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RCA TPH529BR 3-Feet Cat5e Ethernet Cable — main product image
RCA

RCA TPH529BR 3-Feet Cat5e Ethernet Cable

★★★★★5.0 (10 reviews)

A 3-foot Cat5e patch cable that delivers clean Gigabit Ethernet up to 1000BASE-T at 100 MHz — reliable short-run connectivity without signal degradation.

$13.56*
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*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Jul 14, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change.

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Overview

The RCA TPH529BR is a 3-foot Cat5e Ethernet patch cable rated to 100 MHz — the performance floor for Gigabit Ethernet. What that means practically: this cable supports 1000BASE-T at full speed without becoming the weak link in your network chain. Cat5e at this length handles the data rates demanded by modern routers, managed switches, and NAS devices without crosstalk or signal degradation. The 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX backward compatibility means it integrates cleanly into mixed-speed networks where legacy hardware is still in play.

This cable is built for short-run structured cabling scenarios — the gap between a wall plate and a desktop PC, the patch panel to switch leg in a small rack, or the router-to-modem handoff in a home network closet. At 3 feet the physics of cable performance are entirely in its favor: attenuation and crosstalk are negligible, and there's no engineering reason to reach for a Cat6 or Cat6A cable at this length unless you specifically need 10GbE. For anyone building or patching a gigabit network, this is a known-spec, reliable short-run solution from a brand with broad retail distribution and straightforward SKU identification.

Key Features

3 Ft Cat5e Cable - Blue

Performance of up to 100 MHz

Suitable for 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet), and 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet)

Specifications

Brand
RCA
Cable Type
Cat5e Ethernet Cable
Length
3 Feet
Color
Blue
Performance Rating
Up to 100 MHz
Supported Ethernet Standards
10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet), 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet)

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • At 3 feet, this cable covers the most common short-run patch scenario — router to switch, desktop to wall port — without excess slack to manage.
  • 100 MHz bandwidth rating supports full 1000BASE-T Gigabit throughput, meaning the cable never becomes the bottleneck in a modern network.
  • Backward compatibility with 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX means it works reliably in mixed legacy/modern network environments without incompatibility issues.
  • The compact form factor is easy to route cleanly in tight server rack environments or crowded home network setups.

👎 Cons

  • Cat5e is limited to 100 MHz — if you're future-proofing for 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-T), you will need Cat6A or higher, as this cable does not support 10GbE over any distance.
  • No information is provided about shielding (STP vs UTP) — in high-interference environments near power cables or industrial equipment, an unshielded Cat5e may exhibit crosstalk that a shielded cable would suppress.
  • The fixed 3-foot length is not adjustable; if your exact run requires 4 or 5 feet, you'll need a different SKU — no slack for rerouting.

Frequently Asked Questions

This cable is rated for 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet), meaning it supports data transfer up to 1 Gbps — sufficient for any consumer or small-business gigabit network switch, NAS connection, or router patch. It will not bottleneck a gigabit connection at 3 feet.
Cat5e at 100 MHz is the practical minimum for gigabit networking, and for patch cable runs under 10 feet the performance difference between Cat5e and Cat6 is negligible. Cat6 provides additional crosstalk headroom over longer runs — at 3 feet, Cat5e handles the job cleanly.
Cat5e supports PoE standards (802.3af and 802.3at) — the cable spec itself is not the limiting factor. Verify that your switch and powered device are PoE-compatible; the cable carries both data and power without issue at this length.
It's suitable for any standard RJ-45 Ethernet connection — routers, switches, modems, desktop PCs, NAS drives, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and network-attached printers. Any device with an RJ-45 port operating on 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, or 1000BASE-T will work.
No — cable length only becomes a performance variable above roughly 100 meters. At 3 feet you are operating well within spec and will see no signal degradation or speed reduction due to length.

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