Summary
I’ve been on something of a network odyssey in recent months. When we moved home, I set out to make sure that as many devices as possible were hardwired into our network. Wi-Fi is great, but it can’t beat a good 2.5-gigabit Ethernet cable. And in an attempt to keep unsightly cables out of the way as much as possible, I turned to the flat kind. But that was a mistake. Flat Ethernet cables are designed to look as good as possible, something most round cables just don’t consider. They’re also easier to place under carpet strips when cables need to move between rooms. But that design can also lead to fluctuating, intermittent performance. Now, I’m all-in on the boring old round cables. And I think you’ll agree that’s the best option, too. Anatomy of a network cable Twisted pairs and crosstalk To understand why flat Ethernet cables can sometimes fail under more demanding conditions, we first have to understand how cables transport data from one end to the other. Cables use differential signaling to minimize signal noise. Inside a standard network cable, eight copper conductors are twisted into four specific pairs. Each pair carries two inverted versions of the same electrical signal. When the device at the end of the cable receives the incoming data, it compares the two signals and cancels out any noise picked up during the transmission. This process is called common-mode rejection. For common-mode rejection to work properly, the copper pairs must remain tightly twisted around each other. That ensures that both wires in a pair absorb the same amount of external electrical noise. But this is a problem for flat Ethernet cables for three main reasons.
- To keep the cable as thin as possible, manufacturers often have to untwist the internal pairs or lay them side by side in a line.
- When copper cables run parallel over certain distances without being twisted tightly together, electromagnetic energy can bleed from one wire to another. This results in crosstalk.
- Excessive crosstalk can cause bit errors at the physical layer. While network protocols automatically request dropped packets to be resent, the out-of-sync packets can cause network jitter, lag spikes, and packet loss. By contrast, standard round Ethernet cables maintain a precise twist of wires throughout the entire length of the cable. Wire gauge, resistance, vulnerability The compromises of flat cables Beyond layout, the physical thickness of the copper wires inside flat cables introduces its own problems compared with traditional round cables. Ethernet cables use the American Wire Gauge (AWG) standard to specify the thickness of the copper wires used within them. The higher the number, the thinner the wire, with a standard Cat6 cable typically using 23 AWG or 24 AWG copper wires. But because flat Ethernet cables must be as thin as possible, they almost exclusively use 30 AWG or 32 AWG wires. The disparity in wire thickness introduces two potential failure points for flat Ethernet cables.
- Thinner wires mean a significantly higher electrical resistance. Signals traveling down a 32 AWG flat cable degrade faster than they would on a standard 24 AWG round cable.
- The ultra-thin 32 AWG wires can break easily when bent. Flat cables tend to be used under carpets and in doorways, and the foot traffic can cause microscopic fractures in the wires — causing signal degradation and ultimately, the failure of the cable.
Ironically, the main reason that people buy flat cables can be the very reason that they break or simply don’t perform the way a standard round cable would.
Running interference
It comes from everywhere
Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) comes from a whole host of things in the modern home. Wi-Fi routers, power strips and surge protectors, poor-quality wiring, and more all contribute to EMI. And EMI is bad news for flat Ethernet cables.
Because flat Ethernet cables are so thin, they usually lack the insulation or shielding required to keep EMI away from their copper wires. That means a flat cable can easily pick up EMI from devices in your home. To make matters worse, many of them are often found on or under your desk — the same place you might choose to use a flat Ethernet cable.
EMI on a flat Ethernet cable can be enough to severely impact its ability to transmit data reliably. In the worst scenarios, you can expect bit errors, ping spikes, and overall speed degradation.
Conversely, standard, round Ethernet cables are built to isolate their internal signals from the outside world. They have thick outer jackets, and their inner wires are sufficiently spaced from one another. Some cables even use foil shielding or internal shielding of the individual pairs themselves. They can only do that because they don’t need to be as thin as a flat cable.
Choose function over form
It’s decision time
This isn’t to say flat Ethernet cables don’t have their place. If you need to cover a short distance and are sure the cable won’t be bent or repeatedly adjusted, a flat cable can certainly get the job done.
Flat Ethernet cables have their place, but you should avoid them if you need a cable for high-bandwidth or latency-sensitive connections. Especially across longer distances and if the cable won’t be sufficiently protected. For that job, a standard, round Ethernet cable is best.
UGREEN Cat 8 Ethernet Cable - Brand
- UGREEN
- Length
- 6ft
- Cable Type
- Ethernet
- Connector Type
- RJ45 Fast, durable, and affordable is what you get when choosing the UGREEN Cat 8 Ethernet Cable. It boasts speeds of up to 40Gbps with a bandwidth of 2,000MHz. Additionally, interference and crosstalk are minimal, with four individually shielded, twisted pairs and a layer of aluminum foil protection. The cable has also been thoroughly tested to ensure it can withstand up to 10,000 bends, thanks to its durable, braided design.