Ethernet question

[bboncorr1]

I recently upgraded my network cables to cat8 (I know overkill). I got a good price so I figured might as well upgrade past cat6 since it was the same price.

I’ve run into an issue with the Cat5e patch cable going from my modem to my router. I’ve tried replacing it with multiple cat8 cables at different lengths but all but 1 seem to keep consistent speeds. I’m talking 8 good quality cables showed big fluctuations in speed during speed tests where it would start off fast but slowly drop. I’ve eliminated everything down to the cables. 1 cat8 cable is holding up but it’s only 1 foot and I need something closer to 3 feet.

any suggestions on a replacement cable or something my novice mind didn’t think about?

 

[L&LD]

There is no standards for Cat8 cables. Marketing.

Buy a high quality Cat5e instead.

 

[avtella]

Not true, Cat8 is an IEEE standard. However pretty sure OP doesn’t need it, would see no difference from Cat 6, unless one has some special needs. Also I doubt one would be getting a good cat 8 cable for that cheap, next it’s kinda thick and has a higher bend radius. If it’s one of those flat cables it’s not standard likely probably a fake/non standard. There’s a lot of those.

 

[follower]

There is no standards for Cat8 cables. Marketing.

Buy a high quality Cat5e instead.

CAT.8 is the standard since 2016. But it's useless for now. Dirty companies are selling it to consumers with dirty marketing tactics.

 

[follower]

I recently upgraded my network cables to cat8 (I know overkill). I got a good price so I figured might as well upgrade past cat6 since it was the same price.

I’ve run into an issue with the Cat5e patch cable going from my modem to my router. I’ve tried replacing it with multiple cat8 cables at different lengths but all but 1 seem to keep consistent speeds. I’m talking 8 good quality cables showed big fluctuations in speed during speed tests where it would start off fast but slowly drop. I’ve eliminated everything down to the cables. 1 cat8 cable is holding up but it’s only 1 foot and I need something closer to 3 feet.

any suggestions on a replacement cable or something my novice mind didn’t think about?

Cheap cables come from China. It's not 100% copper and it doesn't even follow the standards. That's why it's cheap and low quality. But it's just ok for normal users.

 

[Crimliar]

Okay, so maybe the pertinent questions right now would be:
Make and Model of the modem?
Highest connection speed from the modem, dropping to what?
How are we measuring that connection speed?

 

[follower]

Okay, so maybe the pertinent questions right now would be:
Make and Model of the modem?
Highest connection speed from the modem, dropping to what?
How are we measuring that connection speed?

Huh?

 

[Crimliar]

We have a question about falling speed on a connection, and it's just descended into a conversation about the cable used - we've not really considered anything other than the cable being at fault yet! Is there anything else possibly at play here?

 

[bboncorr1]

Okay, so maybe the pertinent questions right now would be:
Make and Model of the modem?
Highest connection speed from the modem, dropping to what?
How are we measuring that connection speed?

I eliminate the router from the equation. Tested direct off the modem. It’s a netgear nighthawk 2050. It has a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet.
It’ll jump instantly to 500-700 mbps or just stay low around 20-30 mbps on a 1.5 Gbps connection. Depends on the cable.

It’s really all over the place.
Like I said once the cable was changed out the consistent speeds came right back and didn’t fluctuate anymore. It just seemed like a lot of failed cat8 cables for a specific task to me.

For the cables I’m using I ended up reading a few online sites and saw Smolik and Glanics mentioned the most. Ordered direct from the company hoping to avoid the knock-offs. Well it is what it is at this point. Rest of the cables run perfect except when they are plugged into the modemq. Is there a Cat8 anyone would recommend for a modem to router connection? I might as well keep with Cat8 since everything else works. Or should I just get a good quality Cat6 just for the modem to router connection? I understand it’ll be the weakest link but we all know I went overkill with Cat8 anyways

 

[bboncorr1]

We have a question about falling speed on a connection, and it's just descended into a conversation about the cable used - we've not really considered anything other than the cable being at fault yet! Is there anything else possibly at play here?

I’m pretty sure I’ve narrowed it down to the cables. It really is like magic when I pop that 1 foot Cat8 cable in and the speeds immediately return and don’t disappear an hour later. What’s odd is some of the cables gave me perfect speeds out the package. Then 1 hour or overnight the issues started. My router Speedtest while not accurate would indicate there was issues. That’s when I’d test off the modem.

 

[bboncorr1]

Cheap cables come from China. It's not 100% copper and it doesn't even follow the standards. That's why it's cheap and low quality. But it's just ok for normal users.

Then point me to a quality Cat8 brand. I purchased Smolink and Glanics off Amazon from the companies store. Based on tech/it reviews I found them near the top. They just had sales on the specific cables I purchased.

 

[OzarkEdge]

I’m pretty sure I’ve narrowed it down to the cables. It really is like magic when I pop that 1 foot Cat8 cable in and the speeds immediately return and don’t disappear an hour later. What’s odd is some of the cables gave me perfect speeds out the package. Then 1 hour or overnight the issues started. My router Speedtest while not accurate would indicate there was issues. That’s when I’d test off the modem.

I would wire (Cat5e patch cord) a PC to the router with nothing else connected to the router and speedtest. Then wire a PC to the modem and speedtest. If both yield your ISP speed, use that WAN cable.

OE

 

[bboncorr1]

Not true, Cat8 is an IEEE standard. However pretty sure OP doesn’t need it, would see no difference from Cat 6, unless one has some special needs. Also I doubt one would be getting a good cat 8 cable for that cheap, next it’s kinda thick and has a higher bend radius. If it’s one of those flat cables it’s not standard likely probably a fake/non standard. There’s a lot of those.

Yes I understand it’s overkill. I just hate upgrading cables every other year. Does Smolink and Glanics make bad cables? That’s what I found on most review sites for quality. Amazon had short term deals on the cables I purchased direct off the company site.

 

[follower]

Then point me to a quality Cat8 brand. I purchased Smolink and Glanics off Amazon from the companies store. Based on tech/it reviews I found them near the top. They just had sales on the specific cables I purchased.

They are the company I told you.

Glanics

Smolink

Global Top Quality Cable Manufacturers

LS Cable and System
Nexans
AMP NETCONNECT(Commscope)
Belden
Prysmian
Hitachi Cable
Southwire
General Cable
The Furukawa Electric
British Cables Company
Omron

 

[avtella]

Yes I understand it’s overkill. I just hate upgrading cables every other year. Does Smolink and Glanics make bad cables? That’s what I found on most review sites for quality. Amazon had short term deals on the cables I purchased direct off the company site.

It’s not so much about upgrading every year, more about not having a use case in homes. I would use Cat6/6A for in home wiring if you really want an upgrade over Cat5E. Most of the CAT8 stuff I’ve seen on Amazon has been junk. I bought some on Newegg that seem to be proper ones, 2 years ago just for fun, very stiff and thick…and as expected no difference in real world from Cat6/6A for home use.

 

[Tech Junky]

Look for the technical stuff when buying cabling as the nuances make a difference.

C6/A should be sufficient unless you need 100GE links then moving to C7/A might make sense but, generally if it's a short run there's no need to pay an excessive price for a cable for its rating when a cheap cable works just fine. C8 as you can see reduces the throughput / .distance and isn't necessarily better but more of a degradation from prior standards.

Another thing that makes a difference is the wiring. Smaller (thicker) = Cooler running within the sheathing when pushing data to the limits.

Solid vs Stranded copper is another trick some cable makers use to make "thin" / "flat" cables that are more convenient but, pose issues for longevity and consistency.

 

[bboncorr1]

I would wire (Cat5e patch cord) a PC to the router with nothing else connected to the router and speedtest. Then wire a PC to the modem and speedtest.

A

View attachment 39502
View attachment 39503
Look for the technical stuff when buying cabling as the nuances make a difference.

C6/A should be sufficient unless you need 100GE links then moving to C7/A might make sense but, generally if it's a short run there's no need to pay an excessive price for a cable for its rating when a cheap cable works just fine. C8 as you can see reduces the throughput / .distance and isn't necessarily better but more of a degradation from prior standards.

View attachment 39504

Another thing that makes a difference is the wiring. Smaller (thicker) = Cooler running within the sheathing when pushing data to the limits.

Solid vs Stranded copper is another trick some cable makers use to make "thin" / "flat" cables that are more convenient but, pose issues for longevity and consistency.

I’m upgrading from cat7. I was a early adopter and they don’t seem to be handling past 1 gig speeds. I just need a good quality patch cable for the modem to router connection.
I purchased Smolink flat cable for my gaming console. It’s working fine for now. It’s really just that one function of going from the modem to the router or pc direct. Seems like these Cat8 cables past 1 foot are causing issues. Maybe I’ll just run a 6a patch since it doesn’t seem to change anything for my setup.

 

[Tech Junky]

gaming console

I highly doubt you need anything more than a C5e for a gigabit connection. Just grab cheap $1 cable and be done with it.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Seems like these Cat8 cables past 1 foot are causing issues.

They should work in general, but maybe they were not terminated properly and/or the RJ-45 plugs are not happy in your jacks.

OE

 

[L&LD]

Trying to find other reasons than simply starting at the basics (the cable, particularly when your tests show it as a variable) is just going on a wild goose chase.

The 'technical specs' in Post 16 above aren't 100% accurate either. I'm running at 2.5GbE speeds with Cat5e cable over a 100' run.

Quality always trumps over the 'newest standard'.

Another point that is being missed; while the internal network may be happy with the Cat8, the modem isn't. Nothing to do here but get better cables.

Amazon reviews are hardly worth the stars they indicate.

You can also try a 'dumb' switch between the modem and the router (it has fixed issues for many here).