The Best Ethernet Cables of 2025

The term “category” refers to a cable’s design and how it handles crosstalk and signal bandwidth. The Electronic Industries Alliance created the standard, but it’s currently maintained by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA).

A category also signifies a cable’s generation. Each new category improves on the standard and enables better performance. For instance, a CAT 8 cable will outperform a CAT 5 cable in transfer speed under the right conditions.

Here are the different Ethernet categories:

Ultimately, a category defines how a cable should perform on an electrical level over a specified distance. That includes the frequencies needed for electrical signals to move data at specific speeds over a specific length.

Megahertz (MHz) is the rate at which a wave can change states each second. The faster the wave can change state, the quicker the data rate for a specific range. For instance, if a CAT 5 cable has a bandwidth of only 100 MHz, the signal can change between one million and 100 million times per second.

A higher megahertz is better because it moves more data within a specified length. A CAT 6a cable with a 500 MHz bandwidth can move ten times more data across 328 feet than a CAT 5 cable.

A twisted pair is two copper wires (conductors) that are color-coded and twisted together to help reduce the interference caused by other devices and equipment, like fluorescent lights and appliances. This interference can create crosstalk, lowering the cable’s transfer speed. All twisted pairs can have stranded or solid copper wires, depending on the target installation.

Ethernet cables that support up to 100Mbps use two twisted pairs, while Fast Ethernet ports only utilize two out of four twisted pairs in a modern Ethernet cable with four pairs.

Cables that support 1,000Mbps or higher have four twisted pairs. Fast Ethernet ports only utilize two of the four pairs, while Gigabit Ethernet and faster use all four.

Two wires are used to deliver the same signal to eliminate noise. The “-” shown in the tables below signifies the mirrored (inverted) version of the “+” signal. The receiver compares the two signals and discards the differences as noise.

If you’re adding Ethernet to your home’s wiring, be aware of how each wire (conductor) must connect to a specific pin in the Ethernet port. Note that wires are bi-directional in Gigabit Ethernet setups and faster, so there are no dedicated lines for transfer and receive.

Here are the two wiring types:

TX = Transfer | RX = Receive | PoE = Power over Ethernet | BI = Bi-directional | DA = Data A etc.

TX = Transfer | RX = Receive | PoE = Power over Ethernet | BI = Bi-directional | DA = Data A etc.

When creating an Ethernet cable, a straight-through cable is configured for T-568B (or T0568A) on both ends. A cross-over cable is configured for T-568A on one end and T-568B on the other end.

A stranded cable includes multiple copper strands that form one wire (or conductor). This design gives an Ethernet cable more flexibility and is most often used in short patch cables. Cables with stranded wires are not meant for long runs across the floor.

A solid core cable uses one copper wire per conductor. This type of Ethernet cable is designed for long distances and is less flexible than a stranded cable.

American Wire Gauge, or AWG, measures the thickness of a wire (conductor) inside a cable. Here are four popular types:

24 AWG

This wire type is the largest of the four and is primarily used in solid core cables. However, they’re also used in stranded cables for high performance due to the amount of conductive copper inside.

26 AWG

This wire type is mainly used in stranded cables. It’s ideal for short runs and typically ships with foil shielding wrapped around the individual pairs.

28 AWG

This wire type is used primarily in stranded cables and is ideal for short runs and high flexibility. Performance drops at longer distances due to the low amount of conductive copper inside.

30 AWG

This wire type is the thinnest of the four. It has similar restrictions in performance and distance as the 28 AWG type.

A shielded cable suppresses electromagnetic interference and crosstalk, while an unshielded cable does not. Cables based on CAT 6 and newer standards include shielding for better performance over older generations. Shielded cables also typically have a “drain” wire used for grounding to protect the cable against electrical surges.

Shielded cables are thicker and less flexible than unshielded cables. They’re also typically more expensive due to the added materials. Here are the different forms of shielded and unshielded cables:

• Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) — The twisted pairs are bare inside the cable jacket.
• Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) — The twisted pairs are covered in a braided shield inside the cable jacket.
• Foiled Twisted Pair (FTP) — The twisted pairs are covered in foil inside the cable jacket.
• Outer Foil Shielded/Unshielded Twisted Pair (F/UTP) — The individual twisted pairs are bare, but a foil shield wraps around all twisted pairs.
• Outer Braided Shield/Unshielded Twisted Pair (S/UTP) — The individual twisted pairs are bare, but a braided shield wraps around all twisted pairs.
• Outer Braided Shield/Foiled Twisted Pair (S/FTP) — Foil wraps around each twisted pair, which are separated by a cross divider. A braided shield wraps around all twisted pairs and the divider.

Ethernet cable connectors feature an 8-position 8-contact (8P8C) modular plug design. Each wire inside the Ethernet cable (remember, four twisted pairs) slips into each position in the connector. Here are the three types of connectors:

Registered Jack 45 (RJ45)

A registered jack is an interface connecting equipment to a networked device. The “45” aspect simply means there were 44 registered devices before the Ethernet connector. This connector is most commonly used on computers, routers, modems, game consoles, and other devices that support Ethernet connections.

There are two wiring standards for the RJ45 connector: T-568A and T-568B. The latter is typically used for new networks while the government requires the former T-568A wiring scheme.

etherCON RJ45

This is a ruggedized and lockable version of the RJ45 connector developed by Neutrik. It’s designed for network-enabled stage lighting, pro video, and pro audio devices.

GigaGate 45 (GG45)

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standardized this connector for CAT 7 and CAT 7a (along with the non-RJ TERA connector).

Also known as Augmented RJ45 (ARJ45), this design moves two of the four twisted pairs to the other side of the connector, providing 12 contacts combined. A switch on the connector is activated by a compatible port that enables the cable to use its new contacts. Otherwise, the connector uses the eight standard contacts for backward compatibility.

CAT 8a and CAT 8b use the standard RJ45 jack.

Oxygen-free copper is refined copper ore that includes around 0.001% oxygen. Since raw copper has impurities, it must be refined, which introduces oxygen into the mix. Oxygen-free copper is the result of using a refinement based on copper sulfate and sulfuric acid.

Oxygen-free copper supposedly increases conductivity in wires of over 50 feet, but it’s not noticeable at shorter lengths. The big takeaway from OFC is that you want a cable that uses pure copper, and OFC is close to that level. You have a better chance of reducing signal loss by choosing cables with OFC wires than those with copper-clad aluminum wires.

A new Ethernet cable will not increase your core internet speed. It may solve speed issues related to a bad Ethernet cable, but if you pay for a 400Mbps plan, then 400Mbps is the maximum speed you’ll see from your internet connection.

Your Ethernet ports probably don’t support those maximum speeds.

Mainstream desktops, laptops, modems, routers, set-top-boxes, smart TVs, and game consoles generally include at least one Gigabit Ethernet (1,000Mbps or 1Gbps) port. You may see Fast Ethernet ports (100Mbps) on some budget devices to keep the cost low. Multi-gig Ethernet ports (2.5Gbps and faster) have become more common in recent years thanks to Wi-Fi 5, but Gigabit Ethernet is generally the most used wired connection in today’s devices.

That said, the current gigabit cap in nearly all wired devices in the home is probably why most internet providers do not offer plans faster than 1 Gbps. These devices just don’t support faster speeds.

However, you can purchase modems and wireless routers that support faster wired speeds along with compatible Ethernet cards for desktops and network switch boxes that can handle up to 10Gbps.

Ethernet adapters can support up to 10Gbps if they use a USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3/4 port. Older USB 2.0 ports can support up to only 480Mbps.

USB-A and USB-C ports that support the USB 3.2 standard (formerly 3.0 and 3.1) are typically blue and have the SuperSpeed USB symbol stamped to the port’s left or right side. USB-A ports based on USB 2.0 are dark and do not have the SuperSpeed USB symbol.

As for Thunderbolt connectivity, USB-C ports supporting this tech have a “striking” thunderbolt symbol with an arrowhead at the end. This symbol isn’t to be confused with the lightning bolt symbol with no arrowhead seen next to USB ports, which indicates that the port can charge an external device.