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If you thought that all network cables are the same, you are wrong. These are the best models you can buy according to your needs and uses.
Despite living in a world where WiFi networks are everywhere, especially in our homes, even with the great advantages offered by technologies such as WiFi 6, it is still necessary network cables to use them on our PCs or consoles.
If you thought that just by choosing a length you had everything ready, there are actually more details that you have to take into account if you want buy the best network cable.
If you want to have the best internet connection, without lag problems and that offers you the maximum speed that your operator offers you and you are paying, there is nothing like having a good network cable, supported by a good router.
You may choose the cheapest cable in a store, but it may be a mistake because of the quality of its components, its shielding to avoid interference problems, or because it is the wrong category and will not give you the maximum speed.
Make no mistake, a good network cable does not have to be expensive, but you have to know several features.
- Primewire Cat 7
- Amazon BasicsCat 6
- Akake Cat 8
- Busohe Flat Network Cable
- The importance of the category of network cables
Primewire Cat 7
Primewire Cat 7
network cable 20 meter Cat 7 Primewire It is one of the best sellers in this size. 20 meters is a lot of meters and is a more appropriate distance to connect two distant rooms. But it is an excellent cable with a speed of up to 10,000 Mbps.
Considering that these 20 meters cost less than 18 euros, it is a good offer.
But surely for most mortals a 2-meter cable is more than enough to connect a laptop, console, Smart TV or any product with the router. This cable costs only 7.85 euros.
Amazon BasicsCat 6
If you don’t need much with your network cable needs and you have a speed less than 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps), then a cheap cable you can buy is from Amazon BasicsCat 6.
The 2.13-meter blue model costs 11.38 euros and has protection for the Ethernet head from getting caught.
They have models in white, black, red and green.
Akake Cat 8
Akake Cat 8
Do you want to prepare for the speeds that will come in the future in fiber optics? Then you will need a cable Cat 8 capable of supporting up to 40 Gbps and 2000 MHz. This model of 2 meter Akake It only costs 7.99 euros.
Of course, to get good speeds you have to take into account that you will need a computer with a compatible network card and the most normal thing is that your PC has a compatible one with more than 1 Gbps like this one from Xiaolo with 2.5 Gbps for less than 30 euros.
Busohe Flat Network Cable
Flat Network Cable Cat 7 Busohe
One of the curiosities of Ethernet cables is that many are not round. There are network cables with a flat design that are used especially when wiring a house on the outside of the wall. Being flat they do not look as much as round cables.
Even so, they maintain the same characteristics as the rest of the cables. If you are looking for a flat network cable to install through the wall, we recommend this Busohe Cat 7 cable of up to 10 Gbps and 10 meters away.
In addition, it has staples to nail to the wall for only 14.99 euros.
The importance of the category of network cables
Network cables differ especially in category. They are versions of the standard for Ethernet cables that identify how much maximum speed they can carry in addition to bandwidth.
There are still old Cat 5 network cables left in a few drawers, but they are the worst you can choose because they only have a speed of 100 Mbps. The most common network cables today are the Cat 6 with a speed of 1,000 Mbps.
- Cat5: 100Mbps – 100MHz
- Cat 5e: 1,000Mbps – 100MHz
- Cat 6: 1,000Mbps – 250MHz
- Cat 6a: 10,000Mbps – 500MHz
- Cat 7: 10,000Mbps – 600MHz
- Cat 7a: 10,000Mbps – 1000MHz
- Cat 8: 40,000Mbps – 2,000MHz
Surely today the network cable that is worth buying is Cat 6a. It offers a speed of 10 Gbps that is above the average speed offered by fiber optic operators, in addition to being shielded to avoid interference, for example when attached to an electrical cable.
If you want to take care of your health, it may be worth jumping to the Cat 7th or Cat 8 generation to reach higher speeds as soon as the operators offer more bandwidth.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism