Summary
When it comes to buying a shiny new Ethernet cable, it’s easy to fall into the trap of just choosing the one with the biggest “Cat” number. Conventional wisdom suggests that the bigger the number, the faster the cable. And if you’re buying one, it might as well be future-proofed, right? But that isn’t necessarily the case if you’re looking to buy a Cat7 cable. The reality is that Cat7 is more about marketing than performance. In fact, there’s a good chance that your new Cat7 cable isn’t actually capable of anything more than any old cable. The reason? Diverging technology standards. The standards dilemma IEEE vs. ISO/IEC Before we get into why Cat7 cables are a misstep for home users, we first have to look at how Ethernet standards work and where the Cat7 name comes from. The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) sets the standards for Ethernet equipment. Whenever the IEEE decides on a new Ethernet speed specification, it defines exactly what cabling infrastructure supports it. As an example, when the IEEE set out to define a standard for 10-gigabit home and office networking, it settled on Category 6A, or Cat6A. But Category 7 (Cat7) was created by a different body entirely. While the ISO/IEC settled on the Cat7 specification in 2002, the IEEE skipped it entirely and settled on Cat8 as the higher-bandwidth option. In fact, the IEEE has never officially adopted Cat7 for mainstream Ethernet use. Because the IEEE didn’t define a Cat7 standard, makers of network switches, routers, and other networking equipment also skipped it. As a result, anyone buying a Cat7 cable for their home network won’t get the performance boost they might expect. Their devices simply aren’t built to work with those cables. The Ethernet connector trap Cat7’s specific needs Standards aside, how Cat7 cables are built is a key issue. Cat7 specifications don’t natively use the standard RJ45 connector people are used to. That’s the connector you’ll find on any other Ethernet cable you buy, and it’s the connector your devices expect. Instead, Cat7 relies on specialized connectors known as GG45 or TERA connectors. These connectors are required for the cable to achieve its rated shielding and performance figures. But cable makers know that few people have devices that use those connectors, so they fit their cables with RJ45 connectors instead. The problem with that approach is obvious, but cable makers ignore it. By ditching Cat7’s native connectors in favor of the more ubiquitous RJ45, manufacturers compromise its functionality. Cat7 requires end-to-end grounding with specialized hardware, something your average home router doesn’t have. Plugging one of these cables into a home router can even create ground loops and network noise that impact performance. Furthermore, the lack of a real Cat7 specification means that any two cables may not be alike. Some are simply Cat6 cables with a new label attached. And they come with a price hike. More importantly, Cat7 doesn’t offer any performance improvements for most home networks. Cat6 can handle 10Gbps speeds so long as the cable is less than 55 meters long. Most routers have gigabit Ethernet connections. Some support 2.5Gbps ports. More premium routers and network switches may reach 10Gbps at most, and Cat6 is more than up to the job. Avoiding Cat7 altogether The cables you should buy instead If you want a fast, reliable, future-proof home network, skipping Cat7 is the best approach to cable buying. Instead, choose a cable that meets IEEE standards.
- Cat6: The sweet spot for the majority of home networks. It supports 10Gbps speeds up to 55 meters, or 180 feet.
- Cat6A: The actual IEEE standard for full 10Gbps networking speeds up to 100 meters, or almost 330 feet. This is the best option if you’re running cables out to the garage, for example.
- Cat8: If you want top-of-the-line cables, Cat8 is officially recognized by the IEEE, and it’s very fast. In fact, it supports up to 40Gbps in some conditions, but it’s overkill for a standard home network and even many business networks.
Move over Cat7
You never needed it anyway
It’s easy to look at a Cat7 cable and fall for the marketing hype. It stands to reason that Cat7 would be better than Cat6A, and definitely better than Cat6. But as you now know, it doesn’t quite work like that.
In reality, Cat7 is a weird networking standard offshoot that your devices don’t really support. It’s also often more expensive than Cat6A cabling with zero performance benefit. In fact, it could perform worse due to the grounding issues mentioned earlier.
Instead, save your money and stick to Cat6 or Cat6A cabling from reputable cable makers. Put those savings towards a faster unmanaged network switch instead.
Snowkids Cat 8 Ethernet Cable - Brand
- Snowkids
- Length
- 15ft
- Cable Type
- Ethernet
- Connector Type
- RJ45 This Cat8 cable promises super-fast 40Gbps data transfer speeds with a braided design that helps prevent snagging and breakage.