Network cabling

dannyboyee82 · 1 Dec 2009 at 20:09

Do ethernet cables do anything for your internet connection? For example, I know with my hi-fi speakers that if I buy better quality wire, I get better quality sound. Or so the theory goes.

So, with that in mind, do ethernet cables make any difference? Or can I just carry on using the cheapest available one I got in my local PC supply shop?

Also, I am using a 10mb Virgin connection.. I use the internet for downloading, browsing and gaming.. is it worth investing in a decent router? Will that have any effect on my connection or is it just a waste of money.

If the answer is yes to both these questions, could you point me in the direction of some good quality gear please. Thanks in advance.

wij · 1 Dec 2009 at 20:24

Unless you're running the cable very long distance near mains / sources of potential interference etc. then bog standard Cat5E UTP cables should suffice.

It *is* worth having a decent router, up to a point.

Your uses are fairly typical of most consumers, so therefore a fairly standard router (probably the one supplied by VM) will be adequate enough, and on a 10mbit line I'd imagine most kit made in the last few years can handle the throughput sufficiently.

If you want more features / newer technology (802.11n wireless for example) then you're probably going to need to spend some money on a new router.

dannyboyee82 · 1 Dec 2009 at 20:30

If I were to bump my connection up to 50mb would that warrant a new router? What would be the best cost effective/performance option in that scenario?

PhillyDee · 1 Dec 2009 at 20:47

I think they supply a suitable router for you.

dannyboyee82 · 1 Dec 2009 at 20:52

Yeah, that would make sense. Cheers people.

Devrij · 1 Dec 2009 at 20:55

They do supply an N router with 50Mb, and since G is in theory only capable of 54Mb/s you'd be pushing its limits with that speed. Bad routers just give bad wireless and need the occasional reboot. If you're wired you'll be fine.

bigredshark · 2 Dec 2009 at 10:58

Devrij said:
They do supply an N router with 50Mb, and since G is in theory only capable of 54Mb/s you'd be pushing its limits with that speed. Bad routers just give bad wireless and need the occasional reboot. If you're wired you'll be fine.

To a point, even comparatively expensive routers have quite limited throughput under some circumstances. Most home users don't notice it or blame the connection but it is an issue and will be a bigger one with time. A £500 Cisco won't pass 50Mbps of traffic, so there's not much chance a £50 netgear will...