Category 5 cable is the ordinary 4-pair cable commonly used for Ethernet LAN wiring at 10 and 100 Mb/s. This type of cable is called unshielded twisted pair (UTP). Should cost the consumer 10 or 25 cents per foot.
Specifications for Cat5 cable are issued by the Telecommunications Industry Association TIA, and the T568-B standard can be purchased.
The details of Cat5 electrical characteristics can get pretty esoteric, and the best online resources are the manufacturers, for example Belden, Anixter, and General Cable.
Many people are using Cat5 cable up to their rooftop AP/Antenna combinations (e.g. RoofTopAdHoc); and some are putting power over spare pairs to avoid running separate power wiring to the roof. This is called "Power over Ethernet" (PoE). The IEEE has a Task Force working on a standard for PoE. The standard will be known as IEEE 802.3af. There is also a PoEWiringProposal related to this topic.
Don't forget that to make a crossover cable (a.k.a. Null modem style / back to back) dig out your crimping tool and cross 1-3 and 2-6. Cut out that hub between your broadband box and your PC ~
Keep forgetting how the wires connect? check out this page http://www.incentre.net/incentre/frame/ethernet.html.
