RJ45 Ethernet cable

[MD5]

I'll be buying several 25m lengths of RJ45 ethernet cable, no doubt from Amazon, but are there any recommendations or ones to avoid please?

 

[MancMike]

RJ45 is the name of the 8 pin plug on the end. The cable is going to be either CAT 5E or CAT 6.

If it's for gigabit ethernet, then I'd go for CAT 6 although 5E can do gigabit, but over those lengths, CAT 6 would be better.

Make sure the plugs have anti-snag boots on them, or they'll end up useless when the little retaining clip snaps off when untangling them.

Lastly, without wanting to teach gran to suck eggs, it's patch cables not crossover you're after.

 

[MD5]

Thanks, Mike. Specifics above aside, are they all much of a muchness, quality wise, or do you really get what you pay for?

 

[190]

In my experience CAT 5e cable will do a gigabit link with ease over 25M. I've pushed the limit of 100m. Problems with a single cable run are very unlikely as the spec is based on many cables run together in a bundle which promotes crosstalk.

I use Excel cable which is good stuff at work but again I doubt cable quality will be a problem over 25 m.

Ran some 6a cable last week which is rated for 10 Gig.

 

[MancMike]

It will, but given the negligible price difference, and unknown interference conditions, I'd go for the CAT6. It'd depend who's paying, me or the business.

If the NICs can't guarantee 1000Mb/s they'll drop to 100Mb/s. It's not like WiFi that'll just try to provide the most bandwidth it can.

Don't worry about cable quality, it's the rating that matters. Some have thicker plastic insulation that make it feel better quality, but just get the cheapest 5E or 6 you can find with moulded boots on the ends and strain reliefs.

If you might have to do it more often, or if the economics work out, buy a 100 or 300 metre reel, a pack of plugs and boots and the crimp tool and make them up yourself, as it's unlikely you need them all to be exactly 25m.

 

[MD5]

Thanks again Mike and 190.

I don't mind going budget now, as they may get left on site after usage!

 

[Petrol Pete]

I would avoid buying the 24M ones because if you need ones 25M long the 24M ones will be one metre too short.

Sorry, couldn't resist...

 

[markjay]

I would recommend to take a look at this website:

25 Metre U/UTP Patch Cables - broadbandbuyer.com

We often buy patch leads from them.

 

[PobodY]

If you might have to do it more often, or if the economics work out, buy a 100 or 300 metre reel, a pack of plugs and boots and the crimp tool and make them up yourself, as it's unlikely you need them all to be exactly 25m.

That's exactly what I did; I still occasionally mis-crimp one, but it's so convenient to just pull as much cable as I need off the roll and put it where I want it to go.

At the moment the modem is in the cellar with a gigabit switch under it; there's a run to the stereo (internet radio), set-top box, media PC, and the wireless access point. - Most of it under the floor of the lounge room, hanging off the joists.

 

[alanjm99]

Wired my house with Cat6 outdoor cable(free from a mate )giving me wan 200mb, lan gigabit

 

[MancMike]

Wired my house with Cat6 outdoor cable(free from a mate )giving me wan 200mb, lan gigabit

Same. And 802.11 AC (circa 1300Mb/s for everything wireless.)

 

[alanjm99]

I put my VM hub into modem mode added a Asus RT-N66U, which tripled my wireless speed, and annoys my neighbors, ass my SSID is top of the lists

 

[MancMike]

The white vertical VM hub needs some tweaks in the settings to unlock it's full potential. It's that hub I have 1300 link speed from.

 

[alanjm99]

Ours is the VM Superhub 3, will have a play see what sort of speeds i can get from it versus my Asus router

 

[MancMike]

Same. Have a look at the wireless channel width, it's something like 20/40 by default, but upping it to the 80Mhz width setting is what got me from a few hundred to full AC spec speed. (have to be within a few meters of the router to maintain that link speed though)