Megahertz (MHz) is the rate at which a wave can change states each second. The faster the wave can change state, the quicker the data rate for a specific range. For instance, if a CAT 5 cable has a bandwidth of only 100 MHz, the signal can change between one million and 100 million times per second. A higher megahertz is better because it moves more data within a specified length. A CAT 6a cable with a 500 MHz bandwidth can move ten times more data across 328 feet than a CAT 5 cable.