# Cat6, Cat5e, Cat5... which one should i get?



## winterwonderland (Jun 15, 2020)

I am only planning to use it for my pc, ps4, xbox and laptop... but which one should i go for? i need a 10m (32ft) long cable because that is how long the fiber router is away from my pc... does it matter if i go for cat5e or cat6..? My fiber speed is 50/50mbps, so i am good to go with a cat5e, correct? maybe i can just go for cat6, or? Upon googling, it says that cat6 is also backwards compatible and will work with most routers, right? Also, does it matter if the cable's flat or regular..? never seen a flat cat6 cable... heh

Any thoughts/advises about this?


----------



## TheLostSwede (Jun 15, 2020)

As long as it's Cat 5e or better, you don't have to worry about it, as that's for Gigabit speeds. 
It doesn't hurt getting a Cat 6 or a Cat 6A cable for that matter, but it's also no point in wasting money on a more expensive cable in this case.
All Ethernet cables up to Cat 6A are "backwards compatible" in the sense that they're just higher quality versions of the "same" type of cabling with the same type of connector.








						Ethernet over twisted pair - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




Personally I mainly use flat patch cables, although all the cables in the walls in my house are regular cables.

Don't waste money on Cat 7 or Cat 8 cables, as Cat 7 is not an Ethernet standard and Cat 8 is way overkill.


----------



## dirtyferret (Jun 15, 2020)

5e is fine for your speed (even 5 can handle it) and flat or round makes little difference


----------



## winterwonderland (Jun 15, 2020)

Gotcha. Thanks for the replies and clearing things up for me.

Apparently, flat Cat6 cables seem to be about the same price as Cat5e around here.

But... it says something about FTP/UTP/S-FTP... which one is the "normal"/standard one?


----------



## TheLostSwede (Jun 15, 2020)

minstreless said:


> Gotcha. Thanks for the replies and clearing things up for me.
> 
> Apparently, flat Cat6 cables seem to be about the same price as Cat5e around here.
> 
> But... it says something about FTP/UTP/S-FTP... which one is the "normal"/standard one?


In your case, unless there's a lot of interference from other electronics or electrical devices, you have nothing to worry about. It's all about the shielding on the cables.













						Twisted pair - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## v12dock (Jun 15, 2020)

I can tell you that terminating STP is much more difficult than UTP.


----------



## winterwonderland (Jun 15, 2020)

TheLostSwede said:


> In your case, unless there's a lot of interference from other electronics or electrical devices, you have nothing to worry about. It's all about the shielding on the cables.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Okay, so it really doesn't matter which one i go for, huh? 

Well, i believe that clears things for me. Cat6 it is, and i am positive it'll do me good.

Thanks again for all the advises and help, din svenske tiger.


----------



## agentnathan009 (Jun 15, 2020)

minstreless said:


> I am only planning to use it for my pc, ps4, xbox and laptop... but which one should i go for? i need a 10m (32ft) long cable because that is how long the fiber router is away from my pc... does it matter if i go for cat5e or cat6..? My fiber speed is 50/50mbps, so i am good to go with a cat5e, correct? maybe i can just go for cat6, or? Upon googling, it says that cat6 is also backwards compatible and will work with most routers, right? Also, does it matter if the cable's flat or regular..? never seen a flat cat6 cable... heh
> 
> Any thoughts/advises about this?



Cat 5e would be sufficient, but Cat 6 doesn't cost much more for the same length and is guaranteed to negotiate 1 Gbps bandwidth due to tighter wire twist and can have foil underneath the sheathing to shield from electronic interference, though the shielding won't do a lot if you don't have a shielded plug end and shielded (grounded) ports on your equipment. CAT 7 is a legitimate standard for ethernet cable, and is capable of 10Gbps and has tighter wire twists and each pair is wrapped in foil along with the entire cable being shielded. The article below will help you understand the differences.









						What are the differences between Cat5, Cat6, and Cat7 Ethernet cables?
					

There are many types of Ethernet cables, but which one is right for you?




					www.pcgamer.com
				




"So what are the differences between the modern categories, and which one should you use for your home network?"


----------



## FordGT90Concept (Jun 16, 2020)

I'd recommend CAT6 and never buy flat cables (inadequate separation).  CAT6 is not that much more expensive than CAT5e and, over short distances (55m or less), they should be able to handle upwards of 10 Gb.

CAT7 is not a TIA/EIA standard.  It's just a group of faster-than-CAT6 cables and connectors without any standards in regards to cables nor connectors.  CAT8 is the next TIA/EIA standard after CAT6 which uses RJ45 connectors and 8p/8w cables.

I would never buy a "CAT7" cable because it literally means nothing.  The ones I was shown on Amazon, for example, are CAT5e at best.



Circling back: CAT5e would work fine but if this is a cable you intend to use for a long time, then CAT6 is worth the few cents more per foot it costs.  Never by flat cables, especially CAT6 and higher; they're not standard.


----------



## hat (Jun 16, 2020)

Cat5e, or even plain cat5 (although most cable is 5e anyway) will be fine for this. Use cat6, or better, 6a, for more "permanent" installations or longer runs, such as through walls, floors and patch panels.


----------



## bonehead123 (Jun 16, 2020)

Just for reference, but I found this during some research (for an office install) a while back:


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 16, 2020)

Cleansed of the mess. OP got his answer and seems happy with the advice. Closing up shop for now.

@minstreless If you wish this reopened PM a moderator or report the OP and we can unlock it.


----------

