Points to Consider When Selecting a New Ethernet Cable
There are many reasons why you would need to purchase a new Ethernet cable.
You may have bought a new Internet enabled device such as Smart TV, you may need a longer cable, shorter cable, you may have lost the original or your dog may have chewed through the original one.
Whatever the reason for purchasing a new cable; there are a few things to consider before parting with your hard earned cash.
You need to think about cable category, cable length, level of shielding and the colour.
There are various categories of Network lead, Cat5e and Cat6 are the two most frequently used.
The lead itself uses an RJ45 type plug.
A Cat6 lead is capable of faster speeds, though you may not necessarily see any different in speed if your network is not capable.
A Cat5e cable is by far the most common cable used for networking.
The plug design on both cables is identical and both categories of cable will fit in the same socket.
It's a good idea to opt for a Cat6 cable if you have any doubt about compatibility, they are backwards compatible with Cat5e and you may even see a benefit in speed.
If you need a longer lead; it's a good idea to opt for a shielded lead.
The shielding provides a layer of aluminium foil around the internal branch of wires, this in turn reduces the effect of Crosstalk, this is a phenomenon where the signal from each of the internal cables can cause interference and the shielding prevents this.
It also protects from electro magnetic interference caused by other cables our electronics devices which are situated close to the cable.
The longest off the shelf cable you are likely to find is 50m, however you can make a cable up to 90m long without suffering too much signal loss.
The colour of the lead makes no difference at all to the performance or the job the cable does.
The colour of cable simply aids in identification.
If you are in an office environment where there is a large network with multiple users; you cane easily identify which cable is connected to which machine by colour coding the cable.
Another use for coloured cables is to help with installation instructions, for example if you get a new modem that has two different cables; it's easier for the instructions to say "Put the blue cable into socket A".
You may have bought a new Internet enabled device such as Smart TV, you may need a longer cable, shorter cable, you may have lost the original or your dog may have chewed through the original one.
Whatever the reason for purchasing a new cable; there are a few things to consider before parting with your hard earned cash.
You need to think about cable category, cable length, level of shielding and the colour.
There are various categories of Network lead, Cat5e and Cat6 are the two most frequently used.
The lead itself uses an RJ45 type plug.
A Cat6 lead is capable of faster speeds, though you may not necessarily see any different in speed if your network is not capable.
A Cat5e cable is by far the most common cable used for networking.
The plug design on both cables is identical and both categories of cable will fit in the same socket.
It's a good idea to opt for a Cat6 cable if you have any doubt about compatibility, they are backwards compatible with Cat5e and you may even see a benefit in speed.
If you need a longer lead; it's a good idea to opt for a shielded lead.
The shielding provides a layer of aluminium foil around the internal branch of wires, this in turn reduces the effect of Crosstalk, this is a phenomenon where the signal from each of the internal cables can cause interference and the shielding prevents this.
It also protects from electro magnetic interference caused by other cables our electronics devices which are situated close to the cable.
The longest off the shelf cable you are likely to find is 50m, however you can make a cable up to 90m long without suffering too much signal loss.
The colour of the lead makes no difference at all to the performance or the job the cable does.
The colour of cable simply aids in identification.
If you are in an office environment where there is a large network with multiple users; you cane easily identify which cable is connected to which machine by colour coding the cable.
Another use for coloured cables is to help with installation instructions, for example if you get a new modem that has two different cables; it's easier for the instructions to say "Put the blue cable into socket A".
