What Ethernet Cable to Use? Cat5E? Cat6? Cat6A? Cat7? 

Cat8 is the fastest available today (2024), but is expensive and most appropriate for data centers and businesses that require maximum bandwidth. For a new house, most builders will install cat6 because it is cheap and very flexible. But more forward-thinking builders are using cat6a because it offers better speeds and reduces crosstalk, but it is less flexible/more difficult to work with. In Europe, cat7/7a is occasionally used as an improvement on 6/6a, but it uses non-standard connectors so it is not commonly used in North America, and thus more expensive.

Brands do not matter, that's why we have specs. As long as it follows the spec, it will perform as expected.

VENOM-X Ethernet

The separation of wires offered by a spline provides better protection from interference/crosstalk.

Yes, you can. Keep in mind Cat6 can do 10G up to 55 meters and Cat6A up to 100 meters. 👽

?? Interesting. I would Google the part number on the jacket and verify if it's solid or stranded. Anything over 25ft always makes me raise an eyebrow if it's stranded. Low end manufactures cut corners like crazy.

Your high ping could have to do with distance from the servers.

A cable is not going to give you high ping. It's not like a bad quality cable can bend time and add a delay to the data.

You guys are lucky. Here we Americans have oligopoly or monopoly between cable ISPs like Comcast (Xfinity) and ADSL/VDSL which fell behind cable a lot. On top of that we have 1TB data transfer cap and pay some of the highest prices for fixed broadband in the world.

No, Cat7 and 7e are not standards. There is cable made that are 7 and 7e but that does not mean it's a certified standard. Cat8 however, is a certified standard. You are kinda backward here.

Correcting his statements in this video: CAT5/6/6A max haul is 100m or 300feet, not 300m. also, CAT 6A can do full 10 Gigabit upto 37meters only, not upto 100meters. So as long as you keep the CAT6a run to less than 37 meters, it will privde 10 Gigabit of bandwith.

Keep attention on the installation... As making not correct patch or installing bad connector can affect more tha the 6a vs 6 cable gains....

Jake Sullivan Comcast now is pushing enhanced 1Gb DOCSIS connection than can go above 1000mbps and their newer rental xFI gateway has built in 2.5gb RJ-45 connectors.Cat 6 or cat 6a cable should easily support up to 3gb for runs longer than 37 meters. Pretty much good and practical for wiring modern house. Fiber optic cables might getting cheaper but the premise equipment and connectors still tend to be much more expensive than their twisted copper counterparts.

@@TomBabula correct, 3 is less than 10, so CTA6A can do more than 37m with 3 Gigabit, but till what distance? that you have to check elsewhere.

Jake Sullivan You are incorrect. CAT6 can do 10 gigabit over 37 to 55m (I've never seen an explanation for why a range is quoted). CAT6A can do 10 gigabit over 100m.

Considering both are almost the same retail and 6 is good for 5Gb it is a no brainer.

@@absolutium I haven't checked prices for a while, but if they're about the same, yeah. When I installed my home network, in the late 90s, plain CAT5 was all that was available, not even 5e.

Caf5e gigabit is rated for max 55meters

@@broodjenoodles It appears you're thinking of 10 Gb over plain CAT6. Here's what Wikipedia says about CAT6: Category 6 cable (Cat 6) is a standardized twisted pair cable for Ethernet and other network physical layers that is backward compatible with the Category 5/5e and Category 3 cable standards. Cat 6 must meet more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise than Cat 5 and Cat 5e. The cable standard specifies performance of up to 250 MHz, compared to 100 MHz for Cat 5 and Cat 5e. Whereas Category 6 cable has a reduced maximum length of 55 metres (180 ft) when used for 10GBASE-T, Category 6A cable is characterized to 500 MHz and has improved alien crosstalk characteristics, allowing 10GBASE-T to be run for the same 100-metre (330 ft) maximum distance as previous Ethernet variants. And CAT5: Category 5 cable is used in structured cabling for computer networks such as Ethernet over twisted pair. The cable standard prescribes performance parameters for frequencies up to 100 MHz and is suitable for 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet), 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet), and 2.5GBASE-T. 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX Ethernet connections require two wire pairs. 1000BASE-T and faster Ethernet connections require four wire pairs. Through the use of power over Ethernet (PoE), power can be carried over the cable in addition to Ethernet data. Cat 5 is also used to carry other signals such as telephony and video.[17] In some cases, multiple signals can be carried on a single cable; Cat 5 can carry two conventional telephone lines as well as 100BASE-TX in a single cable.[18][19][20][21][22] The USOC/RJ-61 wiring standard may be used in multi-line telephone connections. Various schemes exist for transporting both analog and digital video over the cable. HDBaseT (10.2 Gbit/s) is one such scheme. Also, from Ethernet The Definitive Guide Second Edition, by Charles Spurgeon: The 1000BASE-T system operates over four pairs of unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) wires. The maximum segment length is 100 meters (328.08 feet) of UTP cable that meets or exceeds the TIA/EIA Category 5/5e specifications. Bottom line, Gb is fine for up to 100M of CAT5 or 5e..

The different pairs have different twist rates to reduce crosstalk. If they all had the same twist, there would be a lot more of it.

Me too, I wish everyone had this kind of personality

4K quality video (streaming with H.264 code) = 32Mbps bandwidth (or 15mpbs with the H.265 codec). Cat5e or Cat6 would be sufficient especially as this run would be for a single purpose.

audioquest cinnamon rj45

I would first verify that the manufacture of your cables is a reputable brand. I've seen some low-end Cat5e cable state that it's a 24awg cable but in actuality, it was a 26awg causing problems. If it's your house get a Cat6A panel for the cat6A and cat5e for the cat5e.

This is what I would install. They have an indoor/outdoor rated cable and that cable is most commonly installed in a conduit underground superioressexcommunications.com/powerwise/

You are correct! (using Darth Vader voice)

@@DiscountLowVoltage damn it ..lol. Well I hope they at least cat 6...lol.. wasn't too expensive tho n working good. So I can't complain. Lol

Just because Cat7 is not an accepted standard does not mean you got a lower category cable. That's just not how this stuff works. You did not get Cat7 cables because there is no such thing as a Cat7 spec. It's a made up spec that lacks certification.

Some do. It's a quality thing. I have seen a few without that were dirt cheap.

The center separator is not an insulator. It's only there to keep the pairs in the right place. The Cat6 spec does not require it.

it does but you should be able to put attenuators at the ends to reduce it

Sure sounds the same but at the same time not. Standard Ethernet, if someone posted that a while ago it might be referencing Cat5 @ 100mbps. Cat5e is what I would consider standard ethernet and I suppose you could also call it ethernet over copper.

I would stick to Cat6 still for the home. The Cat6A moves more for commercial locations but not close to Cat6. Sorry, we don't have any military discount codes but thank you for your service and I'd like to buy you a beer 🍺

Cat6a is costly and heavier to work with. Yes you will have "bragging rights" but you'll be out of pocket with no discernible benefits or performance. As long as *each* cable run is less than 30 to 50m (a little variable), then you will get 10gbps on Cat6 too, without paying much higher cost for Cat6a. At my house, I think my longest run is about 17m and the rest of the runs average far lower around 7-8m. So Cat6 it is.

Are you joking? You can find Cat5e anywhere. It's still by far the most sold cable spec on the market. But, to answer your question, you can go up categories just fine as long as the correct terminations are used.

As long as *each* cable run is less than 30 to 50m (a little variable), then you will get 10gbps on Cat6 too, without paying much higher cost for Cat6a.

Why should u buy a 1 gig rated cable for 10 Gig, go with cat6a or cat6

Unshielded ethernet = keep about 100mm distance from power cables. Shielded = about 50mm distance.

CAT 6A can do 10 gigabit over 100m. CAT6 is limited to 37 to 55m at 10 gigabit, which is probably where you got your 37m from.

If it is shielded or unshielded depends on the spec. Cat6 and 6a by spec are UTP (unshielded twisted pair). If it is shielded, it's not true 6 or 6a.

Unshielded is usually marked as UTP - unshielded twisted pair. There are two types of shielding: FTP (foiled twister pair) and STP (shielded twisted pair). FTP provides one shield around the entire cable, and STP provides a shield per twisted pair of wires (so you have four shields). Shielding is only needed in environments of high EMI (factories, industrial, etc) OR when you want to run the data cable close to power cables. For home purposes, it is cheaper to just buy unshielded (UTP) ethernet and run it with 100mm distance from any power cables.

@@csorrows It is possible to get Cat6 or Cat6a as UTP, FTP or STP. UTP (unshielded twisted pair), FTP (foiled twister pair), STP (shielded twisted pair)

Cat7a?! What brand did you install?

@@DiscountLowVoltage Elite cat.7a / FA 1000mhz s/ftp solid copper cable 23awg x4pair Riser (CMR) 1000ft roll. ABAcable. It came with a ul cert and ETL verified. I read great reviews on it and I paid around $360 with free shipping. Manufacture date of Feb 2020. It seems like great wire, its thicker then the cat6 wire piecei had. I also got 500' of CAT7 stranded double shielded patch cable from Microcenter for $90.

I was looking at linkUp cat8 bulk cable for my house. I’m new to this are they reputable?

@@jr303official Wow, you got ripped off by fake cable. 7 isn't even a standard and 7a is completely made up.

@@csorrows Lol well I've seen the tests on it and you can clearly see the difference in the wire when cat6 is next to it. But ok keyboard warrior I really am not worried about your input. I've have had network people come admire it, and have seen it installed on major networks system like by AVIA although they can afford the proper terminations. I am satisfied that I'm have an upgradeable system.

Anaheim California.

I would get a Cat6 patch cord. That's what I use.

Discount Low Voltage is it okay to use Cat 6a on PS4?

Hey, Discount, Does it reduce lag on a standard ps4?

More of these stupid "best cable for gaming" questions. No, it does not matter at all. A cable can NOT create lag or high ping rates. The PS4 has a Gigabit Ethernet port. Cat5e is fine and no better cable is going to make any kind of improvement on anything. Gaming is just throwing around 0s and 1s just like anything else online. These kids...

As long as each cable run is less than 30m, then you will get 10gbps on *Cat6* too, without paying much higher cost for Cat6a.

If it's a cable from the box to the TV and under 25 feet stick with a cat6.

@@DiscountLowVoltage for modem to xbox one and distance of 12Meter which would be the best cable?

Stay Low cat6

Jesus, these kids and cables. Cat5e will do way more than you are ever going to send to/from a gaming console. No higher end cable is going to improve anything with anything. There is no such thing as the "best gaming cable" they are all the same in this situation.

@@DiscountLowVoltage TV? what are you talking about?

Where is this cable run? Are you going to direct bury it? Is it all indoors? Tell me more about the location of where is this cable going.

@@DiscountLowVoltage I think you just want the challenge of attempting to understand his/her very broken English.

Maybe in Europe, but cat7 is virtually dead in North America. To future proof a house, use cat6a or cat8 if you can afford it.