Need to get a long ethernet cable, or maybe homeplugs?

[GeorgeStorm]

Hi,
As above, I'm needing a long ethernet cable in order to connect a media pc I'm building for my family to the router, can I just buy any 30m cable from amazon or are there certain things I should look out for?

Thanks

[Funkstar]

Not really anything else to look for. It will either work or it won't.

[Agent]

Always check reviews. I've brought some cheap CAT5 cable (pre-moulded) and the construction quality was horrendous.
No exaggeration, I could break the outer sheath with by holding it between 2 fingers and rolling / pushing it together. Utter crap quality and any tugging / movement on it caused it to fall to bits.
It's because some of the cheaper stuff us using very low quality cable inside, often not even being the correct AWG.

So while it worked, it wasn't for long. Make sure it's *proper* CAT5e and you'll be fine. Reviews should be enough to know

[DanceswithUnix]

Last time I wanted a cable that long I made my own, it was cheaper and exactly the right length.
If you work with techie people then someone you know will have a crimp tool.

The 1Gbit cat 6 cable tends to be stiffer and hard to route around the house, so you probably want Cat5e

[iamlorro]

I dont know how long it is (might only be 10m) but I have a cable from virgin media from when I joined them (many) years ago - if you're waiting something to take you part way, happy to ship it to you.

I think it's CAT 6, but might be 5e. It's in an organised place, so it might take me a day to find it

If you're thinking of doing other locations as well, might be easier to get a "box" of cable, and crimp yourself. Crimping looks hard/ complicated, but is easy enough that I can (and have previously) do it.

[GeorgeStorm]

Thanks for the replies, the alternative is homeplug things I guess, would avoid routing a cable through the house which I think my Mum may prefer if at all possible.

Any opinions on them?

[herulach]

Test the WiFi signal, if they've got brodband they'll have WiFi, and a card would be a bit cheaper.

[GeorgeStorm]

Test the WiFi signal, if they've got brodband they'll have WiFi, and a card would be a bit cheaper.

This is true, any recommendations on brands/models?

I'm assuming (possibly incorrectly) that a card would be better than a usb adaptor?

[herulach]

Cards tend to have better antenna, I use an ASUS PCE-AC68, which is great, but overkill (I had some vouchers to spend). I've also got a £10 TP-link one with dual antennae that would work fine for your usage, however, it depends on the signal level - see if you can stream to a tablet in the same location, otherwise you're not going to have any luck.

[DanceswithUnix]

I have 3 homeplug AV 500 adapters to create a house network, I find it nicer to use than WiFi which even with a proper 3 antenna MiMo access point still isn't as fast and is a bit laggy compared to the Homeplug AV.

[GeorgeStorm]

Cards tend to have better antenna, I use an ASUS PCE-AC68, which is great, but overkill (I had some vouchers to spend). I've also got a £10 TP-link one with dual antennae that would work fine for your usage, however, it depends on the signal level - see if you can stream to a tablet in the same location, otherwise you're not going to have any luck.

Yeah I'll test it this morning and see how it does.

I have 3 homeplug AV 500 adapters to create a house network, I find it nicer to use than WiFi which even with a proper 3 antenna MiMo access point still isn't as fast and is a bit laggy compared to the Homeplug AV.

Fair enough, the biggest issue is cost, with the homeplugs looking to cost more even for the cheapest sets. The room it's going into is also not part of the original house I do believe, not sure how that will affect them?

[Biscuit]

A lot depends on the wiring of the house. My dad has some TP Link 500Mb ones and they work most of the time but they do drop out which makes them a bit of a pain for their purpose (connect BT vision to the internet). I'm pretty sure the old wiring in this house is part of the problem.
Wireless can have exactly the same kind of problems however if you splashed out on Gb dual band wireless (802.11ac) some of the problems may be alleviated.
A CAT5e or CAT6 cable will always be the most reliable solution.

[GeorgeStorm]

A lot depends on the wiring of the house. My dad has some TP Link 500Mb ones and they work most of the time but they do drop out which makes them a bit of a pain for their purpose (connect BT vision to the internet). I'm pretty sure the old wiring in this house is part of the problem.
Wireless can have exactly the same kind of problems however if you splashed out on Gb dual band wireless (802.11ac) some of the problems may be alleviated.
A CAT5e or CAT6 cable will always be the most reliable solution.

Well I've seen on ebuyer cat6 30m cables for £7, seems to have good reviews, and they're 'branded' with a limited lifetime warranty, so I think I'll just go for it. The 30m means I should be able to route it so it won't show much which will hopefully keep everybody happy.
I'm assuming I may as well go for cat6 over 5e since it's only £1 more expensive?

[Biscuit]

Wouldn't have thought it would make any difference really but for a quid.... Yeah why not.
I used to just get off cuts from work when I needed cat cable. Can't do that with my new job :-(

[herulach]

Cat 6 is much less flexible than cat5e. You've also got to bear in mind that since its terminated you need to allow for the plugs in any holes you're making. I'd suggest an allround neater solution (although more effort) would be to grab one of the network kits from screwfix for £35 and put wall mounts in. Doing it that way you'll probably find you can route under skirting board, and its just neater to have a socket & patch rather than a trailing lead end.

[GeorgeStorm]

Wouldn't have thought it would make any difference really but for a quid.... Yeah why not.
I used to just get off cuts from work when I needed cat cable. Can't do that with my new job :-(

That was my thinking.

Cat 6 is much less flexible than cat5e. You've also got to bear in mind that since its terminated you need to allow for the plugs in any holes you're making. I'd suggest an allround neater solution (although more effort) would be to grab one of the network kits from screwfix for £35 and put wall mounts in. Doing it that way you'll probably find you can route under skirting board, and its just neater to have a socket & patch rather than a trailing lead end.

Hmm, hopefully should still be workable. Aiming at not making any holes etc, don't want to make this a big thing, don't want to spend much money on it either so I'll just see how I get on with the cable and trying to route it around the edges of rooms.