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Ah, the frustration. Not too long ago you invested a ton of money in a new Category 5 wiring plant, but recently it's been dubbed "legacy" (meaning: on the fast track to being obsolete) because Cat 5e is the ruling standard. Now you find yourself with a server or storage device you'd like to put on a gigabit Ethernet connection, but that old Cat 5 UTP isn't up to supporting 1000Base-T, right? Maybe. Maybe not.

If your original Cat 5 wiring system is made up of top-quality products and was installed by skilled technicians, you may have reason for optimism. Somewhere between marketing and governing standards lies reality. To find out if your existing Cat 5 wiring is willing and able to successfully support gigabit Ethernet, have individual wiring runs tested by qualified installers using a Level IIE-calibrated wiring tester. Test every installed wire you're considering for gigabit use; don't assume that a few passing runs represent all wiring. If your wiring passes the test, use it for the more robust connections. As long as you trust both the testers and the equipment, there's no reason to immediately upgrade your wiring.