If you are going to surf the Internet through a network cable, it is important to use a quality one that works well. On many occasions the speed that arrives is limited because the cable you use is not the right one. In this article we are going to explain why and so you can know what to do to make your Internet connection work as well as possible, without interruptions and with adequate speed.
The network cable can limit the speed of the Internet
Although Wi-Fi is much more widespread than it was a few years ago and the speed has improved, many still connect via cable. In this way, greater speed and stability are ensured, in addition to not depending so much on the distance from the router. But even so, many users do not receive the speed that they have contracted for fiber optics.
Why is this happening? The reason is that they use a lower category cable and it does not support high speed. It is known as a Fast Ethernet cable and basically means that the speed is limited to 100 Mbps. If, for example, you have contracted an optimal symmetrical fiber rate of 600 Mbps, if you connect by cable and use this type in particular, the maximum speed that you will have on your computer it is 100 Mbps both upload and download.
This does not mean that your connection is bad or there is something wrong with the line, but simply that you are using a network cable that is limiting the connection . It is acting as a bottleneck and does not allow all the capacity that your router and the rate you have contracted could support.
If this is your case, you are most likely using an old network cable , possibly one that you had at home from an old ADSL router. The cable is lower than category 5e, so it will not support speeds higher than 100 Mbps. It does not mean that the cable is broken, but that it has been designed with that limitation.
Gigabit Ethernet cable, the solution for maximum speed
If you want to have the maximum speed of cable Internet , what you should do is have a Gigabit Ethernet cable. It means that it allows to reach speeds of up to 1 Gbps. It is 10 times higher than the previous case that we have seen and that did not exceed 100 Mbps. Therefore, if you have contracted optical fiber of up to 1 Gbps symmetrical, you will be able to obtain that speed.
In this case you will have to have a network cable of at least category 5e . There are superior ones and you will have greater capacity in terms of distance, quality and avoiding problems. But with a CAT 5e it would be enough to connect near the router with a good Internet speed.
Normally, the cable you have from the fiber optic router is compatible with these speeds. It would be weird if you had an older one. So if you’re using a current Ethernet cable and still have problems, the reason may be an incompatibility with your computer’s network card, outdated drivers, or even the cable is physically damaged and doesn’t work properly. You can always see the details of the Ethernet card.
In short, as you can see, it is possible that your Internet cable is limiting the speed. It is essential that you check that you are using a quality one, that it works correctly and offers maximum speed.
