A few years you used to buy ethernet cables from brick and mortar stores. And things were just fine. You would just walk in, make your pick and walk out. Until one fine day, you realized that your friends order it online. From within their comfort zone and that too, in a few clicks. You like the idea but are utterly perplexed. Still, you give in to the peer pressure and decide to order for Cat6A Cables online.
And before you know, another confusion pops up.
If you specify every tiny detail about the cable you want, the prices you see are soaring. And if you underspecify it, you feel that you would be stuck with underperforming cables. Everyone would want to shop for an ethernet cable that offers good performance at cost-effective prices. So, if you want to ensure that you bring the best cables, you must understand a couple of things.
Know About Your Requirements
Most of the networks available these days have an option of both, Ethernet or Wifi cables. As you all know, Wi-fi has advanced and it offers better performances with each passing day. But the best part about using these cables is that they provide the users with a superior quality performance, offer swift connections, and have lower latency.
Sometimes internet connections weaken the performance and you will observe that even fiber broadband is slower as compared to Ethernet cables. So, if just want to surf the internet, an average ethernet cable will also do. However, the latest the version is, the better. - Cat6A cables are one such example. You might have some old Ethernet Cables but it is likely that they might affect the overall streaming performance. If you have recently purchased a new router, you might find a faster category.
Know About the Types
Cat 5, Cat 6, Cat 7 are the most widely used cables with CAT5 being the oldest and CAT7 being the newest version that renders high-quality performance. Now, as a different category of cables has different levels of performance, you must select a cable that meets with the system requirement.
Check the Device Compatibility
The best part about Ethernet Cables is that you can interchange them. Also, they are backward compatible. With the old cable version like CAT5, the only issue is that it doesn't support fast data transfer speed.
You can plug a CAT5 cable into a router which has a 10G Ethernet interface. But it will lower the data transfer. This might or might not be a problem based on the file transfer. In the same way, you can end up plugging a CAT7 cable into an old router that might/might not be supportive of latest cable speeds. Hence, there is a lot of flexibility with these cables.
Speed Considerations
If you want to get the best speed out of your Ethernet cables, CAT6 and CAT6A cables are the best choices. Also, they're perfect for future proofing and do not cost more than CAT 5. It is better not to use CAT5 if you are looking for a good amount of speed as they have become obsolete. As of now, CAT7 cables do not offer more advantage over CAT6A cables. Although, if you want to maintain the speed of network over long distances, they are a good choice.
Wrapping It Up...
The type of cable you choose depends on the kind of speed you are looking for and whether or not you want to future-proof your home/office system. If you want to buy cables for commercial purposes, do not mind shelling out more. Saving finances at the expense of performance is a bad idea. Over and above all, ensure that you buy from an authentic and popular online vendor.