Difference in Cat

[loganv2003]

I recently upgraded my wifi to 2.5 Gigabits and I was wondering what type of cable I need to achieve that speed. looking for cheapest option

[191x7]

Wifi cable? You are confusing something. Wifi is wireless. Wifi can work on 2.4Ghz and 5GHz. But if you're talking gigabits, then I assume you're talking about a wired network.

2.5Gbps can work over regular CAT5e on shorter distances, you could go CAT6 if you wanted. But, the most important part is, both sides have to have at least 2.5Gbps.

If one side is 2.5Gbps (let's say your motherboard's network adapter) and the other 1Gbps (your router), you'll still have 1Gbps.

[Yebi]

19 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

If one side is 2.5Gbps (let's say your motherboard's network adapter) and the other 1Gbps (your router), you'll still have 1Gbps.

Also, jut because you have a 1 Gbps connection to your router, doesn't mean your internet speed will be 1 Gbps

[Needfuldoer]

Just get Cat 6 patch cables.

 

"Cat" refers to the category a given cable falls into. Cat 3 is voice grade, Cat 5e should be bare minimum for Ethernet.

[wseaton]

On 5/4/2022 at 1:54 AM, Yebi said:

Also, jut because you have a 1 Gbps connection to your router, doesn't mean your internet speed will be 1 Gbps

All the guys pulling cat6 in their home threads because it will make their Netflix connection better disagree with you

 

 

[Needfuldoer]

22 minutes ago, wseaton said:

All the guys pulling cat6 in their home threads because it will make their Netflix connection better disagree with you

Installing wired Ethernet will give you a more reliable connection between your devices and your router, but it's not going to make the WAN connection from your router to the outside world any better.

[SansVarnic]

On 5/6/2022 at 5:20 AM, wseaton said:

All the guys pulling cat6 in their home threads because it will make their Netflix connection better disagree with you

An opinion based on uniformed or misunderstanding of how a network works is only an opinion.

If your source speed is 500mbps your network will only pass on 500mbps.

 

It's like water, if you're getting 50psi at the street, installing larger pipes in your house will not increase your flow, you are still only getting 50psi from street.

 

@loganv2003

The theoretical speeds per Category of ethernet wire [see chart below]. Cat3 is common for phone line and DSL. Some DSL uses Cat5, like bonded DSL uses Reinforced Cat5.

The common household (in the US) network uses Cat5e. In 80-85% of most cases the need for a higher category is not necessary as your source won't be able to saturate the bandwith.

The main difference in each category is thickness of wire and/or the thickness of the insulator used. Cat5 and 5e use the same wire thickness but different insulator thickness for example. HDMI uses Cat6a due to its bandwidth and need for increased insulation.

 

BUT, to specifically answer your question. Wi-Fi doesn't use wires except for what you connect your Wi-Fi router to your home's internet modem. This I would recommend you get a simple 3ft Cat6 cable. This way you get good insulation and if your ISP increases your speeds your set to handle the increased bandwidth.