What is a CAT 5 Patch cable? Think of it as the street that links the houses on your block, and all the destinations in town. In actuality it's a cable that connects all the hardware destinations on a Local Area Network (LAN).??This CAT 5 Bulk Patch Cable is perfect for use with 10 Base-T and 100 Base-T Ethernet networks. This cable consists of 8 stranded 24 AWG wires and comes in a reelex box.