Cat 7 vs Cat 6e

clfclf68

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I'm looking to wire my house with Ethernet cable. Is Cat 7 worth the extra cost over Cat 6e? If so... what's the best brand? Many thanks. Chuck
 
If you never go for 10Gb Cat 7 is pretty pointless. I'd at least go for Cat 6a.

Cat6 (6 and 6a) also supports 10Gb. Really, the only difference is how long the cable can be before the signal degrades and the bandwidth frequencies that the cable can handle. Really, there is zero reason to go with Cat7.
 
Cat6 (6 and 6a) also supports 10Gb. Really, the only difference is how long the cable can be before the signal degrades and the bandwidth frequencies that the cable can handle. Really, there is zero reason to go with Cat7.
Cat 7 is individually shielded pairs by default, it's almost a requirement for routing through a home attic that's close to any form of AC power (like 6a). Source, I had to run 7 to my PC room because 6a (UTP) would dip down to 2.5Gb causing a big delay while gaming. The cable I'm on is also 100ft (less than the 37m of 10Gb on 6). That is of course unless you go SFTP or FTP which is a total bitch to deal with because it doesn't like to bend (like most good 6a cables).

In the case of pushing cable through your house it's always better to go with a tad higher than your expectations. You don't want to waste days dropping cable down walls only for issues to crop up later. That's why I said 6a, but tbf I left my 1000ft spool of 6a alone because it was way too stiff. 7 on the other hand acts just like a normal 5e/6 cable yet can handle way more. They also didn't mention anything like square footage or how much cable from point to point to be used so I said 6a to be on the safe side. I've been recently running cable through my attic and said screw it and started going with 7. I highly doubt anybody else will be running 10Gb through their house like me but knowing I can do 20Gb or higher later is a nice feeling. Nobody wants to crawl through an attic later because the cable is getting interference (like the 5e the house builder used in my place).
 
I was agreeing with you, just mentioning that 10Gb is also available on 6 and shouldn't play a huge factor into using 7. If it's a pre-wire job, you should be able to see all of the electrical runs as well and keep the cable away. I used 6a in my runs at the house. Worked fantastically.
 
Many thanks all for the responses. I checked on prices and the Cat 7 is not much more expensive. So... I'm inclined to go with Cat 7. Other than some extra cost... is there any downside to Cat 7

— Limitations?
— Backward comparability?

Also... what brand of Cat 7 would you recommend?

Much appreciated!!
 
I was agreeing with you, just mentioning that 10Gb is also available on 6 and shouldn't play a huge factor into using 7. If it's a pre-wire job, you should be able to see all of the electrical runs as well and keep the cable away. I used 6a in my runs at the house. Worked fantastically.
I got that, I was just using my example as a reference that problems can happen and it sucks to redo wire that should have worked. I routed mine on the rafters above all the AC lines and was still having issues. For clarification to the OP, I used standard Cat 6 unshielded, roughly 60ft.

Many thanks all for the responses. I checked on prices and the Cat 7 is not much more expensive. So... I'm inclined to go with Cat 7. Other than some extra cost... is there any downside to Cat 7

— Limitations?
— Backward comparability?

Also... what brand of Cat 7 would you recommend?

Much appreciated!!
I have had good experience with Monoprice spools and Cable Matters. I'm not sure if Monoprice offers Cat 7 yet but it's been over a year since I've been shopping for cable like that. Being lazy and wanting to get the job done quickly I used a 100ft patch cable in my case. Now watch as every network guy on the board cringes lol.

No limitations, full backward compatible. Technically with Cat 7 you should be good to go up to 40Gb theoretically. That is of course if the market EVER MOVES FORWARD. :mad::mad::mad:
 
Just throwing this out there... Cat7 is NOT TIA/EIA compliant for 8P8C connections. TIA/EIA have both decided to skip Cat7 as a standard for typical wiring scenarios. You will be best off with Cat 6a STP.

Cat8 is the only newly recognized standard at speeds of 10Gbit at upto 100m, or 40Gbit at like 25m.

Also, make sure you're not buying CCA... That stuff has flooded the market...

Lastly... +1 to Cable Matters, bought a 1000ft spool of yellow Cat6 from them a few years ago, and it's some pretty good stuff, and proper cat6. Think I paid $140 for it, where as most the others near that price range seemed to be using CCA, which would be horrible for network cable.
 
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