Recommended cable brands for CAT 6, 7 & 8

[Meadster]

Hi all,

My first post on here. Relative noob and have enough knowledge to be dangerous!

Anyway, was looking to upgrade my cables, currently have a mix of amazon basics and device supplied.

Current have fttp and up to 500mbps download. So, I am after good quality cables that I can plug and play as don't fancy making them and, there's more choice on amazon than you can poke a stick at!

I don't have much connected, hub to mesh, 2 x nas drives, laptop Dock and 5 port switch.

Thanks!

 

[ColinTaylor]

What country are you in (it may affect brand availability)?

Ignore (genuine) Cat 7 and Cat 8 cables. Cat 7 is non-standard and Cat 8 is very specialised. (Although that doesn't stop sellers slapping "Cat7" and "Cat8" labels on their cheap cables)

Cat5e/Cat6 will do up to 2.5Gb and Cat6a will do 10Gb. So for most current applications Cat5e is more than adequate, especially for short runs.

 

[Meadster]

Hi @colinthanks for the reply and info on data speeds the cables will support I'm in the UK.

 

[ColinTaylor]

We've bought hundreds of "standard" Cat5e patch cables from Videk in the past and never had a problem with them. They're pretty cheap and of decent quality. You could buy the premium, shielded or Cat6 cables if you want but unless you running them over long distances there's unlikely to be a noticeable difference other than they're stiffer and therefore a bit more difficult to work with.

Network RJ45 Patch Cables | Networking | Videk | Network Systems and IT Solutions

Supplying Network Systems & IT Solutions, visit Videk for Cat6a, Cat6, Cat5e, Fibre, USB, USB Type C, HDMI, DisplayPort, Power to Desk Soultions, Data Racks & KVM Solutions. With leading brands including Videk, Netgear, ATEN, APC, Humanscale, Adder

www.videk.co.uk

Unbooted Cat5e UTP Patch Cables | Cat5e Patch Cables | Network RJ45 Patch Cables | Networking | Videk | Network Systems and IT Solutions

Supplying Network Systems & IT Solutions, visit Videk for Cat6a, Cat6, Cat5e, Fibre, USB, USB Type C, HDMI, DisplayPort, Power to Desk Soultions, Data Racks & KVM Solutions. With leading brands including Videk, Netgear, ATEN, APC, Humanscale, Adder

www.videk.co.uk

Unbooted Cat6 UTP Patch Cables | Cat6 Patch Cables | Network RJ45 Patch Cables | Networking | Videk | Network Systems and IT Solutions

Supplying Network Systems & IT Solutions, visit Videk for Cat6a, Cat6, Cat5e, Fibre, USB, USB Type C, HDMI, DisplayPort, Power to Desk Soultions, Data Racks & KVM Solutions. With leading brands including Videk, Netgear, ATEN, APC, Humanscale, Adder

www.videk.co.uk

 

[follower]

Hi all,

My first post on here. Relative noob and have enough knowledge to be dangerous!

Anyway, was looking to upgrade my cables, currently have a mix of amazon basics and device supplied.

Current have fttp and up to 500mbps download. So, I am after good quality cables that I can plug and play as don't fancy making them and, there's more choice on amazon than you can poke a stick at!

I don't have much connected, hub to mesh, 2 x nas drives, laptop Dock and 5 port switch.

Thanks!

Any brand is fine for normal home users. Just buy it from Amazon. Good cables are expensive than you think. It doesn't give you any huge difference.

 

[Tech Junky]

@Meadster

It depends on how long the cables need to be and the speed of which you want them to do. The overall network design makes a difference as well.

For me I use a couple of 5 foot cables to connect things together so picking up a 10-pack of Cat6a cables was ~$10.

Server x 2 ports to ISP device (2 cables)
Server <> POE injector <> AP (2 cables)

I have 1 more port remaining for use to whatever else. The server is used as my router and other functions and has a 5gbps card in it for mass copies to/from it to cut down on transfer times and it matches the speed the drives inside can push + some overhead.

Now, if you're needing 50-100FT runs to rooms and want to retain speed / data integrity and not have to replace them if you upgrade to 10gbps going with a 6/6a would be the best option. Like before it all depends on the layout.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Cat5e/Cat6 will do up to 2.5Gb and Cat6a will do 10Gb. So for most current applications Cat5e is more than adequate, especially for short runs.

I'm going to nitpick here, as Cat 6 does 10 Gbps up to 50 meters.

Imho, branded network cables is a waste of money.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I'm going to nitpick here, as Cat 6 does 10 Gbps up to 50 meters.

True. I was trying to keep things simple and not go into the 55 meters vs. 100 meters differences.

Imho, branded network cables is a waste of money.

True again.

 

[Meadster]

Thanks for all your replies. Most helpful.