Recommended Cat 6a/7/8 cables for 10 Gbps?

[BBClone]

Hi everyone, I’m probably asking a very basic question to many of you here.

I recently got the 10 GBPs subscription for my internet, and I’m thinking of rewiring my house (which I seemingly remember was just Cat 6 back in 2012-13). Will get a suitable router to match.

Since I might redo it, I should go for the best local cable standards today. I’ve read up on the various cables, but still have no clear decision. Cat 6a works but may not be the latest, 7 seems to have some odd connectors, Cat 8 is still too expensive?

What would you all recommend? Thanks.

 

[xiaofan]

Hi everyone, I’m probably asking a very basic question to many of you here.

I recently got the 10 GBPs subscription for my internet, and I’m thinking of rewiring my house (which I seemingly remember was just Cat 6 back in 2012-13). Will get a suitable router to match.

Since I might redo it, I should go for the best local cable standards today. I’ve read up on the various cables, but still have no clear decision. Cat 6a works but may not be the latest, 7 seems to have some odd connectors, Cat 8 is still too expensive?

What would you all recommend? Thanks.

If your existing cable is CAT6, no need to do anything. CAT6 is good for 10Gbps up to 55m, which should not be an issue for typical household in Singapore.

CAT7/CAT8 basically no point at all.

For new cabling, then either CAT 6 or CAT 6A will be sufficient.

Post 10Gbps (eg: 25Gbps/50Gbps), Fibre is the way to go -- but no need to worry about that at least until 2030.

Reference: Cat5/5e, Cat6/6a, Cat7 and Cat8 Cable Buying Guide
https://www.fs.com/blog/cat5e-cat6a-cat7-and-cat8-cable-buying-guide-2647.html

CAT6: 250MHz/1Gbps/100m (10Gbps at 37-55m)​

CAT6A: 500MHz/10Gbps/100m.​

CAT7: 600MHz/10Gbps/100m (40Gbps at 50m).​

CAT8: 2000MHz/25Gbps for Cat8.1 and 40Gbps for Cat8.2 (mainly used in data centers).​

 

[BBClone]

If your existing cable is CAT6, no need to do anything. CAT6 is good for 10Gbps up to 55m, which should not be an issue for typical household in Singapore.

CAT7/CAT8 basically no point at all.

For new cabling, then either CAT 6 or CAT 6A will be sufficient.

Post 10Gbps (eg: 25Gbps/50Gbps), Fibre is the way to go -- but no need to worry about that at least until 2030.

Reference: Cat5/5e, Cat6/6a, Cat7 and Cat8 Cable Buying Guide
https://www.fs.com/blog/cat5e-cat6a-cat7-and-cat8-cable-buying-guide-2647.html

CAT6: 250MHz/1Gbps/100m (10Gbps at 37-55m)​

CAT6A: 500MHz/10Gbps/100m.​

CAT7: 600MHz/10Gbps/100m (40Gbps at 50m).​

CAT8: 2000MHz/25Gbps for Cat8.1 and 40Gbps for Cat8.2 (mainly used in data centers).​

I see, thanks!

I understand you’re active on the router subforums too, may I ask for 10 Gbps is ASUS RT-BE88U sufficient? The ROG GT-98U is a bit too expensive and massive for where I stay.

Not too keen on TP-Link BE800.

 

[xiaofan]

I see, thanks!

I understand you’re active on the router subforums too, may I ask for 10 Gbps is ASUS RT-BE88U sufficient? The ROG GT-98U is a bit too expensive and massive for where I stay.

Not too keen on TP-Link BE800.

If you do not need 6GHz band wireless, then Asus RT-BE88U is good enough, same flagship Broadcom BCM4916 CPU and same 2GB RAM as ROG GT-BE98.

 

[BBClone]

If you do not need 6GHz band wireless, then Asus RT-BE88U is good enough, same flagship Broadcom BCM4916 CPU and same 2GB RAM as ROG GT-BE98.

I had some confusion because the BE88U only listed a single 5 ghz bandwidth of up to 5.7 Gbps, and total of 7.2 Gbps… not sure if it will suffice for 10 Gbps.

 

[xiaofan]

I had some confusion because the BE88U only listed a single 5 ghz bandwidth of up to 5.7 Gbps, and total of 7.2 Gbps… not sure if it will suffice for 10 Gbps.

For 10Gbps plans (real bandwidth is about 8.2Gbps because of XGS-PON limitation), you are not expected to saturate the full bandwidth with just wireless device, rather you need to use at least one 10G capable wired device.

Reference: WiFi and Network configuration for 5Gbps/10Gbps plans
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...ns-for-3gbps-5gbps-6gbps-10gbps-plan.7073159/

 

[sglandscape]

This might get too technical, but if you're happening to be renovating your house and planning to rewire, instead of putting in cat7/8 cables, do cat6 and lay OM4 fibre cabling should future proof you for a long time. If you're on a tighter budget you could also get away with OM3 fibre.

 

[phayze]

I Tested EVERY Ethernet Cable... You WON'T Believe the Results!​

10Gbps Ethernet: At What Length Do Speeds Drop? (We Tested It with CAT5E!)​

Does Ethernet Cable Length REALLY Affect Speed? (Cat6 Testing up to 10Gbps!)​

 

[phayze]

SHOCKING 10Gbps Ethernet Cable Test! Cat5e vs Cat6 vs Cat6a vs Cat7 vs Cat8 at 300ft (91m)!​