Does it make sense to upgrade my ethernet cables?
Does it make sense to upgrade my ethernet cables?
So I self host some stuff like jellyfin, ssh server for borg backup etc. over lan(Asus RT-AX53U router).
And just noticed that i still use cat5 and cat5e cables.
Does it make sense to upgrade to newer cat8 cables?
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No, cat5e will easily carry 1gbit links and will probably even be fine for anything up to 10gbit.
If you have a lot of cables going in parallel you might want to check if they are shielded though.
I have 3 ethernet cables together with a dozen power, audio, display cables. Would it be better if I have a separate bundle for them? How would i check if they are shielded? They are around a meter long each.
If it's only a meter, don't worry about it.
You can guess if it is shielded or not by how hard the cables are to bend, but otherwise you need to cut them open and see if there is some metalized foil wrapped around the cables. I think this shielding is not mandatory by the specs so usually only the professional ones have it.
It could be labeled on the cable as well. Look for "UTP" (unshielded), "FTP" or "STP" (two different shielding types).
Heh... TIL ;)
Looks like there is actually a crazy amount of different types: https://www.universalnetworks.co.uk/faq/what-does-utp-s-utp-ftp-stp-and-sftp-mean/