DITCHYOURWI-FI
Ethernet cables are FA STER s –but don’t buythe wrongones
We’re living in an increasingly wireless world, as illustrated by the number of Wi-fi-equipped gadgets that fill our homes. But we shouldn’t underestimate the benefits of Ethernet. Cabling your devices to your router may seem old-fashioned, but in plenty of cases it provides a more reliable connection than Wi-fi and delivers consistently higher speeds - up to one gigabit per second on most computers.
Ethernet also has less latency, which is the delay between performing an action on your machine and the response on-screen. This makes Ethernet ideal for streaming video and games through your home. But not all Ethernet cables are created equal, with significant differences in speed and reliability. Before we move on to that, we’ll explain the different categories.
Understand cable categories
The easiest way to tell Ethernet cables apart is to look at their category ratings. Today’s standards start at category five (known as Cat 5), designed back in 1999. These can handle 100Mbps connections but not the full speed of a Gigabit Ethernet network (up to 1Gbps, or 1,000Mbps). For that, you need Cat 5e, which is more resistant to interference from other devices and can carry Gigabit traffic over 100 metres. These days,
Cat 5e is the absolute minimum we’d recommend buying, and even then it’s worth paying the small additional cost for the step up to Cat 6.
Cat 6 supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet (often shortened to 10GBE) connectivity at lengths of up to 50 metres. It has its own enhanced version, Cat 6a, which uses an updated design to further reduce interference, extending this distance to 100 metres (perfect for those far-flung garden offices).
Cat 6a cables tend to be slightly more expensive than Cat 6 and have thicker shielding and sheathing, which can make them less flexible. If you’re buying a two-metre cable, the difference won’t be huge, but it’s something to bear in mind if you’re planning to wire up your home. See Cat 6 as your basic, tried-and-tested option, and Cat 6a as the ambitious choice for ensuring you can take advantage of more advanced technologies when they become widely available.
That’s as advanced as you’ll probably need for the next few years, but there are even more powerful cables. Cat 7 cables let you run a 40GBE connection up to 50 metres, and 10GBE over distances of more than 100 metres. Like most cables at the upper end of the market, Cat 7 uses a GG45 connector (pictured left). However, most Ethernet cables come with a standard RJ45 connector (also pictured) at each end. Check before you buy, because it’s a fair bet your devices will have RJ45 sockets.
Which category do you need?
Right now, very few of us have home equipment that supports 10GBE, let alone anything faster. In theory, Cat 5e should cover all your immediate needs, but given that there’s so little difference in price between that and Cat 6 – or even between Cat 6a and Cat 7 – it’s worth going for the faster cables now. That goes double if you’re wiring up your home, because using faster cables now will save you having to replace them in five years if 10Gbe-compatible devices take off.
If you’re running Ethernet cables around your home, instead of individual cables you’ll want a spool that you can cut to length and attach to wall-mounted sockets (see the Kenable product on opposite page). Some cables come with the necessary connectors and crimping tool. If not, you’ll need to buy them separately. Either way, fitting the ends is
easier than you might imagine.
A less obvious consideration is the cable’s construction. Most Ethernet cables consist of stranded, shielded wires inside a flexible plastic casing, which is easy to wind up and move around. However, solid-core cable is less susceptible to interference and offers slightly better performance. It’s less flexible, but it’s a good choice when running cable inside a wall.
Cables you should buy
The best-value multi-pack you can buy is the Cat 6 Ethernet patch cable 5 Colour combo (pictured below), from Rankie. Prices on Amazon range from £7 for five 0.3m cables to £12 for five 4.5m cables (see www.snipca.com/39306). You get five well-made Cat 6 cables, rated for 1Gbps, with sturdy RJ45 connectors in a five-colour pack, making it easier to track what’s plugged in where.
If you’re connecting devices over short distances - under 10 metres, say - then buy these 10Gbps cables from Primewire (pictured right, visit www.snipca. com/39307). You can get cables up to two metres for less than a fiver, and 7.5 metres for under £10. Even longer lengths aren’t expensive, with up to 25m costing less than £16.
With a Cat 7 rating, these cables should last you long into the future. The flat design is ideal for running under the carpet or across a skirting board, and they come in a choice of black or white, with a sturdy kink-resistant PVC jacket.
At the other end of the scale, Veetop’s Flat Cat 7 cable ( www.snipca. com/39311) provides the best value for distances up to 50 metres. It’s a bargain, with prices from £6 for 0.5m to £40 for 50m, and 10Gbps speeds. It’s covered by a tough, flat PVC jacket, and has passed industry-standard Fluke testing. We’d usually say Cat 7 isn’t worth the extra money, but at this price, why worry?
Another Fluke-tested cable is Startech’s Cat 6 model ( www.snipca. com/39310), with moulded boots and snag-resistant connectors that make them hard to damage. This added durability means they’re more expensive than the other cables (£4.43 for 0.5m to £19 for 15m), and they’re probably overkill for the average home network. But they’re a sensible choice if you depend on having consistently high speeds.
Cabling the whole house or garden
If you’re wiring up your home with Ethernet cable, you’ll be buying large quantities. Avoid cheap spools or reels of Cat 6 and Cat 7 because they’re usually made from copper-clad aluminium, which is more vulnerable to breakage and interference. Instead, look for a cable with a stranded or solid-copper core, such as this 10Gbps model from Kenable ( www.snipca.com/39315, pictured above), which costs from £21 for 50m to £101 for 305m.
All the cables we’ve mentioned so far have been for indoor use. For outdoors you need a lengthy cable with a waterproof jacket, such as the Smedz Cat 6 Full Solid Copper cable ( www.snipca.com/39312), priced at £11 for 10m to £47 for 100m, with speeds of 10Gbps. For the most reliable results, run it along the garden fence or under the soil. For added peace of mind, feed it through a protective conduit such as a sturdy garden hose for added peace of mind.