Network Cables

[doggitz]

Hello! I am new to the forum.

I do a fair bit of streaming and chanced upon some discussion/ads regarding network cables (e.g. CAT 5/6, etc). I have seen some of Gene's videos on digital cables and believe that he makes sense. That said, there are network cables out there for thousands of dollars. That doesn't make sense to me. The network signal needs to come to the house, through my modem, router, cable in the walls, and finally to my player. I do not see how spending a lot of money on a boutique network cable can make any difference at all. The ads seem to have typical subjective claims, without any objective data..

Is there a consensus of opinion? I would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks

Fred

 

[mtrycrafts]

Welcome to AH.

Follow Gene's suggestions.
You certainly don't need expensive cables. But it sells, so they stay in business.
You are correct about the cables in your house and to the router. Is your streaming working? If your run is short to the router that you have control over, Cat 5e is enough. If you don't have that cable and need to get one, get Cat6, should not be much more.
Enjoy.

 

[lovinthehd]

Those proposing the multi thousand dollar cables are called charlatans, and peddle snake oil. Not much to it other than bullshit.

 

[dolynick]

Unless you're network or Internet service is capable of passing through more that 2.5 Gbps, then you're fine with good old Cat 5e. Any reasonable quality cable will do (Amazon Basics has a nice selection). If you want to go up to 10 Gbps, then you need to look at Cat 6e or better.

If Cat 6e is not dramatically more than the Cat 5e cable, then it's probably smart to go with the 6e just for future considerations

Unless you have a very high end motherboard or have invested into a 10G network card, it's probably not something you have to worry about right now. 10 Gbps switching gear is still expensive enough that it's not widespread as a standard for most home users yet either.

 

[rajsingh]

Fred, you’re right boutique Ethernet cables won’t improve streaming. A solid CAT6/6a from a reputable brand with proper termination is all you need.

 

[everettT]

Invest in a crimper, by the bulk cable you need (cat5/6 grounded or ungrounded) and make your own. It's cheap and you will always have the right lengths, that's if you need more than a few cables.

 

[highfigh]

Thousands of dollars for cables that do what, improve audio while streaming? That sounds like FraudioQuest. They say their HDMI cables with batteries improve audio, too. Then, there's the gold plated shielded RJ-45 ends- yeah, that makes a lot of sense, especially when the other devices don't have gold plated port shields.

 

[highfigh]

Invest in a crimper, by the bulk cable you need (cat5/6 grounded or ungrounded) and make your own. It's cheap and you will always have the right lengths, that's if you need more than a few cables.

I would add that some kind of tester would be a good idea- it's not always easy to see the ends of the wires and how far into the end they go or if they're aligned correctly. Nothing like setting the pairs and having one wire go on a field trip into the wrong hole, then not knowing why the network connection doesn't work.

If someone wants to save a lot of money on the cable, go to Habitat ReStore- I just bought a box of CommScope Cat5e with more than 750' of cable for $5 a couple of days ago. Most mid-large cities have these stores and proceeds go to Habitat For Humanity. They often have great deals on lots of interesting items- I bought a new Broan 80cfm bathroom vent fan for $35 and two pairs of 6' long full extension drawer slides ($10/pair). If they don't have something at one location, there's a good chance they have it at another, or may have it soon- they don't know when things will come in, but I have seen Category cable frequently.

 

[dolynick]

Learning to crimp RJ-45 cables is a handy skill, especially if you need custom lengths. I'm betting that for standard lengths, it's probably as cheap (or less so if you only need a few) to just buy premade cables.