Watched the Lawrence videos on patch cables and know he likes the Black Monoprice Cat6 Reinforced Snagless Stranded 550MHz UTP Pure Bare Copper Wire 30AWG SlimRun Series cables…but he only shows them as rack patch cables that are very short.
Is this still the ideal cable for 14’ to 25’ cable? I have a few M1 mac mini with the 10 gigabit Ethernet built in that I am installing and looking for the ideal cable for this setup. On the other end it will connect to a Meraki switch with SFP+ and a FS Cisco SFP-10G-T-80 that Lawrence recommended in another video.
Also, in general are people buying CAT 6a for patch cables for general use or is it just overkill for general use? I am about 1 year away from our new school location starting a build from ground up and believe the way to go for drops to each classroom and drops to access points would be CAT 6a, but not sure which way to go for general device patch cables, like some iMac desktops, PoE phones etc. Like what is the way to go for 14’ to 25’ patch cables to connect to the drops.
10 gig can be accomplished on Cat5e in very short runs but going to Cat6a or beyond is better due to the improved shielding and twists in the pairs. Your full rated line speed is definitely assured going to 6a or beyond as long as they were terminated properly.
Cat6a is easier to handle than cat7 or 8, due to cable diameter. I have rolls of all of the above sitting in a corner of my office. I prefer Cat6a or better for PoE runs. Shielded lines pretty much guarantee little or no inducted signal noise from electrical power (internally or from a neighboring cable).
I buy cat 8 patch cables because I can get them in bulk for cheap, anything from 6" to 6 feet for 3-10 dollars a cable pre-terminated. It’s one less step i have to do myself, if I move up in network speed at some point, by choosing cat 8 I won’t have to change my cable out.
Monoprice is one source, another i’ve bought from frequently is Lanshack. I just ordered a patch panel and new cat 8 patch cables from them last night in fact.
Cables as thin as 30 gauge really aren’t ideal or suited to be more than a patch cable, you should keep it to 23 gauge or close to that. My cat 8 slim line patch cables are 26 gauge I think? I wouldn’t want them thinner than this.
Lanshack has expensive shipping options so I don’t recommend it unless you intend to buy a lot of stuff, small orders I would suggest waiting until you have a big order but I do like doing business with them. A patch panel and half dozen patch cables cost me about 20 bucks shipping.
Below is a link to a product i’ve ordered before, browse the site and see what else they have if you choose: https://www.lanshack.com/6-Inch-Cat-8-Shielded-Slimline-26AWG-40G-Ethernet-Patch-Cable-P8982.aspx
I prefer not to do business with Amazon as I don’t really like how that company operates. I get why others would though, since it provides good search engine analytics and tracks customer behaviors.
Thanks, this would work well for my travel kit, but I am looking for 14’ to 25’ cable that can support 10 gigabit and PoE. I assume that means I should stick with CAT 6a or CAT 8. The 6a spec I believe is 23 AWG so looking for top recommendations for 10 gigabit patch cables for permanent desktop installs like the M1 mac mini that come with 10 gigabit. But I also want PoE support. So far all the KIT guides and Lawrence videos mention very short rack patch cables or cables to put in a travel kit. Where is the testing and guides and recommendations for longer (15’ to 25’) cables not installed in a rack or put in a bag.
If you have a 10 gigabit desktop and your backhaul is CAT 8 or CAT 6a, and your desktop is 10 feet from the drop in your office, what cable do you use that also supports PoE up to max voltage?