of 24AWG is supportable but approaches the thermal and resistance margins of the wire gauge — consult your PoE++ equipment's cabling recommendations.

What does the snagless boot actually protect, and does it wear out?

The snagless boot shields the RJ45 locking tab from being snagged and broken during cable routing through conduit, cable managers, or tight bundle pulls. Once broken, an unprotected RJ45 tab no longer locks into the port, causing intermittent disconnections under cable movement. The snagless boot on this cable is a molded thermoplastic sleeve — it does not wear out under normal use and outlasts the cable's jacket in most service scenarios.