topic Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2 in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

chipchop1 — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 09:49:01 GMT

I need to move my router slightly further from the ONT. For this I need a longer ethernet cable. Am slightly thrown by the red ends on the one supplied. Am I okay to get any old Cat 8 cable or am I looking for something more specialised?

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

jab1 — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 09:55:22 GMT

Any Ethernet cable CAT5E or above will suffice, CAT8 is overkill and expensive.

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

Townman — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 10:00:27 GMT

Hi @chipchop1

A warm welcome to the forums.

"Any old CAT 8 cable"

CAT 8 is anything but "any old cable" and is way over specification for the purpose discussed - see What is Cat8 Ethernet Cable and how is it different? (cablesandkits.com)

"For home equipment, Cat6a is more than sufficient, even for gaming, and Cat8 cable can be difficult to install and overkill for most home applications"

EDIT: @jab1 typed faster than me whilst I checked the specifications...

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

chipchop1 — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 10:03:06 GMT

Thank you. Helpful.

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

chipchop1 — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 10:03:53 GMT

Thank you very much. Am on it.

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 10:04:53 GMT

@jab1 wrote:

"CAT8 is overkill and expensive."

Also, in my experience, as you go up in the "CAT specs", the cables become less flexible and more difficult to route neatly.

I assume this is due to thicker conductors and screening etc?

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

MisterW — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 10:11:44 GMT

Am slightly thrown by the red ends on the one supplied.

The ONLY reason for the red ends is to make the instructions, supplied with the router, very simple! It is basically connect the cable to the same coloured socket on the router...

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

chipchop1 — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 12:15:05 GMT

Thank you. Understood. As a novice in this world just being as thorough as I can to find my own solutions.

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

bmc — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 12:30:26 GMT

@chipchop1

Cat5e should do you fine - just make sure you get a good, solid copper core cable. Cheap is always best.

Brian

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

RobPN — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 13:08:15 GMT

@bmc wrote:

- just make sure you get a good, solid copper core cable. Cheap is always best.

@bmc

I think you might have meant to say copper as opposed to CCA (copper clad aluminium), and not solid copper as that is what is used in structured cabling, as opposed to stranded cores for flexible patch cables.

And cheap is not always best.

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

bmc — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 13:11:18 GMT

@RobPN

You are quite correct - I meant copper only as opposed to CCA or CCS (copper clad steel). I did mean to say cheap is not always best.

Brian

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

plusmouse — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 13:27:04 GMT

Interesting topic. I bought a `very long` Ethernet cable off Amazon I think it was around 7 years ago? I have NO idea what `spec` it is but most of it is lying in a large coil on the floor near my Hub2 Plusnet router in the living room where it`s plugged into said router. It`s worked really well so far given it runs around the skirting in the living room, through a door, up the wall and up a flight of stairs and then goes under a doorway and over to my laptop!

Reading this topic, it got me thinking about what `type` of ethernet cable mine is? I`ve no idea because when I went looking for a longer cable and saw this one on Amazon (don`t have an account there anymore) I wasn`t very clued up about what I was buying other than it was long and was ethernet! 🙄

All I can say is, the cable is all white, as are both the molded `ends` that plug in, with clear Perspex showing on the ends. So no color to it at all. I can see a small amount of copper wiring but unless I unplug it, that`s all I can see. Wish I`d kept the label/packaging now. I`m due to go FTTP next month so maybe the BT guy can identify it for me....or maybe not...

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

HPsauce — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 13:35:01 GMT

@plusmouse Unless there are printed markings along the cable sheath I doubt anyone can identify the exact spec without expensive test equipment. Probably Cat5e if it's a few years old and has 8 cores in each plug, so fine up to 100 metres at Gigabit speeds.

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

plusmouse — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 13:42:18 GMT

@HPsauce - Yes, I`ll probably need a magnifying glass and then work my way along the cable! 😄 There may not be any print on the wiring though so I won`t be any wiser. Does the job though so that`s all that matters, I guess.

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

plusmouse — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 17:57:19 GMT

OK, I had a look at my ethernet and the writing printed along the cable said the following:

U/UTP - CAT5E Standard 26 AWG 4P Patch ISO/IEC 11801 and Anti/tia 568-C.2 networking cable.

Not a clue what that means but wondering if this will see me through a good more years before I need to look for an upgrade? I`ll be moving from FTTC to FTTP in October but as far as my ethernet cable goes, it should wok just the same? Is it the speed factor that determines which cables work best with whichever BB connection someone has?

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

jab1 — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:03:55 GMT

Yep - cat5E is sufficient for (IIRC) speeds up to 500Mbps.

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

MisterW — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:04:20 GMT

CAT5E Standard 26 AWG 4P

Thats the bit that's significant , means it's cat5e standard cable and 4 pairs

It's good for up to 1Gb speed at up to 100m

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

jab1 — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:05:39 GMT

So better than what I thought - thanks, @MisterW .

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

HPsauce — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:10:26 GMT

Well done with that magnifying glass @plusmouse .

Bog standard cable for the last 25 or so years or so, i.e. Cat5e, good for 1000mbps up to 100 metres. 😎

Even Cat5 would probably have been fine, Wikipedia notes "most Cat 5 cables actually happen to meet Cat 5e specifications even though they are not certified as such".

Re: What Kind of Ethernet Cable from ONT to Plusnet Hub 2

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:58:43 GMT

I have read elsewhere, that whilst spec'd for up to 100 metres, CAT5e is not recommended for much more than 80 metres.

I guess it depends on the quality of the actual cable in question, and I guess the assumption is that the cable is one continuous length and not two or more cables joined together.

Does anyone on here have real world experiences of very long ethernet cable runs - ie 80 to 100 metres or more?