If that’s not the case and you only surf the internet’s shallow waters, you don’t need a fast in-homer network.Īs today’s routers become faster and more capable, facilitating faster network speeds, you need more capable cables to take full advantage. Still, if you frequently move big files between computers or stream extremely high-bandwidth video, a better Ethernet cable can make a huge difference. This knowledge is irrelevant to most home users. Next, consider the speed needed for your network. If your subscription only supports 50Mbps downloads, purchasing a 1Gbps Ethernet cable is simply overkill - at least for now. Doing so will give you a starting idea of what you’ll need in terms of wired connectivity. If you don’t know your internet subscription’s actual speed, connect your PC directly to the modem and load this speed test. If you have a slower connection - perhaps 10 or 20 megabits per second - you’re good with anything Cat 5 or newer. If you have gigabit internet (1Gbps), an old Ethernet cord will hold you back.

Start with the speed of your home internet connection. The easiest way to select a cable is to pick one with the range and performance you need. How do you choose? VisualField/Getty Images So, start here when figuring out how to choose the best Ethernet cable for your home or work. We’ll explain what shields do and why you may - or may not - need them. We’ve defined these terms and put together tables comparing the benefits and issues with different Ethernet cables. Figuring out which cabling works for you without going overboard is hard, but we’re here to help. Megabits, Cats, and cables get a bit confusing when you are looking at Ethernet cables.

Cable to lan adapter