{{Short description|Unshielded twisted pair cabling for telephone and data communications}} {{Twisted pair categories}} '''Category&nbsp;2 cable''', also known as '''Cat&nbsp;2''', is a grade of [[unshielded twisted pair]] cabling designed for [[telephone]] and data communications. The maximum frequency suitable for transmission over Cat&nbsp;2 cable is 4&nbsp;MHz, and the maximum [[bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]] is 4&nbsp;Mbit/s.<ref name="Meyers1">{{Cite book |last=Meyers |first=Mike |title=All-In-One ComptTIA Network+ Exam Guide |publisher=[[McGraw Hill]] |year=2012 |isbn=978-0071789226 |edition=5th |location=New York |pages=69 |language=en |oclc=819322430}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ciscopress.com/articles/article.asp?p=31276 CCNA: Network Media Types]</ref> Cat&nbsp;2 cable contains 4 pairs of wires, or 8 wires total.<ref name="Carpenter1">{{Cite book |last=Carpenter |first=Tom |title=CompTIA CTP+ Convergence Technologies Professional Certification Study Guide |publisher=[[McGraw Hill]] |year=2012 |isbn=978-0071767576 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=231 |language=en |oclc=801817374}}</ref>

Official [[TIA/EIA-568]] standards have only been established for cables of [[Category 3 cable|Cat 3]] ratings or above. Though not an official category standard established by TIA/EIA,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,1233,t=cable+categories&i=39162,00.asp |publisher=PC Magazine |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia |title=Cable Categories |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322132406/http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/39162/cable-categories |archive-date= 22 March 2016}}</ref> Category&nbsp;2 has become the de facto name given to Level 2 cables originally defined by [[Anixter International]], the distributor.{{cn|date=October 2016}}

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

==References== {{reflist}}

{{UTP Cable Standards}}

[[Category:Networking hardware]] [[Category:Signal cables]]