Better router questions

[Watashi]

If I purchase a better router to replace my stock comcast router with, will I get better internet speeds without paying more monthly?

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 minute ago, Doomerson said:

If I purchase a better router to replace my stock comcast router with, will I get better internet speeds without paying more monthly?

Yes and no. If the router really sucked, then that might impact what internet speeds you could get. However, you're almost never going to get anything more than what the advertised speed is and even then, you're only going to get that some of the time, if ever.

[Watashi]

4 hours ago, M.Yurizaki said:

Yes and no. If the router really sucked, then that might impact what internet speeds you could get. However, you're almost never going to get anything more than what the advertised speed is and even then, you're only going to get that some of the time, if ever.

When you refer too "if the router really sucked" do you mean the standard router?

[Mira Yurizaki]

Just now, Doomerson said:

When you refer too "if the router really sucked" do you mean the standard router?

Yes.

[Electronics Wizardy]

6 minutes ago, Doomerson said:

When you refer too "if the router really sucked" do you mean the standard router?

the included router will provide the speeds you pay for. If your on wired you will see no difference.

[Sir Asvald]

9 minutes ago, Doomerson said:

If I purchase a better router to replace my stock comcast router with, will I get better internet speeds without paying more monthly?

Replacing your router won't increase your internet speeds. It can help if there is a genuine problem with the one you currently have or you want have better features. 

 

If you want better speeds, contact your ISP and ask them for a upgrade. 

[goodtofufriday]

Over wired you wont see a difference. Over wireless (which you can just buy an AP) you will almost assuredly see a difference. ISPs do not guarantee wifi speeds, so almost always the wifi portion of their routers is trash. 

[Watashi]

Okay, well I've got a good question, I have a very old Ethernet cable, I assume that just like other cables in the electronics world, there are newer better versions that provide better connections, is this true?

[goodtofufriday]

Just now, Doomerson said:

Okay, well I've got a good question, I have a very old Ethernet cable, I assume that just like other cables in the electronics world, there are newer better versions that provide better connections, is this true?

No. All ethernet cables are just 8 copper wires at their core. 

 

Over a short length you wont see a difference.

 

There is Cat6e out now, but in a home setting there is no difference at all. 

 

Only when you get into 1000Gb speeds and 100ft+ lengths does the newer cable spec matter.

[Heavygun1450]

2 minutes ago, Doomerson said:

Okay, well I've got a good question, I have a very old Ethernet cable, I assume that just like other cables in the electronics world, there are newer better versions that provide better connections, is this true?

Yes. Most common verison these days are CAT5, CAT5E,CAT6. Typically this ir printed on the cable. Cat 5e and above is recommended as they can handle speeds above 100 mbps up into the gigabits

[kaiju_wars]

Buying a new router can only give you more features with that router, or better wireless range.

But it won't increase your speeds.  Call your ISP to get faster internet speeds.

[Electronics Wizardy]

13 minutes ago, goodtofufriday said:

No. All ethernet cables are just 8 copper wires at their core.

But lower grade cables will limit you to 100mbit or 10mbit, check if its running at gig. If its not replace it.

[goodtofufriday]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

But lower grade cables will limit you to 100mbit or 10mbit, check if its running at gig. If its not replace it.

thatd be a very very very old cable. most home networks in the usa dont have speeds beyond 100Mb anyways. 

[mariushm]

cat5e cables are guaranteed to support 1gbps and higher. There's quite a lot of margin.

In fact, chips and signal processing algorithms have improved so much lately that in a recently ratified standard (802.3bz) they managed to reuse this old cat5e cable to transmit up to 2.5 gbps in both directions.

cat5 rated cables are only supposed to work at less than 1 gbps.

cat6 rated cables work up to 5gbps or up to 10gbps for short distances (less than around 55 meters)

cat6a rated cables work up to 10 gbps at up to 100 meters, as long as you use slightly better connectors than the ones you'd use for cat5e or cat6

 

It would be very hard to find in stores the old cat5 rated cables, the cheapest you'll find these days in stores will be rated cat5e.

Most short distance (1m to 10m) network cables are made in factories by automated machines and they're easy enough to make that you can buy these with cat6a rating for maybe 10-30% extra cost compared to regular cat5e or cat6 ready-made cables.

 

The actual rating is almost always printed on the sleeve of the network cable.

 

If you have very old cables, it would be worth spending a few dollars on a patch cord (ready made network cable rated for cat5e or cat6/cat6a) to place between the router and your computer.

Wired connections are more reliable than wireless ones, and you have less latency compared to wireless.

[Electronics Wizardy]

16 minutes ago, goodtofufriday said:

thatd be a very very very old cable. most home networks in the usa dont have speeds beyond 100Mb anyways. 

I have had many cat 5's that won't work with gig, or switch between gig and 100

[The Benjamins]

29 minutes ago, goodtofufriday said:

thatd be a very very very old cable. most home networks in the usa dont have speeds beyond 100Mb anyways. 

I had a cable what would sometimes drop to 100, after I replaced it I would no longer have it slow down

[goodtofufriday]

1 hour ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

I have had many cat 5's that won't work with gig, or switch between gig and 100

 

47 minutes ago, The Benjamins said:

I had a cable what would sometimes drop to 100, after I replaced it I would no longer have it slow down

There are for sure problem cables and replacing them can fix speed issues.

 

But the question was if newer cable tech is faster. The new standard of cat6e really only exist to reduce cross-talk which is what allows for greater distances with the cable. So in a home network, as long as his cable is fine, it wont make a difference. 

[The Benjamins]

2 minutes ago, goodtofufriday said:

 

There are for sure problem cables and replacing them can fix speed issues.

 

But the question was if newer cable tech is faster. The new standard of cat6e really only exist to reduce cross-talk which is what allows for greater distances with the cable. So in a home network, as long as his cable is fine, it wont make a difference. 

ya, but he also said he had a very old cable. and sometimes they can go bad, which could cause that connection to drop to 100 or less. it is never a bad idea to replace it with a new cable, cables are cheap.

[Donut417]

4 hours ago, Doomerson said:

If I purchase a better router to replace my stock comcast router with, will I get better internet speeds without paying more monthly?

No. But you will get better WiFi most times. Because the Comcast router tend to have shit WiFi. Also, you could save your self $120 a year if you buy your own modem and router. As you are paying to rent that piece of dog shit from Comcast. 

[Watashi]

11 hours ago, The Benjamins said:

ya, but he also said he had a very old cable. and sometimes they can go bad, which could cause that connection to drop to 100 or less. it is never a bad idea to replace it with a new cable, cables are cheap.

That's the plan just about to measure the distance now.. 
I don't actually need 100 feet, but I'm going to assume that this is the right generation of cable?
https://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Ethernet-Cable-100-Feet/dp/B003RCEAB8/ref=s9u_simh_gw_i1?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pd_rd_i=B003RCEAB8&pd_rd_r=5270V0ETEB66XM5BWJP1&pd_rd_w=OpVfB&pd_rd_wg=aYvtt&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=WCY7KYWSPBB03G9QY7VG&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=781f4767-b4d4-466b-8c26-2639359664eb&pf_rd_i=desktop