ethernet vs telephone cable

sra

quick question:

Is there anything special about ethernet cable?

A while back I was looking for some but couldn't find any. Then in woolworths I saw some very thin telephone wire with a 'slimline plug' which fitted the sockets and had the bonus of fitting under the carpet without a bulge.

But now I'm upgrading my broadband to maximum speed and I'm wondering if it's upto the job.
thanks

LincsLad_3

Yes, there is a difference.

The wires within a CAT5 (network) cable are twisted and arranged in such a way as to minimise 'crosstalk' interference. Network cable is manufactured to a higher standard than telephone cable, even though the plugs on the ends look similar!

You can run phone systems over network cable, but not (reliably) the other way around. It would be a false economy to try to use the Woolies phone cable on your network.

But why aren't you going wireless anyway?

sra

thanks - just what I figured. Woolies Wire was a temporary measure - Almost every electrical shop I know have become a mobile phone shops and its surprisingly hard to find stuff.

I'll have to get some online

One more thing - what about the categories available. (cat 5e/6 etc)?

benb_3

CAT5 cable will be perfectly good for any current home setup, and is what's used in most office LAN wiring.

CAT5e (the "e" stands for enhanced) is slightly higher quality. Not required for round the house wiring, but is becoming the current standard. It#ll probably be higher priced.

CAT6, last I looked, had actually yet to be ratified (correct me if I'm wrong, someone!). It's rated for a higher frequency bandwidth - ie it's better quality

Just make sure that when you buy your cables that you check whether they are "straight" or "crossover". For most applications you'll want straight cables, but check your manuals (for instance if you have a broadband router, check it's manual) to see if crossover cables are needed.

PC World stock cables for just this kind of application. You could also try RD Components - that's where a lot of techie tradesman types would source their cables.

Wireless is the catch-all answer to each of your questions, though!

Hope that helps,
B

sra

thanks

benb_3

ooops - I meant "RS components":

http://rswww.com/

B

sra

I've found out where my local pc world is and will go there tomorrow.

I'll probally buy the best I can find as Its probably a false economy to pay for high-speed broadban then pipe it through cheap wires.

Just out of curiosity though - Why is this so cheap?

LincsLad_3

If you have a large B&Q near you, they will be cheaper for Cat5 cables than PCW. They also offer a 'networking kit' (50m of cable and 4 outlets and patch cables) for £35. https://www.diy.com and search for 'patch cable' in Computer & Networking Accessories.

If you have a local PC shop, they will probably make up cables to the length you want and still be cheaper than PCW.

If you have a local Maplins they will be cheaper too.

The eBay price is about what I would pay for that length of cable when bought in bulk (or when 'acquired' from work ).

sra

If you have a large B&Q near you, they will be cheaper for Cat5 cables than PCW

Didn't know they'd stock it - one just down the road!!

thanks

LincsLad_3

CAT6, last I looked, had actually yet to be ratified (correct me if I'm wrong, someone!). It's rated for a higher frequency bandwidth - ie it's better quality

I *think* Cat6 has now been ratified - from memory the basic differences are that all 8 cables are used in Cat6 wiring, it is manufactured to a higher spec, and supports Gigabit Ethernet (1000MBPS as opposed to the 'current' 100MBPS) at higher speeds than Cat5e.

But you are quite correct - Cat 5 is fine for home use.

LincsLad_3

Didn't know they'd stock it - one just down the road!!

They don't all stock it, but for the potential saving involved, consider buying online from them.