Fast Ethernet vs. Gigabit Ethernet: A Complete Comparison Guide

Author Yana

Date 03/21/2025

Learn about the differences between Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet. Discover which Ethernet solution is best for your network needs.

Ethernet is one of the most widely used local area network technologies. It uses cables or optical fibers to connect network devices and uses a set of standards to define the physical and data link layers of the network. There are many types of Ethernet on the market, and the most commonly used ones are Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet. This article will compare Fast Ethernet vs Gigabit Ethernet in detail.

Fast Ethernet (FE) Overview

What is Fast Ethernet?

Fast Ethernet (FE) is an Ethernet standard with a speed of 100 Mbps, which is 10 times faster than the 10 Mbps Ethernet (10BASE-T). In March 1995, IEEE announced the IEEE802.3u Fast Ethernet standard (Fast Ethernet or FE), thus beginning the era of Fast Ethernet.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Ethernet?

The advantage of Fast Ethernet is that it can save on investment in cabling infrastructure. In addition, it has strong compatibility and can be upgraded relying on the existing Ethernet infrastructure.

However, Fast Ethernet has its limitations. The bandwidth of 100 Mbps can not meet the needs of modern networks. Compared with other higher technologies, it lacks in speed and scalability. In addition, Fast Ethernet is only suitable for short-distance transmission, so Gigabit Ethernet has gradually replaced it.

What are the common types of FE?

What is Fast Ethernet

100Base-Tx

The 100Base-TX standard was released by the IEEE in 1995. It is an upgraded version of the 10Base-T standard and it is designed to provide higher transmission rates and more efficient network performance than traditional Ethernet. With the continuous development of network technology, it has gradually become one of the mainstream standards for Fast Ethernet. Its emergence facilitated the development of network structured cabling technology and laid the foundation for subsequent higher-speed Ethernet standards (e.g. Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet).

100Base-TX uses Cat 5 twisted-pair cable for data transmission. and uses the same RJ-45 connector as 10BASE-T. It has a maximum transmission length of 100m and supports full-duplex data transmission.

100Base-FX

100Base-FX, “F" indicates fiber optics and the IEEE standard is 802.3u. 100Base-FX runs over fiber optic cables, ideally suited for backbone and long-haul transmission. In full-duplex mode, 100Base-FX has a maximum transmission distance of up to 2 km (multimode fiber) or 40 km or more (single-mode fiber).

Based on the 100BASE-FX standard, industry vendors have come up with more specific standard terms such as 100BASE-SX, 100BASE-LX, 100BASE-EX, 100BASE-ZX, and 100BASE-EZX.

Gigabit Ethernet (GE) Overview

What is Gigabit Ethernet?

Gigabit Ethernet is an extension of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard, IEEE 802.3z, launched in 1999. Its data transmission rate is 1000Mbit/s or 1 Gbit/s. Compared with Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps), its bandwidth has increased by 10 times, and it can handle large data transmission more efficiently. It is currently used as the backbone network of many enterprise networks.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of GE?

The main advantages of GbE are its high-speed data transfer and low latency. Speed is the biggest reason most people transition from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet. Gigabit Ethernet is typically transmitted over fiber optic cables at 1000 Mbps, which is ten times faster than Fast Ethernet. Gigabit Ethernet also means you will have more bandwidth, which in simple terms means higher data transfer rates and shorter download times. So, if you've ever waited hours to download a big game, more bandwidth will go a long way toward shortening that time!

What are the common types of GbE?

1000Base-SX

1000Base-SX is a Gigabit Ethernet standard designed for short-distance data transmission using 850nm short-wavelength laser and multimode fiber (MMF). Its typical transmission distance ranges from 220m to 550m, depending on the fiber type (such as OM2, OM3, or OM4).

1000Base-LX

The 1000BASE-LX standard refers to a Gigabit Ethernet specification based on the IEEE 802.3z protocol, which can use both single-mode and multi-mode optical fibers. It can achieve a distance of up to 3,000 meters on single-mode optical fibers and up to 550 meters on multi-mode optical fibers. This extended coverage makes it an ideal choice for large campus networks or telecommunications operator networks.

1000Base-T

1000BASE-T usually runs on Cat5e, the maximum transmission distance can be up to 100 meters. Compared with fiber optic solutions (such as 1000Base-SX and 1000Base-LX), 1000Base-T has the advantages of low cost, easy deployment and strong backward compatibility.

1000Base-T

1000BASE-TX

Although 1000BASE-TX is also based on four pairs of twisted-pair cables, its transmission method is more special. It uses two pairs of wires to send data and the other two pairs of wires to receive data. However, due to its high bandwidth requirements, Category 5 and Category 5e cables often cannot directly support it and usually require the support of Category 6 cables.

1000BASE-ZX

1000Base-ZX is designed for ultra-long-distance data transmission. It uses 1550nm long wavelength laser and mainly runs on single-mode fiber (SMF), with a maximum transmission distance of up to 70km.

What's the Difference Between Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet?

The following table shows the differences between Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet：

Feature	Fast Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet
Speed	100 Mbps	1000 Mbps
Transmission Medium	Twisted Pair(Cat5/Cat5e), Fiber	Twisted Pair(Cat5e/Cat6), Fiber
Transmission Distance	Up to 80km	Up to 150km
Compatibility	Backward compatible with 10 Mbps Ethernet	Backward compatible with 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
Cost	Low	Relatively higher
Applications	Small network environments	Large network environments

FAQs about Gigabit and Fast Ethernet

Q: I would like to know what is the difference between a Fast Ethernet switch and a Gigabit Ethernet switch?

A: Different applications: Fast Ethernet switches are suitable for home use, and Gigabit switches are used in small and medium-sized enterprise networks.

Different Functions: Gigabit switches are equipped with network management functions, which make network deployment more flexible and allow network administrators to provide security and QoS (Quality of Service) control policies for specific applications, providing higher security, while Fast Ethernet switches do not carry these advanced functions on their own.

Different power consumption: Compared with Fast Ethernet switches, Gigabit switches not only provide higher bandwidth and powerful management functions, but also have the role of energy saving and lower power consumption, which can be reduced by Gigabit switches when enterprises deploy their networks.

Q: Should I use Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet?

A: It depends on your network requirements.

Fast Ethernet: Suitable for lightweight applications such as web browsing, email, etc.

Gigabit Ethernet: Suitable for high bandwidth requirements such as large file transfer, video streaming, online games, etc.

Q: What Ethernet networks are faster than Gigabit Ethernet?

A: 10GbE, 25GbE, 40GbE, 100GbE, 200GbE, 400GbE, and even 800GbE.

Conclusion

Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet can meet different network requirements. Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) is cost efficient for small networks, while Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) offers higher speeds and better performance. Larger networks are now using 10G and 25G Ethernet to improve performance, while bigger data centres and backbone networks use 40G, 100G, and even higher-speed options like 200G and 400G Ethernet to handle large amounts of data and prepare for the future.