picking cat5e cable?

im getting ready to run some new lines in my house. they will run from my e-panel,though my attic,and down to the rooms. i want to buy 500-1000ft roll of wire.

i was wondering if the wire from home depot and lowes is fine? i dont have a big understanding on quality of wire. my network speeds are 80 down/12 up,using comcast.

what cable do use guys recommend? i would like to keep it as cheap as possible with out giving up quality. thx for any help

All CAT5E is the same from a performance perspective...

I like Belkin CAT5e wire. What ever you buy I would make sure it is all solid copper. Why? I just like copper. It makes me feel better. Long term I know it is going to last.

Category 5 Enhanced is the quality. Brand shouldn't matter. There's also Cat 6, and 6a (augmented) btw... And shielded vs unshielded. If you think you'll eventually have a lan at 10GBASE-T speeds, install 6a.

From what I understand, the higher the category, the more twists per pair of wires. The twists have something to do with maintaining the integrity of the signal. Shielded, when properly grounded, should help even more, though I've only seen it used in industrial places where arc-welding may be used or other places where there's a lot of noise.

When they run the cable for you (or if you're doing it yourself), be sure not to run it near any electronics if possible (florescent ballasts are supposed to be murder). Also think about running a pull wire too. Very helpful if you ever want to change out the cabling, and they haven't stapled the cabling to the wall.

One other piece of advice -- make sure you get matching Category versions for the patch panel and wall jacks. The specifications are fairly strict for the higher categories. I used to make my own patch cables back when Cat 3 was the quality to use -- now I wouldn't dare do that.

Solid core may be heavier but is better. There are some brands saying cat5e when it really couldnt do gigabit. It was copper clad iron. Make sure to get proper cat5e or cat6 cables.

Get a good crimping tool, and if you're color vision limited like I am - do a couple of practice runs to get a good feel for things, and show someone else how to do it that has full color vision...

Belkin cable is good - and they have a decent crimper...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004Z62S/?tag=snbforums-20

If you are going to be making your own cables and terminating them with male RJ45 plugs I highly recommend using the Platinum tool crimper and the specially designed plugs that allow you to push the cable all the way through.

Once you have tried making cables using standard crimpers and plugs you will see why this tool is worth the money!

Even if you have great eyesight I also recommend that you buy an inexpensive cable tester which will check the continuity of each pair after you fabricate a cable. Mistakes happen.

im just running the cable myself. i have someone else to do the ends. so for what im reading...i want solid conductor cat5e cable?

i would also like to buy my own wall jacks and ends. we are making these lines into 4 long patch cables so i can just plug them into my router.

do you guys prefer any certain brand of jacks and connectors?

It shouldn't matter, but it does. Make sure it is certified by the relevant testing bodies, which is at least a step in the right direction. I've seen a few tests that have shown crappy "Cat5e" to not even hit Cat5 standards for things like impedance and cross talk. It'll still work at gigabit speeds, but gigabit is pretty forgiving, but it might not work to standards length.

Do not for the love of god get CCA (copper clad aluminum), only get solid copper wiring. I generally use C2G (Cables 2 Go). Their quality is pretty good and they tend to be the cheapest reputable cabling company.

azazel1024 said:

It shouldn't matter, but it does. Make sure it is certified by the relevant testing bodies, which is at least a step in the right direction. I've seen a few tests that have shown crappy "Cat5e" to not even hit Cat5 standards for things like impedance and cross talk. It'll still work at gigabit speeds, but gigabit is pretty forgiving, but it might not work to standards length.

Do not for the love of god get CCA (copper clad aluminum), only get solid copper wiring. I generally use C2G (Cables 2 Go). Their quality is pretty good and they tend to be the cheapest reputable cabling company.

Click to expand...

i have looked at c2g and monoprice. i've also searched amazon and found some good deals.the only problem with amazon is...its very lacking on details of what your really getting.

i guess over the weekend ill go scope out home depot and lowes to see what they have on hand. im not really sure where else to look for it,other than ordering it?

I highly recommend Monoprice, I have used many different wires over the years and I recently used some of their Solid Core / Plenum Rated wire and I am so impressed with the quality of it. I was able to get 1,000 feet of it for less than I paid for 500 feet of Beldin which is also a great / high quality bulk wire.

Keep in mind that if you are running wire through / inside walls you need to make sure you check your local building code(s) and make sure you get the proper wire. This might not seem like a big deal now but sometime down the road if an electrical inspector comes in the house and sees it they can make you pull it out. Yes I know it is unlikely to happen but why not spend the money now?

Personally I like to terminate all of my connections in to a Patch Panel / Jacks, it is easy / clean way to go and if anything ever happens to the jack you just need to replace it. That is unusual as you usually will just have to replace the jumper you have connected from the Patch panel / Jack to the Switch or device.

Again I would suggest Monoprice, check out their "Modular" Patch Panels and jacks, they are very inexpensive and work like a champ. I would however avoid using their "Tool-less" Models as I've had no luck with them at all. Also as a side benefit using modular jacks allows you to color code things if you so desire. This is very useful especially if you are running more than one jack to a room or plan on having different networks.

Finally remember to LABEL EVERYTHING with as much detail as possible!!! Trust me you will thank yourself later on down the road.

Here's a few links from Monoprice for the items I mentioned...

Bulk Cat 5e / Riser Rated
http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=878

Modular Patch Panel
http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=7260

Keystone Jacks
http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=5376

Of course you can also go with Cat 6 if you so desire, always think of future expansion!