Discuss strategies for building professional connections online.
Discuss strategies for building professional connections online.
I was thinking about purchasing a Cat6A cable for connecting my modem to my desktop, but I’m curious if a splitter is an option. That way, I could link my Xbox and another computer without three separate wires from the modem. If a switch is available, I’d consider switching to a Cat7 cable instead. I’d like to know what type of device would be used for this purpose and roughly how much it would cost.
You’d require a simple 5-port unmanaged switch. They’re affordable. I’ve got a couple of Netgear models with eight ports (like GS108) for that.
Following the instructions, set up an unmanaged switch with 5/8 ports. Plug it into the cable from your router, then link all devices in the room to the switch. I have both Netgear and TP-Link models available for under £20 most of the time.
No equipment can convert Cat6A to Cat7. Also, there isn't an official Cat7 standard.
Cat 7 and 8 aren't officially acknowledged as standards. Remember Cat6a supports up to 10 Gbps over 100 meters, but such high-speed equipment remains costly. Even though prices have dropped slightly, it’s still pricier than most budgets allow. Devices like gaming consoles won’t support 10 Gbps anytime soon either. So investing in them isn’t really worthwhile unless you need a dedicated link between a PC and a server. In reality, opting for standard Cat6 cables is better. You can find a 5-8 port switch for a very reasonable price. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A12...UTF8&psc=1 I bought this a while back for about $20. I’m pretty sure there’s a “Standard” but TIA/EIA doesn’t officially recognize it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO/IEC_11801#CAT7). Given how they handle telecom standards, the absence of approval suggests these cables won’t be fully adopted.
There are devices that split an 8-wire cable into two 4-wire cables, suitable for dual 100mbit LAN or telephony connections. You’d need to configure them on both ends, which could significantly reduce your connection speed. The ideal switch should have 4 ports (or more) and be a standard manufacturer product, such as Netgear or TP-Link.
didn't plan to upgrade from cat6a to cat7, it was about maximizing bandwidth so it wouldn't impact my setup. I thought the $5 difference between the cables at 30 meters would be enough, but if I add a switch inside, I could then use the 10-meter cat7 cable as suggested.
It refers to bandwidth tiers—10/100/1000 indicates speeds of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, and 1 Gbps respectively. The numbers don’t mean mb/s directly but describe the maximum throughput levels. Saying it supports up to 1000 Mbps is clearer for technical understanding.