4 Important Questions About Ethernet Cables Answered Leave a comment

Everyone is well aware of ethernet cables because you all use PCs, internet routers and switches unless you’ve been living under a rock. These cables are a key part of the home-computing experience and are used to connect devices within a local area network to ensure a smooth transition of data.

However, irrespective of using ethernet cables in their homes and offices, many people still have several questions regarding these cables such as which is the right ethernet cable to use, where to connect the cable and which one will be the best for a certain device?

Fear not! You’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, the team of RTC Electronics has answered four important questions about ethernet cable to help you out.

1) What Is the Best Ethernet Cable for Gaming?

If you do some heavy gaming and need an ethernet cable that can speed up downloading of large game files, then go for Cat 5e or Cat 6 cables. Both are great options and work in the same way. Since Cat 6 is an improved version of Cat 5e ethernet cable, it can perform better. The difference between the two is that Cat 5e has a maximum bandwidth of 100 MHz and offers speed of up to 1 Gigabits per second whereas Cat 6 has a maximum bandwidth of 250 MHz and offers a speed of 10 Gigabits per second.

Some of the cables that you can consider buying are-

• SecurLink Cat 5e FT4 Cable
• SecurLink Cat 6 FT4 Cable
• Mediabridge RJ45 Cat 5e Cable 

2) How to Connect an Ethernet Cable to a Router?

Many people don’t know that they can connect a wireless router to a computer with an ethernet cable sans a wireless adaptor. That said, it is advisable to establish a wired connection to access the internet as it will offer faster internet speed. If you don’t know how to connect it. Simply follow the steps mentioned below-

• Make sure your router is online (i.e. receiving signal)
• Locate the ethernet port on your router and computer (square holes at the back of the device and generally ‘Ethernet’, ‘LAN’ or ‘Internet’ is written above or next to the hole)
• Plug one end of the cable into the computer port and the other end to the router (ethernet cable’s ends are interchangeable so you use either end to connect the devices)
• Look at the taskbar on the screen, where network icon is present, to check whether the computer has detected the connection or not (if not, configure the settings by going to the ‘Network & Internet’ settings)
• Doing so will easily connect your computer to the router

3) Why is My Ethernet Cable Not Working? How to Fix it?

There can be several reasons why your ethernet cable is not working. For example, loose connection, faulty wire, outdated driver, broken port or network issue. You can find out the actual cause of trouble and fix it by going through certain methods.

• First of, try the old trick of turning off your computer or laptop, unplugging the wire, plugging in the cable after 30 seconds and turning the system on. If this method resolves the issue, then you can breathe a sigh of relief.
• Secondly, check if the ethernet is enabled in your system or not. Go to ‘Device Manager’, right click on ‘Network Device’, if you see ‘Disable’ option, select ‘Enable’ and restart the system. Once it is enabled, check the connection.
• If the above two methods are not helping, then update drivers as the old driver can have a compatibility issue.

4) Which Is the Fastest Ethernet Cable?

Among the different types of ethernet cables available, Cat 6 cables are the latest and the fastest type in the market. These cables offer the performance of up to 600 MHz, allows up to 10 GB per second speed and has a shielding of its twisted pairs that improves noise resistance. They are compatible with older devices as well. They can fall too heavy on your pocket, but choosing them really pays off because of their impressive features.

We hope that this blog post was able to answer your questions about ethernet cables. Anything we missed? Do let us know by visiting our store or giving us a call. RTC Electronics will surely help you make an informed buying decision to get premium electronic accessories.