Cat5e or Cat6?

[ben127127]

Hey all - so I'm deciding what ethernet cable to get for my new PC. My router only allows ethernet speed of up to 1000Mbits, so I'm assuming anything over Cat5e is unnecessary, but I wanted to make sure this is the case. Moreover, is it worth it to get a better router and get a Cat6 - as in, is there a noticeable difference in gaming between 1000Mbits and 10Gbits? I also wanted to make sure I'll be able to plug my Ethernet cable into my router's LAN ports, so I'm including a picture of those ports. I've heard some people plug their cables into the wall, but will this router work too? Thanks!

Router ports: https://imgur.com/dIRhiSb

 

[W-L]

Just now, ben127127 said:

-SNIP-

Regular CAT 5e will suffice, if the cost is not much more CAT 6 isn't a bad option for the extra insulation.

[comicsansms]

I would get cat6, since better insulated cable for not much more.

[ben127127]

20 minutes ago, W-L said:

Regular CAT 5e will suffice, if the cost is not much more CAT 6 isn't a bad option for the extra insulation.

 

9 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

I would get cat6, since better insulated cable for not much more.

Got it, I'll go Cat6. So it's not worth the new router, though, to have 10Gbit capability?

[W-L]

1 minute ago, ben127127 said:

 

Got it, I'll go Cat6. So it's not worth the new router, though, to have 10Gbit capability?

That looks to be a router modem combo from the ISP, which will do. Unless you want to get a separate router for more ports or mesh wifi system for better wifi coverage there isn't a need to. 

[bellabichon]

3 minutes ago, ben127127 said:

 

Got it, I'll go Cat6. So it's not worth the new router, though, to have 10Gbit capability?

If you internet speed is less than 10 gigabit, there's so reason to upgrade your router. 

[comicsansms]

13 minutes ago, ben127127 said:

 

Got it, I'll go Cat6. So it's not worth the new router, though, to have 10Gbit capability?

10Gb switches are costly, and I don't think you'll use that (how often will you transfer files from a NVMe SSD on one PC to another?).

 

14 minutes ago, bellabichon said:

If you internet speed is less than 10 gigabit, there's so reason to upgrade your router. 

Not true, you can have an 10Gb internal network, and only have a 10Mb internet connection (or no internet connection whatsoever). And a router is not the device which the internet comes in with, that's a modem.

[mynameisjuan]

With how little a difference in cost 5e vs 6 is I would just go 6.

 

People cant make use of a gig let alone 10gig but you will only ever need to run the cable once.

[beersykins]

1 hour ago, mynameisjuan said:

People cant make use of a gig let alone

Not sure what people you know, but 1 Gbit is a huge bottleneck for me 

[mynameisjuan]

2 minutes ago, beersykins said:

Not sure what people you know, but 1 Gbit is a huge bottleneck for me 

Well you need to show the 800+ college kids in a dorm of one of our customers that cannot seem to to break 700mbps. 

[beersykins]

14 hours ago, mynameisjuan said:

Well you need to show the 800+ college kids in a dorm of one of our customers that cannot seem to to break 700mbps. 

Nice bro, what kind of Uni do you admin?  I used to do a bunch of stuff for ASU.

[mynameisjuan]

3 minutes ago, beersykins said:

Nice bro, what kind of Uni do you admin?  I used to do a bunch of stuff for ASU.

I am a network engineer for an ISP. That is just one of our customers that begged for 10gig and they got it but cannot figure out how to use it. I tried to tell him usage is a lot less than people think.

[Arkanthos]

@mynameisjuan It's funny, it's like seeing 1000mbt is some kind of security blanket for people... My favorite was giving someone a 1gig link... behind a cisco 4321 that could only ipsec 50mbt... guess how many complaints we had...

 

But to the OP's point. Cat6 vs Cat5, if you are running it inside walls and need to make sharp bends, Cat5 is just easier to deal with. Without that separator in the middle of the cable. If you are running this inside a house, please look for Plenum cable. It's coated in fire retardant and emits less smoke when burned. It's not that much more expensive.

[ben127127]

10 hours ago, Arkanthos said:

@mynameisjuan It's funny, it's like seeing 1000mbt is some kind of security blanket for people... My favorite was giving someone a 1gig link... behind a cisco 4321 that could only ipsec 50mbt... guess how many complaints we had...

 

But to the OP's point. Cat6 vs Cat5, if you are running it inside walls and need to make sharp bends, Cat5 is just easier to deal with. Without that separator in the middle of the cable. If you are running this inside a house, please look for Plenum cable. It's coated in fire retardant and emits less smoke when burned. It's not that much more expensive.

I've also been told I should get a shielded cable because I'm running it through a wall. However, I can't find any 10-30ft Cat6, Shielded and Plenum cables online. How necessary is Plenum? I hadn't really heard about it at all until just now; I'm only running a 20ft cable through the wall to my router. Now you've got me scared about burning my house down tho

[dalekphalm]

On 12/3/2018 at 7:55 PM, Comic_Sans_MS said:

Not true, you can have an 10Gb internal network, and only have a 10Mb internet connection (or no internet connection whatsoever).

Of course you can have an internal 10Gb network, but the OP made no mention of that. He specifically mentioned gaming - and no, gaming would not be improved by a 10Gig LAN (Maybe if you were doing something crazy like hosting games on a network share).

 

But I think we can assume he's doing little or no file serving locally. If he is, he can state so and we can revise our suggestions.

On 12/3/2018 at 7:55 PM, Comic_Sans_MS said:

And a router is not the device which the internet comes in with, that's a modem.

I mean, this is both right and wrong at the same time.

 

The "Internet" comes from both the Router and the Modem. The Modem is essentially just a translation layer for the specific medium your internet is delivered on - it serves out your WAN IP, kind of, but relies on external functions to work (Either by having a computer do a DHCP request, or initiate a PPPoE authentication, etc). If you recall the early days of Broadband, where you had a modem, and no router, and you connected your PC to the modem and had to run connection software to initiate PPPoE.

 

The Router automates that task by initiating the connection and keeping it active. Both are required for a modern internet connection (though technically yes you can get away with just a modem with a single device).

 

Although the line is muddled now, since most ISP's ship Modem/Router combo devices.

 

Furthermore, @bellabichon isn't wrong - if the Internet speed isn't capable of taking advantage of 10Gig, and no internal 10Gig resources are being used, then he's correct - there's no reason to upgrade the Router (or modem).

1 hour ago, ben127127 said:

I've also been told I should get a shielded cable because I'm running it through a wall. However, I can't find any 10-30ft Cat6, Shielded and Plenum cables online. How necessary is Plenum? I hadn't really heard about it at all until just now; I'm only running a 20ft cable through the wall to my router. Now you've got me scared about burning my house down tho

You will definitely want to get Plenum cables if possible. This may even be part of the fire code in your area.

 

The main concern is that if a fire starts in the wall and catches a non-plenum ethernet cable, the cable itself will spread the fire faster than otherwise as it burns. Plenum cables will slow it down (or stop it) long enough for the Fire Dept to get their asses over to your house and put the fire out.

[LinusOnLine]

On 12/4/2018 at 7:56 PM, mynameisjuan said:

I am a network engineer for an ISP. That is just one of our customers that begged for 10gig and they got it but cannot figure out how to use it. I tried to tell him usage is a lot less than people think.

I can think of a few situations it could be used but I do not think we are allowed to speak about those

[LinusOnLine]

Must say it is probably about 10 years since I last saw a modem. We get fibre directly from the ISP's connection boxes on the streets and then just a converter to TP cabling inside the houses.

[dalekphalm]

11 minutes ago, LinusOnLine said:

Must say it is probably about 10 years since I last saw a modem. We get fibre directly from the ISP's connection boxes on the streets and then just a converter to TP cabling inside the houses.

To be fair, a lot of people "informally" refer to a Fibre Media Converter as a "Modem", even if it's not correct technically

[LinusOnLine]

Just now, dalekphalm said:

To be fair, a lot of people "informally" refer to a Fibre Media Converter as a "Modem", even if it's not correct technically

Ahh well in that case I saw a modem last week in the basement of our house

[mynameisjuan]

3 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

To be fair, a lot of people "informally" refer to a Fibre Media Converter as a "Modem", even if it's not correct technically

I have never gotten a call where someone knew that its an ONT and not a modem other than other ISPs. 

[dalekphalm]

Just now, mynameisjuan said:

I have never gotten a call where someone knew that its an ONT and not a modem other than other ISPs. 

Haha yeah I would be quite surprised if someone calling into tech support would even know what an ONT is.  lol

[LinusOnLine]

24 minutes ago, mynameisjuan said:

I have never gotten a call where someone knew that its an ONT and not a modem other than other ISPs. 

I am a retired Network dude though

[mynameisjuan]

43 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Haha yeah I would be quite surprised if someone calling into tech support would even know what an ONT is.  lol

17 minutes ago, LinusOnLine said:

I am a retired Network dude though

It was no jab against you!! I am not even referring about residential, MSPs call all the time and refer to them as modems. I really dont care and never correct them as I know what they mean but I will causally slip in "ok so I am looking at the ONT now and...". 

 

[LinusOnLine]

1 minute ago, mynameisjuan said:

It was no jab against you!! I am not even referring about residential, MSPs call all the time and refer to them as modems. I really dont care and never correct them as I know what they mean but I will causally slip in "ok so I am looking at the ONT now and...". 

 

Oh I did not think it was. Just thought I would hint that you are  probably right about a normal user not knowing it