Cat 5 cable upgrades?

[hat]

I'd like to take this a step further and recommend you learn to make your own Ethernet cables. It's easy, just learn the correct order to line up the cables in, slide on your connector, and crimp. Bare cable is cheap at Home Depot, they might have the RJ45's and even a crimper too. The initial expense might run you $100 or so for everything, but you'll have fresh, brand new cables. And making them yourself means you customize them to any length. Need to connect something 60ft away? Make your own 60ft cable, instead of buying a 75ft cable and having a ton of extra length. Or maybe you only need 1ft to connect a modem to a router rather than a 6ft cable. It's also much easier to run a bare cable though the wall/floor/etc and crimp it on the other end then it is to run it with that bulky connector already attached.

 

[Bill_Bright]

If you will be doing a lot of cable installing and replacing (especially after your friends, family and neighbors learn - if they haven't already - you are the goto computer expert ), I definitely recommend making your own too.

I've been making my own for years now and it really is the way to go. Not just because it ultimately is cheaper, but also because you end up with an easier to keep clean, more aesthetically-pleasing, rat's nest of better quality cables. Ethernet cables (and their connectors) are flimsy, fragile, and cheap but critical network devices. Factory made cables are rarely tested before they leave the factory. It is not uncommon for them to be poorly made and substandard.

And as hat notes, it is very nice to make a cable the exact length (plus a little extra) you need rather than buying one several feet longer.

I do have a few bits of advice.

1. "Invest" in a quality crimper. Cheep tools yield poor results. I wasted $50 on two cheap crimpers I had to throw away before I finally got some common sense and bought a quality pair. The one I have now I've had for 15 plus years and used on 100s of cables - with never a bad crimp.​

​

2. Get an Ethernet cable tester. These are inexpensive but invaluable at preventing and lowing high blood pressure, reducing strokes, and stopping, or at least slowing down receding hairlines and hair loss.​

​

3. Crimping cables is actually a skill. And like all skills, take practice to perfect. So be ready to sacrifice a few connectors on a few practice cables before you make the cables you will ultimately use. TIP: Good lighting is a must. The older the eyes, the brighter the light needs to be.​

​

4. Nice to have: Ethernet cable color-coded strain relief boots. As I said above, Ethernet cables and connectors are flimsy and fragile. So using strain relief boots to make them more robust and survivable is smart - if not a must. But having color-coded boots is really nice for easy identification (especially on the back of routers and switches) without having to deal with labels (and the tedious/PITA task of relabeling). The tricky part is just getting into the habit of slipping the boot on the cable (and in the right direction ) BEFORE crimping the connector on. You can always go with colored Ethernet cable, but basic gray in bulk is much cheaper.​

 

[eidairaman1]

If you will be doing a lot of cable installing and replacing (especially after your friends, family and neighbors learn - if they haven't already - you are the goto computer expert ), I definitely recommend making your own too.

I've been making my own for years now and it really is the way to go. Not just because it ultimately is cheaper, but also because you end up with an easier to keep clean, more aesthetically-pleasing, rat's nest of better quality cables. Ethernet cables (and their connectors) are flimsy, fragile, and cheap but critical network devices. Factory made cables are rarely tested before they leave the factory. It is not uncommon for them to be poorly made and substandard.

And as hat notes, it is very nice to make a cable the exact length (plus a little extra) you need rather than buying one several feet longer.

I do have a few bits of advice.

1. "Invest" in a quality crimper. Cheep tools yield poor results. I wasted $50 on two cheap crimpers I had to throw away before I finally got some common sense and bought a quality pair. The one I have now I've had for 15 plus years and used on 100s of cables - with never a bad crimp.​

​

2. Get an Ethernet cable tester. These are inexpensive but invaluable at preventing and lowing high blood pressure, reducing strokes, and stopping, or at least slowing down receding hairlines and hair loss.​

​

3. Crimping cables is actually a skill. And like all skills, take practice to perfect. So be ready to sacrifice a few connectors on a few practice cables before you make the cables you will ultimately use. TIP: Good lighting is a must. The older the eyes, the brighter the light needs to be.​

​

4. Nice to have: Ethernet cable color-coded strain relief boots. As I said above, Ethernet cables and connectors are flimsy and fragile. So using strain relief boots to make them more robust and survivable is smart - if not a must. But having color-coded boots is really nice for easy identification (especially on the back of routers and switches) without having to deal with labels (and the tedious/PITA task of relabeling). The tricky part is just getting into the habit of slipping the boot on the cable (and in the right direction ) BEFORE crimping the connector on. You can always go with colored Ethernet cable, but basic gray in bulk is much cheaper.​

Ive used 5 pair burial drop for ethernet lol

 

[bonehead123]

Just remember the golden rule of networking:

Your speeds can only be as fast as the slowest component in your set-up....

In other words, you could buy & use the latest & greatest, most expensive ethernet cables in the world (currently Cat8e IIRC), but if your internet connection and/or router/modem only provides 500mbps download speeds, then thats the MAX you will ever get out of that particular set-up....nothin can EVER change that fact

Even if you decide to pay for a faster internet connection, if every one of the other components in the chain are not capable of supporting those faster speeds, it wont matter one bit... and neither would fancy/new/upgraded cables.....

The same goes for in home wireless.... a top-notch AX6/WiFi-6 router wont make your phones/tablets etc. any faster unless they support that standard...