Which is Better.. Cat6 or Cat6a Ethernet Cable?

bro67 · 06 Nov 2019

erpster4 said:

you can buy Cat6 ethernet cables online from amazon or ebay (maybe even newegg), yahanna - no need to obtain one from your internet provider.

and Cat5e is so last decade, bro67
go with Cat6 since I bought a cheap cat6 cable months ago and the ethernet/lan adapter in my PC and the cable modem from my ISP support 1Gbit max

Edit: diff between Cat6 vs Cat 6a

Sorry but Cat-5e is not so last decade. Cat-5e is still getting used for installs. You are only seeing Cat-6a being pulled for office’s because of the move to VOIP at the desk and those lines are handling both data and Voice Over IP.

TairikuOkami · 06 Nov 2019

bro67 said:

Cat-5e is sufficient for home and the majority of office installs.

I guess you have never had a broken Cat5 cable. I had, it took me months to find the cause.

bro67 · 06 Nov 2019

It will break if you tie it in a knot or abuse it. Any type of wiring can be physically damaged and needs to be replaced. Again, Cat-5e is sufficient for today’s users. You are not going to see any improvement on your 10/100/1000mbps network between Cat-5e, Cat-6 series or even Cat-7.

Again, regardless of the makeup of a length or body of wire is, it can become damaged and there is no use for Cat-7 in the home. It is only being used in Data-centers that need speeds of 40gbps for backbone.

TairikuOkami · 06 Nov 2019

bro67 said:

It will break if you tie it in a knot or abuse it.

Not if you have a braided one and cat6a, where single cables are protected, not just the whole bunch.
Speed is not everything, reliability is important too, but people keep forgetting about the little details.

NavyLCDR · 06 Nov 2019

I would imagine @yahanna is probably asking about patch cables between the modem, router and computer, not rewiring the whole house. For patch cables between gigabit modems, routers and network adapters in computers, CAT5e, CAT6, CAT6A and CAT7 will all perform equally.

Compumind · 07 Nov 2019

bro67 said:

There is no Cat-6e. Only Cat-5 comes in an e classification. Cat-5e will work for any install that is not heavy on video or telephony. You are seeing offices getting wired for Cat-6 because of telephony being moved to VOIP and also seeing video conferencing becoming the norm.

Good catch! Thanks.
I did mean Cat 6. Post corrected.

BTW - Cat6 and Cat6a are two classifications.

jimbo45 · 07 Nov 2019

Compumind said:

Good catch! Thanks.
I did mean Cat 6. Post corrected.

BTW - Cat6 and Cat6a are two classifications.

Hi there
I still think for HOME systems using the latest Wifi protocol with a switch and decent Wifi extender e.g the Nighthawk models saves all this thing about cables etc etc and in my book anything that saves cabling and wires all over the place is a BIG BONUS.

Modern wifi can easily do 1 Gb/s at FULL DUPLEX which is more than a lot of Lan stuff espcially the older 100 mb/s things

I'm in "my shed" -- a good 100 metres from the ISP router in the house -- 2 Metre LAN to switch from computer, 20 metres from switch to to Wifi extender and wifi to isp cable router and I'm still getting a very respectable 200 Mb/s download on the connection. 4 computers connected and all working. Also a TV with Netflix / Amazon prime / SkyGO all working perfectly too -- used a Lan connector from TV into switch and then the switch as stated has just a single cable to the wifi extender

The extender I'm using is a Nighthawk EX7000 Wifi extender AC 1900 - protocol ac -- not cheap but it is really if it saves all sorts of nasty cabling work in a house.

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 EX7000 WiFi Extender Review | Trusted Reviews

I wasn't nagged about "sign up" mentioned in the review though. It's a brilliant piece of kit.

I really think a lot of people haven't yet grasped the speed of the new Wifi protocols --- I'd bet in a few years 90% of domestic LAN cabling will be redundant -- and if 5G systems perform as advertised and don't come with restrictive packages - even fibre systems will become obsolete.

Which is Better.. Cat6 or Cat6a Ethernet Cable?-screenshot_20191107_123331.png

Cheers
jimbo

margrave55 · 08 Nov 2019

So much fuss over felines!

I use pre-wired networking in the house and I get full GB bandwidth.
The house was built in 2006, so it must be CAT 5 cable, not CAT 6.
Simple.

And as the Navy-meister said ... why do you suspect problems with the network cable? It's surely the least likely culprit.

When cables fail you don't get reduced speed. You get either no speed/dead or intermittent on-off activity.

If you have the "sometimes-slow" syndrome ... it's not the cables.

jimbo45 · 08 Nov 2019

margrave55 said:

So much fuss over felines!

I use pre-wired networking in the house and I get full GB bandwidth.
The house was built in 2006, so it must be CAT 5 cable, not CAT 6.
Simple.

And as the Navy-meister said ... why do you suspect problems with the network cable? It's surely the least likely culprit.

When cables fail you don't get reduced speed. You get either no speed/dead or intermittent on-off activity.

If you have the "sometimes-slow" syndrome ... it's not the cables.

Hi there

"save the planet" -- cut the copper and go wireless !!!! It's fast enough these days with decent gear and use FULL DUPLEX.

Cheers
jimbo

margrave55 · 08 Nov 2019

Cutting copper will save the planet? Silly. :)