Cable for Ethernet and fiber optics connection
Cable for Ethernet and fiber optics connection
Cat 5e can handle gigabit internet easily. The following upgrade would be Cat 6a, though it's improbable you'll reach that standard for many more years, given the time it took to achieve it.
Sure, Cat5e works well right now and supports gigabit speeds. It doesn’t need official certification like Cat6 for long distances, so it’s not a big deal. CAT6a would only be practical if you plan to fully utilize its benefits across your network, which could be a costly decision.
It's really costly and super uncomfortable in some places to update the entire house wiring.
Cat 5e works adequately. Occasionally it auto-negotiates to 100Mbps rather than 1Gbps, but this seems more related to a Windows client problem that can be fixed in Windows to set it to 1Gbps full duplex if required.
Cat6 supports 10gbps over about 37 meters, while Cat6a offers the same speed at 100 meters. Don't upgrade to Cat7 unless you really need it. A 10gbps card isn't much better if your switch isn't that fast either. The same goes for the uplink from the switch to the router. Stick with Cat5e—it can handle gigabit speeds.