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Question Recommendations For Cat6 Cable?

DasFox

DasFox

Diamond Member
It’s been a while since I’ve looked at cables out there.

This is only for a home pc I game on with a 400mbps line. I don’t plan to upgrade to any faster speeds, so I’ve not been looking at brands for cat7 or cat8.

I’m so use to brands when it comes to computer parts, as I’m sure most are, but when it comes to Cat cables, are there any brands, that are better to stick with, recommend?

Thanks
 
Well, for one thing, I recommend CAT6a. Yes, you say right now you only have 400mbps. Is this cable going into a wall? If it is CAT6A since you won't want to pull a new one in 3-5 years when you do upgrade your network connection to the now available 10Gbps connections that cable networks are pushing out this year and fiber networks have been advertising for the last 2 years.

In terms of good manufacturers, Monoprice works, but also Black Box or Belkin. Lots of companies use Black Box, as they have been approved for Government use...
 
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If you are going to the trouble of putting it in the wall, always always plan ahead. Monoprice cables are very reliable and even the cat7 / cat8 are affordable. Even if you don't plan to upgrade your incoming bandwidth, why cripple your internal network speeds.
 
CodeBeholder said:
If you are going to the trouble of putting it in the wall, always always plan ahead. Monoprice cables are very reliable and even the cat7 / cat8 are affordable. Even if you don't plan to upgrade your incoming bandwidth, why cripple your internal network speeds.
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He's not even going up to gigabit, which is covered with cat5. So why go to 7 or 8 when he will not need it?
 
sdifox said:
He's not even going up to gigabit, which is covered with cat5. So why go to 7 or 8 when he will not need it?
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So that his local network isn't limited by the same slow speeds as his ISP? If he wants to do local file transfers, host a local media server, play co-op games on a local server, etc.
 
CodeBeholder said:
So that his local network isn't limited by the same slow speeds as his ISP? If he wants to do local file transfers, host a local media server, play co-op games on a local server, etc.
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LAN games can't even saturate gigabit. Cat6a support 10gbps as long as it is within 100m. Plenty for him.

There are very few use cases for multi gig network at home. 4K Blu-ray maxes out at 128mbps.
 
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sdifox said:
LAN games can't even saturate gigabit. Cat6 support 10gbps as long as it is within 100ft. Plenty for him.

There are very few use cases for multi gig network at home. 4K Blu-ray maxes out at 128mbps.
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Because if you are going through the trouble to run the cables, the bulk of the cost is the labor to make the runs, not the price of the cable. You are also putting something that is effectively permanent into the home. So why in the world would you not put in within reasonableness, the more advanced options that support technologies that already exist and use cases that already exist? Again, sure you don't have even gigabit right now, but this cable isn't just for right now, it is for the next 10-20 years (when was the last time you replaced the electrical cable in your home, or the phone cables, or the co-axle cables)? So again, in 4 years from now when 10 gigabit and faster internet feeds to the home are industry standard, you don't want to be replacing this cable install because you decided to not put in CAT6a now and saved something like $90 total on a $1000-2000 project and limited yourself to something 10 times worse. Great thinking there.

Again, I get it, and this is why I don't recommend CAT7 or CAT8, because there is nothing currently out that requires CAT7 or CAT8. In the future it is "possible" that CAT7 or CAT8 might be able to do 40 gigabit over certain distances, but nothing has been certified for that speed over any distance, which means all the current CAT7 or CAT8 might require a revision in order to support it in the future when such tech becomes available (which means you would need to replace the line anyway and gained no real benefit over what CAT6a provides now). CAT6a gives you 10 gigabit over 100 meters. There are VERY few homes that can not be wired with CAT6a and exceed the distance rating for 10gbps service. A 1000ft spool plenum rated of CAT6a will run you $250-300. A 1000ft spool of plenum rated CAT5E will run you $180-210. The labor the run the cable is the same, approx 60-90 minutes per cable in a retrofit depending on distance and accessibility (could be longer if firewalls are in the home, or brick/concrete block or lack of access to crawlspace/basement/attic). If contracted out that would run ~$100-$200 per hour of labor depending on market/location (obviously doing it yourself would save on that cost, but you would still need to spend that time and your time is also worth something as it is time you are not spending with your family, or doing other work). So again, the real cost isn't the cost of the wire, it is the labor cost as you can see just 2-3 runs will cost more in labor than the spool of cable.
 
Cat 7 is dead end, Cat 8 is harder to install due to thickness and has shorter reach. That is why datacenters like fiber. I just don't see a home ever needing or even getting anything beyond 10gbps. Going to Cat 8 is futureproofing for a very uncertain future.


6a is what he should get. Cat 8 is unnecessary for home. Hell it is not going to make it in datacenter either. Actually, maybe in the stacks, but beyond the stacks you are going to need fc.
 
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The most important thing to ask is are you going to run the cable manually like your going to put connectors or keystone jacks on them and run them inside walls.

Or do you need a patch... meaning you intend to not crimp new connectors, and leave the cable as is.

The reason i say that, because bulk cable, there are many different kinds from shielded, solid core, to copper clad aluminum garbage.
There is also fire resistant for Building Code applications, and other stuff, so the fire doesn't ride along the cable inside the walls and burn your house down.
 
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