Best Ethernet cabling?

[fajw 1]

What is the best Ethernet cabling that is compatible with 1 Gbps? I want to make it as "future-proof" as possible. I was thinking Cat 7 but I think I read that it is not compatible but I don't know.

[Master_Scythe 538]

Cat6 shielded. But all your ends also have to support shielded cable, or else it acts as an antenna and makes things worse.

Otherwise Cat6e.

Cat5 handles GBE just fine, so I'm going to assume Cat6 will handle whatever comes next fairly well too.

 

Of course, you could just run Fiber.

[fajw 1]

Thanks for the reply.

 

So there are compatibility problems with 6a and 7?

[Master_Scythe 538]

no, cat7 is backward compatible. Just for the cost, I'd run fiber.

its about dollars for performance to me.

[Nich... 709]

I'll be looking at 6e, with shielded runs through the floor/roof/ceiling, in a new place soon.

[TheFrunj 30]

You can run gigabit fine with 5e upwards, with varying success if you're going a long distance with it.

 

Make sure that the installer treats the cables quite carefully if they're solid, as they can break internally if bent too sharply. Stranded are much more flexible and are appropriate from the wall socket to the computer.

[aliali 397]

I'll be looking at 6e, with shielded runs through the floor/roof/ceiling, in a new place soon.

No such thing as 6E so cable labelled 6E or being sold as 6E is wrong and should be considered dodgy as hell.

Cat6 or Cat6A are the two Cat6 standards.

[AccessDenied 406]

Cat6A.

 

Cat7 = waste of money for domestic applications. (I tested it quite thoroughly a few years ago for a govt dept.)

 

Cat5e will carry 1Gbps reliably up to a good 60m or so. After that, it depends on external noise.

Cat6a is more than adequate. Obey the bend radius. Use correct Cat6 terminations. (too many dodgy installers try to reuse cat5e sockets on 6a cable. It doesn't work. Ends badly)

 

In domestic applications, don't worry about shielded. If you have enough RF noise to interfere with your cabling, it was either installed poorly, or you have other problems.

 

If you use a commercial cabler, insist on a "TC-01 form" on completion. This means that they installed it to Australian Standards, and you can hold them accountable if they don't.

 

AD

[Nich... 709]

I'll be looking at 6e, with shielded runs through the floor/roof/ceiling, in a new place soon.

No such thing as 6E so cable labelled 6E or being sold as 6E is wrong and should be considered dodgy as hell.

Cat6 or Cat6A are the two Cat6 standards.

 

Yeah, that. Half the time I get it right, the other half it's 6e and 5a :

 

What's the best way to test for 1gbps+ speeds, to make sure the cabling is run and terminated properly, AD?

[Master_Scythe 538]

and im curious why Cat5 terminations wont work...

Isn't Cat 5 and Cat6 the same, one just has more twists? How could the ends possible be different? I'm intrigued.

[aliali 397]

and im curious why Cat5 terminations wont work...

Isn't Cat 5 and Cat6 the same, one just has more twists? How could the ends possible be different? I'm intrigued.

Cat5/5e uses 24-26 AWG wire and Cat6 (6A?) uses 22-24 AWG (IE thicker) wire , so the keystones and plugs need to have slightly different spacing on the punchdown blades.

Edited June 26, 2014 by aliali

[AccessDenied 406]

Punchdowns work by insulation displacement (Insulation Displacement Connector = IDC).

 

The thicker 6A wire can actually deform the IDC such that it results in a weak termination that can become high resistance with vibration/temperature fluctuation (Expanding shrinking)

 

Conversely, putting 5e into a 6 punchdown can result in an issue where the insulation is not properly pierced, thus resulting in either high resistance join or even open circuit.

 

For testing Nich, the answer is not easy. You can get your hands on TDRs that will do testing for you (Quite a few places will hire them out).

 

Otherwise, you're better off just getting a large file and copying it across from 1 end to another and timing it.

 

AD

[chrisg 643]

:)

 

Missed this, not that you needed me.

 

Mixing jacks and cables between Categories has always been bad practice, it just gets worse at higher speeds, not only through termination issues but also signal reflection.

 

There have been some software offerings to test cable throughput but they tend to be misleading, a good TDR is always the best way but as AD says just copying a big file is in most cases as good as anything, just do not expect to see throughput equal to the advertising, overhead and efficiency always take their toll.

 

Cheers

[rickthebrick57 0]

I would recommend looking at the cables listed on this article. There is not a huge difference between cables, but I have read other articles by this author and he recommends some great quality products for pretty cheap.

Edited September 8, 2014 by rickthebrick57

[AccessDenied 406]

 

I would recommend looking at the cables listed on this article. There is not a huge difference between cables, but I have read other articles by this author and he recommends some great quality products for pretty cheap.

 

 

"Download speeds were so fast, I couldn’t believe it. For instance, something that usually takes me 30 minutes to download, only took me about 7 minutes."

 

From that article..

 

ummmmmm.... Yeeaaaahhhhh... Sure...

 

If he's got those changes, he has other problems.

 

Noted: Lack of the $x,000 denon cables. (We all need an even bigger laugh!)

 

No.

 

AD

[Master_Scythe 538]

aww and bless his little cotton socks, he's been kind enough to link the reviews to the amazon store using his referral code.

 

Generic Cat6 cable, done.

 

 

On the note of cables though, fabric braiding, gold plated ends, high gauge wire (yes I cut one in half); I cant recommend Cable List enough. MSY are importing them. Another 'Diamond in the Rough' find.

[Nich... 709]

There are a few manually created spam accounts slipping through via benefit of the doubt and etc. I'm removing most of their content but some, like the above, I'm leaving for how easy they are to make fun of, and also because that ends up providing some useful info.