I don't really know where this post goes, but I've been looking at Ethernet cables and I want to know which one is better because I've been getting terrible radio wave interference (I think). Basically I normally I get 22 ping, 28 up and 6 down, then suddenly I'll get a terrible lag and i'll have 450 ping .25 down and .16 up and I'm sick of it. Apparently there is a bandwidth problem with my router so I turned off multimedia priority, which has been reported to fix the problem, but that didn't work at all. So I'm gonna see if Ethernet will fix the problem.
At those speeds, generally doesn't make a difference. And Cat6 is supposed to be better, at a small price jump.
Also depends how long the cable has to be.
I prefer Cat6 but I also future-proof just about everything.
I just want the spikes to stop and the cable will be 50ft in length
at 50 feet ... either will do
Depends on what grade of Cat cable you are looking at. Cat5e is usually okay for Gigabit (well near enough) for shorter runs, although due to its lack of shielding over longer runs its performance drops off, with degrading speeds and quality over longer distances.
Cat6 there are multiple types. Although the basic principle and wiring is the same (4 groups of twisted pairs) they differ massively. Typical Cat6 (UTP) will have a plastic insulator separating all the twisted pairs and have slightly thicker insulation around it.
However if you are thinking that you are suffering from radio interference from the desktop to the next routing hop, then I would look at getting some shielded CAT 6 (STP) cable. Very similar to regular unshielded Cat6, except the wire gauge is slightly larger and under the outer PVC insulator there is a layer of (usually) aluminium foil to prevent such interference from either radio signals or crosstalk from other cables. This cable type is more expensive, as it also requires the use of shielded connecting jackets.
There are even better shielded cable (like each individual group is foiled and the whole lot may have gel in the cable as well) but these are only typical used in scenarios where lots of cables are running close together (eg. Datacentres)
As for forum category, Network -> Hardware.
Moved to Network -> Hardware.
Generally I only really need 20ft, but I though 50ft because better safe than sorry and I don't want anyone to trip on it. But I'll look for an STP cat 6, but does length really factor speed?
Is Cat7 an option?
No , I have a 100m cat 5e and leght * should * not be a problem .
Go with shielded cat 6
i'd get cat7 if i were getting new cable. i mean why not?
If your going from WiFi to Ethernet cat5e will be fine. You don't need shielded unless you run it under a TV or refrigerator. I wouldn't go cat6 or 7 unless its a 10 dollar diffrence you won't see a performace difference between the three with a consumer router.
I'd say get cat6 or cat7 - because 1 more buyer ought to drive down those prices and make it more of a std. than cat5e
(In real world desktop applications you won't need anything more than cat5e)
Since, I'm in a second story apartment and plan to move to google fiber in the near future because its cheaper i'll just get a double shielded cat7.
over kill but you will not have to buy a new cable of 10 years. (unless it gets F up) cat 6 and 7 are rated for 10gig a bit. 10gig Copper is still crazy expensive.