To ensure that the Internet connection works correctly, it is important to take into account different factors. You have to take care of the hardware components, such as the router or the wiring, as well as the configuration at the software level. In this article we are going to explain why it is so important to take care of the Ethernet cable and how we can have problems if a problem appears.
The network cable, important in a good connection
Although today we connect more and more wirelessly, the truth is that it is still a very good option to use a network cable to navigate. It is more stable, we usually have higher speed and we can avoid the problem of distance and poor coverage. But of course, as soon as problems appear we will have difficulties to navigate.
Get top speed
Without a doubt, the first reason to take care of the Ethernet cable is to achieve maximum speed . A cable in poor condition can mean that we have limitations and that it does not reach us beyond 100 Mbps, which is what is known as Fast Ethernet. We could not take full advantage of the fiber optics that we have contracted.
It may happen that, for example, some pins of the cable are broken and that prevents the maximum signal from reaching. We are going to have Internet, it will continue to work, but we will not have the speed that we can choose up to 1 Gbps, but it will be limited to 100 Mbps both download and upload.
Avoid adapter problems
In addition, having a damaged Ethernet cable can also affect the network adapter . It could cause it to stop working properly, get stuck when trying to pull it out, and break some pins, etc. All this will inevitably affect the quality of the Internet connection.
Therefore, one more reason to take care of our network cables is to keep the network adapter in good working order. This is important to apply to both desktop and laptop computers, as the Ethernet ports may be exposed in both cases.
Take the connection further
One of the clear advantages of using cable over Wi-Fi is that we can take the signal much further . We can cover the rooms of a house without problems that the speed is limited or that there are dead zones where we do not even have coverage to navigate.
In case the network cable is in poor condition, we will have problems to be able to take the connection further. There may be cuts, the speed slows down, or we may not even be able to connect equipment. The type of Ethernet cable that we use will also come into play here, since not all of them support the same distance.
avoid cuts
Of course, having a deteriorated Ethernet cable is going to mean continuous outages . We may not be able to access certain services normally, such as making a video call, since there are microcuts and that prevents us from being able to navigate the network correctly.
This is also tied to the speed we can get over the wire. If this does not work well, we will be limited to those 100 Mbps that we mentioned or even less. In this way, cuts can appear that cause errors when loading web pages, downloading from the cloud, etc.