I’m a new T-Mobile 5G Home Internet customer and I’d like to connect my desktop PC directly to the modem by Ethernet cable and the included one is far too short. What's the best type of cable to use with the current modem for optimal speeds? CAT5e? CAT6? I assume something like CAT8 would be overkill.
Userlevel 7
+15
Most things should be fine. RJ45, Cat5e, Cat6, or better.
Thanks for taking the time to reply, syaoran. However, my question isn’t which choice would be “fine” or adequate, but which would be optimal for speed. If you believe, based on technical expertise, that the type of Ethernet cable won’t make an effective difference (because perhaps in this situation, the modem itself would be the most limiting factor on speed), then please make that clear.
Userlevel 7
+15
Well, either of the cables I mentioned would be optimal. If you anticipate good speeds though, then Cat6 is what I would start with. The modem is limited by the Gigabit Ethernet ports as to how fast you can get, so even if the modem could pull 2 Gigabits, the ports are limited to 1 Gigabit, which in reality, is about 940Mbit as an average best case. Cat6 or Cat6e is plenty good for those speeds and it's usually cheaper than RJ45 with longer cables.
Cat 5e works fine with all my devices. IMHO, you do not need Cat 6 or better rating.
If you plan to connect more than one device using Ethernet, do get a good Gigabit switch. I am using a Dlink gigabit switch which works fine with my computers.
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