Ethernet Cable – Which One To Use

Wiring your home to use the network to play games, stream video, transfer data between computer etc., is not an easy task. There are many things to consider including which Ethernet cable to use. From the outside, Ethernet cables may all look similar, but in terms of their inner parts, they do differ. There are different types of these network cables, but Cat5 network cable, Cat5E cable and Cat6 network cable are the most commonly used but for different purposes. This is why it is important to know which Ethernet cable to use for which application. Here are few things you need to know.

Cat5 network cable is slower and older model. Also known as Category 5 cabling, Cat5 network cable is made to support speeds of 10 and 100Mbps. The Cat5 network cable can support gigabit speed as well, if it is shorter. However, this is not always the case. As we said, Cat5 network cable is an older network cable which is why it is hard to find it in a store, so you may have to use the one from your old router. Luckily, there are some online suppliers of network equipment that offer this cable in their wide range of product line.

Cat5E cable is much faster and enables less interference. Cat5E or Category 5 enhanced cabling is a bettering on Cat5 network cable. Cat5E cable is faster than Cat5, because it is made to support 1000Mbps gigabit speeds. Also, it cuts down on crosstalk and minimizes the interference you can get between wires inside the network cable. Knowing this, it is better to invest in quality Cat5E cable instead of Cat5.

Cat6 network cable is faster than Cat5E because it includes better improvements. The interference is minimal and this cable can support up to 10 gigabit speed. Because such speed is not necessary for playing games, watching videos on YouTube or transferring data between your desktop and laptop, do not rush to upgrade current network cable with the Cat6 network cable.

So, the question is which Ethernet cable to use and when? First, it is very important to know the speed of your network and the internet because they are different. Upgrading network cables is not going to make any difference in how fast you load different videos or social network pages because your internet speed may be slower than your network speed. But, if you are transferring files between computers you should use gigabyte-compatible hardware so you can make things move faster. For this you will need more then just cables. You will also need gigabyte-capable network cards and gigabyte-compatible router. If you are happy with your network speed, then you don’t need to upgrade everything in your computer. You can just upgrade the old Cat5E cable. If you are using Ethernet cable that is longer then100 meters, know there may be a decrease in speed. So, the conclusion is that an old Cat5 network cable can help and fulfill your needs even if you are transferring lots of data over your network.