The best Ethernet cable category for family use

Amidst the pandemic due to the spread of COVID-19, work from home culture has increased with a spiking rate. So, institutions are encouraging their employees to do the job from their respective homes. To break the chain of the spread of the virus, citizens were asked to stay at their homes. Pertaining to this situation, day and night availability of network inside the house is needed. Everyone is in dire need of a speedy and stable connection at their homes. In that case, there is no beating an Ethernet cable.

Ethernet cable is a networking technology that is used in LAN (Local Area Network) and has higher levels of security because it has a very close network range and outside devices have no access to the network. It offers more speed as compared to wireless connections, such as the Internet, and is also power efficient. It possesses supreme reliability because there is no interruption from the radio frequencies.

A twisted-pair Ethernet Cable is the simplest transmission medium. It consists of one or more than one pair of electrical wire arranged spirals. It is the most common type of home network wiring used today and predicted to be used in the future as well. These cables are used to connect:

• DSL (Digital Subscriber line- a communication medium used to transfer internet through copper wire telecommunication line) /Cable routers or modems to computers

• DSL/ Cable routers or modems to other wireless access points

• DSL/Cable routers or modems to hubs and other switches

• Computers to hubs and other switches

• One computer to other computers

• Other devices to computers, hubs, or switches

There are many types of Ethernet cable available within the market. The easiest way to select a cable is to pick the one considering its range and performance. The most commonly used at homes are Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6, and Cat 6a. Here, the cat stands for the ‘category’, and the number that follows indicates the specification version supported by the cable.

I will briefly discuss these cable fibers. You can choose them according to your needs and compatibility.

Cat 5: an old-school cable providing enough speed

Cat 5 cables are obsolete nowadays. You may sometimes find it in use, but buying a new one is worthless as they are slow and discontinued. It is UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) meaning the internal wire is twisted but not shielded. It has two pairs of twisted cables. It supports speeds up to 100 Mbps. Its frequency is 100 MHz, with a maximum cable length of 328 feet (100 meters).

Cat 5e- enough speed, adequate for many applications, for transferring small files

Cat 5e is generally used in phone lines, home networks, and office networks. Here ‘e’ stands for enhanced. It supports speeds faster than Cat 5 cables. Due to its low production cost, it is the most commonly used cable. It is built under more stringent testing standards to drop the crosstalk (unwanted signal transfers between communication channels). It has a potential bandwidth of 1000 Megabits per second. It takes 3 hours to transfer to Terabyte 1. Its frequency ranges from 100 MHz to 350 MHz. It covers a range of 328 feet (100 meters). After that, it starts losing its speed. Cat5e is also UTP and not shielded, but the outer material of the wire is made up of plastic material so it is long-lasting as compared to cat 5. It has four pairs of twisted cables. More twisted cable causes less crosstalk so that there is no change in speed. The cable should be twisted in a better way to decrease any interference. Cat 5e can also be FTP (Foil Shielded Pair) in which all the twisted four pairs are covered with an aluminum foil shield.

Cat 6- best speed, cost-effective, transferring huge files, cross within the center

Cat 6 cable supports higher bandwidth than previous types. They are wounded tightly and usually outfitted with foil or braided shielding. Such shielding protects the twisted wires which help prevent crosstalk and noise interference. These cables support to speed up to 1Gbps (or 1,000 Mbps) with a maximum cable length of 328 feet (100 meters). Its frequency range lies between 250 MHz to 500 MHz. It has four pairs of twisted cables. It uses UTP (Unshielded twisted pairs) as well as FTP (foil twisted pairs). In this cabling, apart from individual pairs being wrapped up in foil, an outer metal shielding (braid or foil) also covers the complete twisted pairs of cables. Cat 6 incorporates a cross separator present between them for less interference.

Cat 6a- U/UTP(unshielded), F/UTP (shielded), tighter twists, minimum crosstalk, cost-effective

In Cat 6a, ‘a’ stands for augmented. It doubles its maximum bandwidth. It is capable of maintaining higher transmission speeds over longer cable lengths. Cat 6a U/UTP has 4 unshielded twisted pairs and no outer shielding. Cat 6a F/UTP means the cable has 4 unshielded twisted pairs which are covered with an outer foil shield. This is a shielded cable. One of the newest additions to the Cat 6a shield cable range is a U/FTP cable. This sort has 4 pairs of individually shielded wire, instead of an outer foil shield. It provides a better level of protection against electromagnetic interference and crosstalk. That makes it a much denser and less flexible cable than Cat 6. It’s employed in bigger houses to make it smart as IP cameras can also get connected. It is preferable for live streaming of games, any kind of online streaming, or for live telecasting as more data can be transferred with less interference in these cables. It has a potential bandwidth of 10,000 Megabits per second. It takes 20 minutes to transfer 1 terabyte. Its frequency lies between 500 MHz to 600 MHz within a range of 328 feet.

Connectors

Ethernet connectors are designed with eight pins that must lock into place and are generally called an 8P8C connector. All categories of cables use one connector called RJ45 because most computers have these ports. RJ45 is the standard ‘Registered Jack 45” connector. Based on how wires are colored and arranged, there are two variations, in which the more popular is the T568B standard. If you are doing detailed wiring, the T568A standard works well. The RJ45 connector is used on nearly every Ethernet category.

Length and color

Twisted pair cables come in standard lengths of 3, 5, 7, and 10 feet. Don’t forget to include enough length so that the cables run along walls, under rugs, and around corners as necessary.

Twisted-pair cables come in various colors. There is no such hard and fast rule of which color you should choose. Blue is perhaps the most common one chosen, but you can go with anyone either be it white, grey, or any other color.

Which cable is the most suited for you?

Generally, for normal household use, Cat 6 cable will suffice. At homes, where there are maximum 1- to 15 connecting appliances, cables with a maximum speed of 1gbps is enough for video calls, online meetings or Internet surfing. It is affordable and superior to Cat 5e cable as its bandwidth drop is minimal (means the internet will run smoothly).

These days, as easy it is to distinguish between the Ethernet cables, it also becomes complex to buy sometimes. Thus, proper detailed knowledge is necessary.