Forum Discussion

RonnyJ's avatar
RonnyJ
Neighbour
5 years ago
Solved

Ethernet Cable Specifications

I am building a new home in Kelowna that will have TELUS fibre feed.  I would like some input on what number of Ethernet cable should be wired throughout the house.  I understand there are four diffe...
  • giantbrownguy's avatar
    5 years ago

    I think the big thing is that individual data transmission is limited based on the standard you use. Cat 5e is limited to 1gbps bandwidth, Cat 6 is 10 gbps, but the specs also deal with noise and cross talk. This article (https://www.cablematters.com/blog/Networking/what-is-cat7-and-why-you-don-t-need-it) suggests Cat 7 is overkill and not standardized by international regulators yet. I have Cat 5e on Fibre 1gbps with no issue. If you want to plan for future speeds, you can install Cat 6 and be ahead of the game, but speeds will always be limited at both ends (i.e., your network but also that at the site you're accessing). If the cost difference isn't significant, my perspective is to always go for the best.