quality of ethernet cable

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Xaero_toast

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
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I'm looking to install some ethernet lines in the house. Getting TV's, stationary streaming devices, and other bandwidth hogs off the wireless...

I presently have a 10/100 router & switches. This is adequate for now, but I want to wire for Gigabit for the future.

I have everything I need but for a spool of cable. What do I look for to separate good cable from cheap junk?

Is this http://www.amazon.com/Dripstone-100...F8&qid=1449387895&sr=8-1&keywords=cat6+1000ft any good?

I don't care about a brand name, but I do care about value. I'm looking for the best price I can get without compromising quality. Suggestions?
 
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That's copper clad aluminum (CCA). At least get solid copper wire. Check Monoprice, you can't go wrong with their spools.
 
Thanks. That's exactly the kind of details I was looking to learn about this kind of cabling. Kind of analogous to when I wired the house for satellite. RG6 quad shield with solid copper conductor is best, but many out there if they don't specifically say "solid copper" are copper clad iron (yuck).
 
mnewxcv said:
what length runs are you planning? cat5e is plenty for gigabit.
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But this is [H]ardForum, go big or go home. If he runs 6 now, he will most likely never have to replace it in his lifetime. Probably true for cat5e as well, but it's even more future-proof. Plus the cost isn't really that different for how much you get in a spool.
 
mnewxcv said:
what length runs are you planning? cat5e is plenty for gigabit.
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Not far. 50, maybe 60 feet at most. Whatever will reach from the switch to the far end of the house and up through the wall.

Far too many people consider me a "computer guy". My current (10 year old) spool of cat5 is about gone. I have the tool to make my own length cables. I'm definitely looking at a spool of some sort. I was looking at 1000ft spools/boxes until I realized the good stuff costs double of the cheap stuff. 500ft will let me get done what I need to do, while still leaving at least the desired minimum amount of cabling I would like to have left over when finished.

I'm just going to go with Cat6. If I get to the end of the planning, ready to order materials stage, and it's overbudget, I will look first to cat5e. At the moment, the Mrs. has authorized "whatever it takes" to improve Tivo transfers and periodic netflix rebuffers.
 
One thing to remember is that with cat6 there is going to be more points of failure and the terminations are more complicated. Especially if using shielded cable. Unless you need HDBaseT or are planning to require a 10Gbit network in the future then cat5e will suit you just fine. By the time 10Gbit is required in the average home there will be new standards of networking in place to replace your current infrastructure.
 
I think it's more important to go with solid core copper than it is to go with CAT6 over CAT5e. I find the solid core wire is easier to terminate and generally better constructed than copper clad aluminum which is often stranded (though the item linked in the OP is solid). And stranded cable sucks for punch downs so don't ever do it.

Side note: The Monoprice CAT6 end connectors suck :(
 
Definitely go solid core. And try not to have them right next to power cables for the entire length of the run. Cross-talk will put 60Hz AC on the UTP bringing your throughput down. (It's unlikely that it won't work though, but you will have the odd frame retransmission here and there.)

It is also a good idea to use terminations in contact boxes, and go the last feet with off the shelf patch cable.

Cat5e will do, but Cat6 is better. Don't be scared of cat6 if you use decent termination boxes. If you use something like this, you don't even need tools, just push the wire in the correct groove.
http://www.kenable.co.uk/images/orig_01075_13.jpg
I have done 52 runs of CAT6 with a system like that. I had to redo only two, and it turned out I made mistakes in the colors.
 
crosstalt wont happen from 60Hz, ehternet i balanced with transforms, unless the 60Hz will be balanced it wont happen, again BAD Ethernet equipment or very high power cable linies in the range +64amps.

it's another talk if you route analogue audio over these, but this would more indicate bad audio transmitters/receivers if you did this single ended.
 
Solid core cat6 23awg is what I use and works fine. I use the tooless keystones, but if I was to do it over again I'd go punch down, but either way it's fine. Especially if you only want gigabit, even if you're not 100% to spec it's not like it's going to not work. People get scared of cat6 because of the higher spec, but just do it to the best of your ability. The way I see the cat5 vs cat6 debate is if you were to buy a 2010 car and a 2015 car and they're both the same price, you may as well get the 2015. Running the cable is the majority of the work, even if the devices at the ends are only 10/100 at least you know you can add gig or 10gig stuff fine.

I would not worry too much about interference but to rule out a troubleshooting step if trying to troubleshoot an issue, I still like to avoid power lines and other sources of interference. If you need to go past a power line go at a 90 degree angle.
 
Again please read about crosstalk and balanced signal's theres are huge misunderstandings how to works.
 
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