What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

[#1]

I need to move my router slightly further from the ONT. For this I need a longer ethernet cable. Am slightly thrown by the red ends on the one supplied. Am I okay to get any old Cat 8 cable or am I looking for something more specialised?

[#2]

Any Ethernet cable CAT5E or above will suffice, CAT8 is overkill and expensive.

[#3 · Accepted solution]

Hi @chipchop1 

A warm welcome to the forums.

"Any old CAT 8 cable"

CAT 8 is anything but "any old cable" and is way over specification for the purpose discussed - see What is Cat8 Ethernet Cable and how is it different? (cablesandkits.com)

"For home equipment, Cat6a is more than sufficient, even for gaming, and Cat8 cable can be difficult to install and overkill for most home applications"

EDIT: @jab1 typed faster than me whilst I checked the specifications...

[#4]

Thank you. Helpful.

[#5]

Thank you very much. Am on it.

[#6]

@jab1 wrote:

"CAT8 is overkill and expensive."

Also, in my experience, as you go up in the "CAT specs", the cables become less flexible and more difficult to route neatly.

I assume this is due to thicker conductors and screening etc?

.

[#7]

Am slightly thrown by the red ends on the one supplied.

The ONLY reason for the red ends is to make the instructions, supplied with the router, very simple!  It is basically connect the cable to the same coloured socket on the router...

[#8]

Thank you. Understood. As a novice in this world just being as thorough as I can to find my own solutions.

[#9]

@chipchop1 

Cat5e should do you fine - just make sure you get a good, solid copper core cable. Cheap is always best.

Brian

[#10]

---

@bmc wrote:

- just make sure you get a good, solid copper core cable. Cheap is always best.

---

@bmc 

I think you might have meant to say copper as opposed to CCA (copper clad aluminium), and not solid copper as that is what is used in structured cabling, as opposed to stranded cores for flexible patch cables.

And cheap is not always best.

[#11]

@RobPN 

You are quite correct - I meant copper only as opposed to CCA or CCS (copper clad steel). I did mean to say cheap is not always best.

Brian

[#12]

Interesting topic. I bought a `very long` Ethernet cable off Amazon I think it was around 7 years ago? I have NO idea what `spec` it is but most of it is lying in a large coil on the floor near my Hub2 Plusnet router in the living room where it`s plugged into said router. It`s worked really well so far given it runs around the skirting in the living room, through a door, up the wall and up a flight of stairs and then goes under a doorway and over to my laptop! 

Reading this topic, it got me thinking about what `type` of ethernet cable mine is? I`ve no idea because when I went looking for a longer cable and saw this one on Amazon (don`t have an account there anymore) I wasn`t very clued up about what I was buying other than it was long and was ethernet! 🙄

All I can say is, the cable is all white, as are both the molded `ends` that plug in, with clear Perspex showing on the ends. So no color to it at all. I can see a small amount of copper wiring but unless I unplug it, that`s all I can see. Wish I`d kept the label/packaging now. I`m due to go FTTP next month so maybe the BT guy can identify it for me....or maybe not...

[#13]

@plusmouse Unless there are printed markings along the cable sheath I doubt anyone can identify the exact spec without expensive test equipment. Probably Cat5e if it's a few years old and has 8 cores in each plug, so fine up to 100 metres at Gigabit speeds.

[#14]

@HPsauce - Yes, I`ll probably need a magnifying glass and then work my way along the cable! 😄 There may not be any print on the wiring though so I won`t be any wiser. Does the job though so that`s all that matters, I guess. 

[#15]

OK, I had a look at my ethernet and the writing printed along the cable said the following:

U/UTP - CAT5E Standard 26 AWG 4P Patch ISO/IEC 11801 and Anti/tia 568-C.2 networking cable.

Not a clue what that means but wondering if this will see me through a good more years before I need to look for an upgrade? I`ll be moving from FTTC to FTTP in October but as far as my ethernet cable goes, it should wok just the same? Is it the speed factor that determines which cables work best with whichever BB connection someone has?