Cat 5e cable is needed to deliver reliable performance with Gigabit Ethernet at distances up to metres, and is currently the most widely deployed type of cabling. It is now relatively unusual to see new computers, routers and set-top boxes that are not equipped with Gigabit Ethernet as it is seen to offer the best balance between cost and performance for equipment manufacturers.
Higher-specification Ethernet cabling is required to get the best out of 10 GbE with very long cable runs. Cat 6a cable is required with 10 Gigabit Ethernet for reliable performance with cable lengths up to metres. However, the good news is that lower-specification cables can often be successfully used, particularly with the shorter cable lengths required in a typical home. For example, Cat 6 cable can be used with 10 Gigabit Ethernet for cables runs of up to 55 metres, which is more than sufficient for domestic premises.
While the use of Cat 5e is not officially recommended for use with 10 GbE, some broadband users have found they they are able to achieve reliable 10 GbE operation with relatively short below 20 metres Cat 5e cable runs.
Two lower-performance variants based on the 10 Gigabit Ethernet standard were standardised in , principally designed to operate with existing cabling used for Gigabit Ethernet. Similarly, 2. For the lengths typically required in a home, affordable Cat 6 or better cable is widely available. As discussed in more detail below, if there is nothing in your network straining the capabilities of Gigabit Ethernet such as network storage devices , then 10 GbE will not provide any noticeable benefit compared with Gigabit Ethernet.
It is vital that 10 GbE provides you with added value over Gigabit Ethernet since it can suffer from a number of disadvantages compared with Gigabit Ethernet, which include:. As we will show with our own 10 GbE network configuration below, by being clear on exactly what network configuration you need may often allow you to reduce the required specification of 10 GbE equipment. This could significantly reduce costs and avoid the need for noisy fans while being able to use existing Ethernet cabling.
In the majority of cases, it is simply overkill to 10 GbE-enable all ports on a switch. Unnecessarily over-engineering your home network will usually increase costs and require noisy fans — all for absolutely no performance gain. While it can be nice to have bragging rights from installing the latest, fastest networking technology, we cannot emphasise enough that there should be tangible benefit from deploying 10 GbE.
Furthermore, we recommend that you sit down and carefully work out your optimum network configuration before spending any money. There are two particular cases where 10 GbE may be particularly advantageous, which are discussed in detail next. These are when there is:. If neither of these two apply to you, you are probably best sticking with Gigabit Ethernet, which hits the sweet spot of performance, cost and power consumption for many consumers.
Over the last few years, internal and external storage has been getting quicker, particularly with the introduction and developments of Solid State Drives SSDs.
Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3 connectivity have allowed external devices to rival the speeds achieved by internal storage devices. Gigabit Ethernet is sufficient for applications like background back-ups, where the relatively slow read and write speeds will not affect productivity. However, more intensive applications — such as real-time editing and playback of high-resolution video — demand faster read and write speeds than Gigabit Ethernet can deliver if you require seamless, consistent performance.
By increasing transmission speeds by a factor of ten over Gigabit Ethernet, 10 GbE can deliver performance with network storage that is more akin to the fastest internal storage currently available.
With 10 Gigabit Ethernet, a transmission speed of 10 Gbps 10, Mbps equates to a transfer rate of 1, Mbytes per second. This permits the speedy and smooth editing of high-quality e. Ultra HD 4k video. While individual devices may require no more than a Gigabit Ethernet connection, aggregation of multiple Gigabit Ethernet links for example, using a switch can potentially create traffic bottlenecks without the use of 10 GbE links.
When considering Gigabit Ethernet, it is important not to just consider the expected traffic flows to and from individual devices. A transmission speed of 1Gbps may be more than ample for connecting the vast majority of individual devices including computers, games consoles and set-top boxes. However, you should not forget that, in your particular network, you may be aggregating traffic using switches.
In some situations and network configurations, there could be a risk of bottlenecks when the traffic from individual devices is aggregated together. Take, as an example, an 8-port Gigabit Ethernet switch, which is used to connect seven individual devices located close to each another, with the final port connected by cable to the router. We recently reviewed it and you can find the breakdown and results here:.
While they can provide a lot of useful information, it is sometimes one-sided and not always in your best interest. It is important to expose yourself to a few objective tips like these that can help you determine when upgrading to 10GbE is right for your network.
For the best results, you should experiment with different 10GbE options in a confined, non-mission critical or developmental part of your network or data center. Once you have decided on the best products and solutions for your company, avoid massive capital expenditures by scaling your 10GbE deployment across your network over a period of time, starting with the core and working outward to the edge.
Utilize third-party maintenance and support providers to help determine and preserve the useful life of legacy components. In many cases, you can find a practical, cost-effective hybrid solution that weds previous generation hardware with current best-of-breed products, and exceeds the performance, availability, and capacity requirements for your data center. That means you can scale your access gradually along with the network you have.
If you want to learn more about the TeraStation Range, click here:. Although fiber cable has a much longer reach with 10GBASE-T losing efficiency over 20 metres and reduced electromagnetic interference, copper cable is still popular for its reliability and cost-effectiveness. This is also true in 10GbE network too. Before building a 10G home-lab, you should consider your needs carefully. Furthermore, 10GBase-T is more suitable for traditionally structured wiring. This description contains links to Amazon.
These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today's content. This manifests in that where, within an RJ45 connector, Cat5e cable has all 8 internal wires in a line, Cat6 and Cat6a have this staggered format. Cat5 and 5e has the internal wires in the connector straight cat6 and up cable is fatter so need the staggered internal layout. Because those cables are specified thicker, 23AWG, or American Wire Gauge in the case of 6A you get a better signal, which means faster sustained data speeds, and with 6a, the insulation around each twisted pair of wires means faster transfer over longer distances too.
So if 6a is the better of the two, why am I telling you to use 6 over 6A? Simply because 6A is like the thickness of a babies arm! And I can tell you from bitter experience that trying to thread that down a wall cavity is a horrible experience! For the distances I was running, Cat6 was more than good enough, as it can carry 10GBe for upto 55m. My runs were at most about 20m, tops and as an added bonus, Cat6 is considerably cheaper at about half the price of comparable rated Cat6a.
One more reason to not use Cat6a is that it made connecting the network wall sockets difficult. So I re-wired the RJ45 connector in the loft, and redid the connector on the wall. Then I thought about the thickness of the cables and wondered if that was the issue. So I stripped the insulation off each individual wire before pushing them in to the little grippers so I could be certain I was getting copper on copper connection and hey presto, that was the issue.
I certainly did the same thing with the other plates that had 6a running into them. Now, one other point on the exciting topic of cable; be sure to get full copper wire cabling. So, to summarise, get standard Cat6, with full copper wire. If I was doing it again I would just have them all use Cat6.
Well, it does. The first Cat6a rated connectors I bought were awful — basically impossible to get the individual cables down. The ones you want are like this and they come with a cable guide. Then you may want to just gently squeeze the cable insulation a little to make it a little flatter and able to fit in the plug more easily.
Then, crimp the plug, tighten the metal collar, and push the boot back over the end. When it comes to wire order, the network wall plates have their own markings. The ones I got had one for the A standard on the inside, one for B standard on the outside. Those two are just different standards for how to wire the connectors. You can do it the other way around if you want but then generally, all your cables need to be the same way too. Every house is constructed differently so the particulars of which drill bits and how to run your wire are out of scope.
However, there are a few particulars that I think everyone is going to need. These are linked up with affiliate links in the vein hope I might make 20p from Amazon if someone buys one:.
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