Networking cable suggestions

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Hi there. I might need to swap out my networking cables. This is just for home use. I have have 30/3 connection. Only 2 wired connections, then 1 more for the router to cable modem. Gigabit NICs on both machines and the router.

Reason why I'm thinking so is I might have a dying cable. My un-scientific method was just swapping out for another cable then I noticed my outgoing packet-loss drop. Help me if I am assuming wrong.

I've been using Cat6. Have no idea what name brand or what-not.

Halp


Thanks

 

[mxnerd]

All you need is cat5e for 1Gb LAN, you don't even need cat5e for your slow internet.

If I were you, I'll just buy any flat cat5e on Monoprice, eBay or Amazon that's lightweight, take less space and easy to handle.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Yeah it's slow, i get it, hah

This might be a dumb question but when it comes to networking cables are there different levels of quality to them?

 

[mxnerd]

You will have quality issue if it's 20 years ago or if you make the cable yourself.

Just buy any brand with good reviews.

I can even use cat5 that's certified 100Mbps for 1Gbps connection if the cable is short.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I don't need to match the speed rating of the cable to my connection, do I?

 

[mxnerd]

I don't need to match the speed rating of the cable to my connection, do I?

When your PC with 1Gbps network card connect to your modem or router that has only 100Mbps port, your PC's network card will negotiate with modem/ router and run at 100Mbps. Of course it's best to use 1Gbps certified cables everywhere so you can be sure there are no weak links in your network , but like I said, if you only have 100Mbps cable but under 30 or 50 ft long, it might even work between two 1Gbps ports between your PC and 1Gbps switch or router.

What usually causes problem is you clamp your own cable with RJ45 connectors. Premade cables don't have this problem. It's the contact pins that causes problem, not cable itself.

 

[mxnerd]

Well, actually you should bump to cat6 if you think you will get 10Gbps in the future.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/09/5gbps-ethernet-standard-details-8023bz/

cat6 cables are super cheap now.

https://www.amazon.com/Cable，50-Internet-Ethernet-Snagless-Connector/dp/B07K8M4P6B

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

When cables die do they completely go out or are there issues with packet loss and things like that?

 

[mxnerd]

Cables rarely die. If the contacts are not good, in most cases it will lower the speed from 1Gbps to 100Mbps.

I rarely analyzes packet losses so I can't tell.

If you want to analyze packet losses you have to use Wireshark. Look for tutorials on Youtube.

If you suspect a cable is dying, just use another one and see if it helps. You also always want to keep a spare one.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Thanks for the help. I bought Cat6 cables from Mono price years ago, and I have a few spare/unopened cables left. They are 24awg, UTP. I also have a few Cat5e, and 2 Cat5 cables.

Is it possible I'm getting EMI, or a port on the router is going bad?

I really wish I could get the server IP address and look at it from the starting point instead of investigating cables and ports but the game server is a HUB and I don't know how to retrieve the ip address otherwise I would start learning Wire-shark and Ping plotter again.

 

[mxnerd]

Don't play game, don't know what you mean the game server is a hub? Is it a game server farm on the internet?

The pins in a ethernet port could be bent, you can take a closer look to see if it's the case and use some tools to fix it.

And don't you have multiple ethernet ports on the router? What was reason you were suspecting cable was the culprit?

Don't think EMI will cause any problem, it's a stretch.

You can still run Wireshark, you can see packet loss marketed with red color. (I think)

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wireshark+packet+loss

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

With UT4 the server I play at is a "Hub" It's the oddest thing. I've never seen anything like it before and I don't know what it means but you create an instance and people connect to the instance. The game is still in Pre-Alpha, and more than likely will never be completed due to Fortnite requiring more "people resources"

I'll look when I get a chance.

I have 4 ports on the router.

 

[mxnerd]

So you setup a game server hub with multiple instances and let users connect to your home server?

If that's the case, the packet loss problem very likely is that your outing bandwidth is only 3Mbps., not your cable.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I'm not sure how the Hub thing works. I don't believe that the hub, or the instance, is ran off of my computer or any clients computer. The game is launched from the Epic launcher, and to play it says "Join a Hub" In the new windows that opens, there are two options. A Hubs tab, and a Servers tab. There are more players in the Hubs option.

 

[mxnerd]

Lower your FPS? Your location is far away from the server?

https://www.epicgames.com/unrealtou...6122-netstats-command-and-2-5-out-packet-loss

You probably can get more help from PC Games subforum
https://forums.anandtech.com/forums/pc-games.44/

Again, I don't think the packet loss has anything to do with the cable.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Thanks for all your help

Cheers!