Does it matter...5 0r 6 cat cable ?

trinaz · 28 Jul 2010

Do you loose anything in the way of performance by using a cat 6e coupler to join 2 existing 10' lenghts of Cat 6e cable...rather than spending additonal $$ on a 20 ft cable ?

Thanks...TR

Dwarf · 28 Jul 2010

There might be a slight drop in performance at the upper frequency end of data transfer rate (i.e. 1Gb as opposed to 100Mb). Other than that, probably negligible. It's always best, though, to use a length of cable that is suitable for what you need.

Digerati · 29 Jul 2010

I would not advise EVER using a coupler. Even with a cable of the highest quality and workmanship, anytime you add a connection, you add resistance and capacitance. And a coupler adds two connections. With that short of cable, resistance is probably not an issue (assuming no damage), but capacitance can affect high speed circuits. And with Cat-6, I am assume you are using a 1Gbit network, or might in the future.

But let's be realistic here. I know every penny counts, especially on a tight budget, but when you can get a 25 foot Cat-6 cable from a major maker for less than $5.00 at Walmart, forget about a coupler and go buy the cable.

BTW - you can run a 1Gbit network with Cat-5e just fine - just make sure it is 5e and not just 5.

Does it matter...5 0r 6 cat cable ?

OK to use coupler in a cat 6e lan run ?