Yes CAT5 if you really want to future proof CAT6
Bandphan is right about CAT5
Bandwidth precedes data rates just as highways come before traffic. Doubling the bandwidth is like adding twice the number of lanes on a highway. The trends of the past and the predictions for the future indicate that data rates have been doubling every 18 months. Current applications running at 1 Gb/s are really pushing the limits of category 5e cabling. As streaming media applications such as video and multi-media become commonplace, the demands for faster data rates will increase and spawn new applications that will benefit from the higher bandwidth offered by category 6. This is exactly what happened in the early 90’s when the higher bandwidth of category 5 cabling compared to category 3 caused most LAN applications to choose the better media to allow simpler, cost effective, higher speed LAN applications, such as 100BASE-TX. Note: Bandwidth is defined as the highest frequency up to which positive power sum ACR (Attenuation to Crosstalk Ratio) is greater than zero.
What is the general difference between category 5e and category 6?
The general difference between category 5e and category 6 is in the transmission performance, and extension of the available bandwidth from 100 MHz for category 5e to 200 MHz for category 6. This includes better insertion loss, near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss, and equal level far end crosstalk (ELFEXT). These improvements provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing higher reliability for current applications and higher data rates for future applications.
Also to future proof, you might want to run shielded speaker wire to every possible locvation youn might ever have speakers. I would use 12 gauge wire. Any larger wire is not needed.
Because DSL uses phone lines , you also might want to run phone lines everywhere you possibly might have a PC, game machine. HT equipment and even phones.
You could run fiber, but the standards keep evolving and the interface is usually pretty pricey. You could run dark fiber to your main Internet and HT and PC locations. But again, in the past in business, the fiber stanard changes and sometimes the runs are obseleted by newer technology.
Running cable in new construction or before drywall is up is relatively cheap.
In summary, run CAT5/CAT6, speaker wire and phone lines obsentsively!
