Why Your Network Cable is Slowing You Down

[gragnous]

This is an excellent article about installing Cat5e, vs Cat 6 or Cat6a. Here's a excerpt, but the article gets into much more detail as to why:

"...people who are paying extra for Cat 6 and 6a assemblies, and who think that they are paying that little extra for the sake of "future proofing," not only are not getting the future-proofing they're paying for but are in many cases getting cables so bad that they may be choking the customer's existing Cat 5e network."

http://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/bjc-cat-network-cable-quality-interview

 

[TonyH]

This is an excellent article about installing Cat5e, vs Cat 6 or Cat6a. Here's a excerpt, but the article gets into much more detail as to why:

"...people who are paying extra for Cat 6 and 6a assemblies, and who think that they are paying that little extra for the sake of "future proofing," not only are not getting the future-proofing they're paying for but are in many cases getting cables so bad that they may be choking the customer's existing Cat 5e network."

http://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/bjc-cat-network-cable-quality-interview

Getting cables so bad = El cheapo. This applies to any product. With life time association with Mil-spec. products I am for Mil-spec. stuffs. One thing funny on TV commercial about Ford PU trucks, they talk about military grade Aluminum, there is no such thing as military grade aluminum.

 

[System Error Message]

Getting cables so bad = El cheapo. This applies to any product. With life time association with Mil-spec. products I am for Mil-spec. stuffs. One thing funny on TV commercial about Ford PU trucks, they talk about military grade Aluminum, there is no such thing as military grade aluminum.

There is such a thing as military grade metal. Its to do with the purity and the specs of the metal hence why the quality of metal from china for example doesnt stack up to the quality of metal mined and produced in the US.

However you need to understand that we are talking about digital signals here. With a digital signal as long as a spec is reached i doesnt matter how fancy or cheap it is such as comparing HDMI cables. So other than the physical electrical characteristics if the spec is met than it is fine. The problem however is that many are selling lower spec stuff as a higher spec item.

In terms of the quality of metal, for just pure metal that doesnt matter much but its always best to use copper when it comes to conductors as they have the lowest losses.

 

[TonyH]

There is such a thing as military grade metal. Its to do with the purity and the specs of the metal hence why the quality of metal from china for example doesnt stack up to the quality of metal mined and produced in the US.

However you need to understand that we are talking about digital signals here. With a digital signal as long as a spec is reached i doesnt matter how fancy or cheap it is such as comparing HDMI cables. So other than the physical electrical characteristics if the spec is met than it is fine. The problem however is that many are selling lower spec stuff as a higher spec item.

In terms of the quality of metal, for just pure metal that doesnt matter much but its always best to use copper when it comes to conductors as they have the lowest losses.

Military grade has numbers. Cu wires depending on frequency, stranded one than solid core single wire. Speaking of pure meta,l remember military helicopter crashes, Air liner crash killing many people because of sub par meterial(metal) Every military hardware parts have numbers now maintained in a data base. Also there are many fake stuffs out there. Even consumer stuffs. The packaging and product looks so genuine, it is difficult to id. it. Many automobile parts too.

 

[Trip]

Returning to the original point... I think this issue has a great deal to do with making sure you're buying bulk cable from reputable makers (Belden, etc.) and verified patch cord from vendors of the same ilk (Leviton, Belden, Panduit, Hubbell...). Consumers could go the BJC route as well, but there are also great deals on bulk patch cord from the brands mentioned above on eBay, local surplus warehouses, etc. I personally go out of my way to replace any low-grade patch I ever run across at my client locations as just an extra value-add, if nothing else. Seems like fairy dust to some I'm sure, but it's just one more failure point I like to make sure is covered whenever feasible.

 

[sfx2000]

Returning to the original point... I think this issue has a great deal to do with making sure you're buying bulk cable from reputable makers (Belden, etc.) and verified patch cord from vendors of the same ilk (Leviton, Belden, Panduit, Hubbell...).

Yep... always buy from a trusted vendor... for bulk, Beldin is a great choice... always had good luck with them.

(FWIW - I have lots of 6 foot CAT5E cables, a whole basket full of them - Cisco packs one in every AP they sell, and they're all pretty good quality, lol)

 

[ericnix]

I always use Monoprice. Never had a problem with their cables. I always use 550 MHz CAT6.

 

[Trip]

I'd be interested to see what % of monoprice and similar (ie. most of the mass-produced, untested cable) would pass a Fluke DTX tester. According to the guys at Blue Jeans, not many, but then again that won't ever really stop the average Joe from buying, using and recommending it because they plug it in and it appears to work. I guess I just like knowing I'm patching with stuff that's actually verified to ISO spec, or at least in the cases where there's a standard to uphold (client installs, etc.).

 

[ericnix]

I'd be interested to see what % of monoprice and similar (ie. most of the mass-produced, untested cable) would pass a Fluke DTX tester. According to the guys at Blue Jeans, not many, but then again that won't ever really stop the average Joe from buying, using and recommending it because they plug it in and it appears to work. I guess I just like knowing I'm patching with stuff that's actually verified to ISO spec, or at least in the cases where there's a standard to uphold (client installs, etc.).

I consistently get 900+ Mbps on my ethernet connections.

 

[Trip]

^ Indeed. Works as intended -- whether it meets "spec" or not, is really just water under the bridge by most anyone's standards. And it's probably why the monoprice stuff is as popular as it is.

 

[sfx2000]

^ Indeed. Works as intended -- whether it meets "spec" or not, is really just water under the bridge by most anyone's standards. And it's probably why the monoprice stuff is as popular as it is.

Short runs - let's say 6 feet/2 meters - even CAT5 (without the e) can support Gigabit easily enough... at least most can that are found on Monoprice/Amazon/etc...

It's the longer runs that push the specs....

 

[ericnix]

^ Indeed. Works as intended -- whether it meets "spec" or not, is really just water under the bridge by most anyone's standards. And it's probably why the monoprice stuff is as popular as it is.

I put this in my own residence, so I really don't need enterprise-grade reliability. I just checked the price on DTX testers. I could buy another server for that cost!

Out of curiosity, what brand cables do you use? I'm not sure what cable was used when they ran CAT6 cables throughout my house. I think it was plenum grade if I'm not mistaken.

The Monoprice cables are 14 feet and connect my switch to the wall jacks in the basement and from the wall jacks to other switches throughout the house and to devices.

Again, I've never had a problem (either lost packets or speed). I'm curious what high-quality brand you recommend and what would be the benefits of using it over cheaper stuff?

 

[Trip]

For bulk cable, Commscope, Mohawk, Belden. Berk-Tek is ok too. For patch cords, Leviton, Belden, Panduit, Hubbell are all good. I especially like how Belden terminates their RJ45s with clear flex-boots with extra soft guards (alas... only geek points) There's also Blue Jeans Cable for one-off needs, but IMHO you're better off buying commercial patch cables by the box in bulk.

But yes, like you said, as long as the cable connects up and works to baseline expectations (ie. "it just works"), in most SOHO and even many business cases that's simply good enough. And there's nothing wrong with that.

EDIT: The basic benefits of commercial-grade patch is that is comes pre-tested and 100% verified to meet and/or exceed spec (thus why they're individually bagged and sealed), and most typically ISO spec at that, which is the most stringent. I'd say there's also a higher level of assurance you're getting reputable-quality copper conductor with good or better material build. Not so much the case with a good portion of mass-market cheap stuff. YMMV there of course, and it seems Monoprice is a pleasing exception to the rule.

 

[crashnburn]

For bulk cable, Commscope, Mohawk, Belden. Berk-Tek is ok too. For patch cords, Leviton, Belden, Panduit, Hubbell are all good. I especially like how Belden terminates their RJ45s with clear flex-boots with extra soft guards (alas... only geek points) There's also Blue Jeans Cable for one-off needs, but IMHO you're better off buying commercial patch cables by the box in bulk.

But yes, like you said, as long as the cable connects up and works to baseline expectations (ie. "it just works"), in most SOHO and even many business cases that's simply good enough. And there's nothing wrong with that.

EDIT: The basic benefits of commercial-grade patch is that is comes pre-tested and 100% verified to meet and/or exceed spec (thus why they're individually bagged and sealed), and most typically ISO spec at that, which is the most stringent. I'd say there's also a higher level of assurance you're getting reputable-quality copper conductor with good or better material build. Not so much the case with a good portion of mass-market cheap stuff. YMMV there of course, and it seems Monoprice is a pleasing exception to the rule.

I'm currently in Asia helping a small Non profit and wondering which ones I could get around here.
I might have a friend bring over a box/ bundle if some of the above offer "value for money" and can fir the budget in asia - Which of the above would you recommend foe VFM and where I can see the prices/ buy?

 

[Schroinx]

How is patch cords from Belkin, Deltaco, MicroConnect, Sandberg?
And does it mean I should go for cat5e for these which will be 1-5 meters at the most between units?

 

[sfx2000]

How is patch cords from Belkin, Deltaco, MicroConnect, Sandberg?
And does it mean I should go for cat5e for these which will be 1-5 meters at the most between units?

How about one of these -- http://www.audioquest.com/ethernet/diamond

$10K -- hehe... don't believe me - here's a couple of informative references...

off the shelf - in a pinch, Belkin does nice cables - but if you can wait a couple of days, Monoprice is your best and favorite friend..

 

[Schroinx]

How about one of these -- http://www.audioquest.com/ethernet/diamond

$10K -- hehe... don't believe me - here's a couple of informative references...

off the shelf - in a pinch, Belkin does nice cables - but if you can wait a couple of days, Monoprice is your best and favorite friend..

I can wait? But I am located in EU, so...

And should I get cat5e or cat6 or?

 

[Trip]

Cat6 is a nice middle ground right now. 6a is 10Gig capable up to medium-long lengths, but with shielding required in many instances it can be an unnecessary bear to deal with.

As for that AudioQuest stuff, I think many in the networking know would call BS.... First off, Cat7 hasn't even been fully flushed out yet, so any brand selling their cable as such is most just blowing smoke. Further, the connectors are just Belden R301602 modular, certainly nothing outright superior (just ruggedized), but they of course look exotic to the average Joe because no consumers have probably ever laid eyes on them. And I'd rather have a nice quality plastic or rubber jacket showing good tight twist than the eye-candy woven look. Last but surely not least, how about disclosing what cable is actually being used on the inside? I bet a $50 Belden 10GXS patch cord would smoke it on a tester. lol

 

[ericnix]

I'm now curious about trying a Belden CAT6 cable to see if it makes a difference.

Does anyone have a supplier they would recommend for a precut/terminated CAT6 patch cable from Belden? I'm looking for 15-20 feet.

 

[Trip]

Chances are it will improve transmission quality ever so slightly. Would it be enough for a noticeable difference in behavior to an end-user or even an admin? Many times not, but you never know. At least you're adding assurance of eliminating a questionable area with good quality patch.

Anixter is one place to buy them. You can also find good scores of surplus on eBay and Craigslist. Other brands to look at would be Panduit, Hubbell and Leviton. I'd suspect it's a bit safer to buy new, direct from a distributor, as damage (and thus failure to meet spec) can always be caused by excessive handling and/or re-shipment, but I've found that to be extremely rare.... like less than 1 in 100 pieces rare...).