topic Re: Ethernet Cable in Broadband

Ethernet Cable

Danorak81 — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:53:34 GMT

Hi all,

Hopefully an easy one: I have recently upgraded to Fibre 150. BT supplied me a beige Ethernet cable going from the little white box to the Sky router. I want to replace it with a black one as I have dark walls so it won't stand out as much.

I'm happy to buy a replacement, but not having had to buy Ethernet cables before, I want to make sure I'm getting the right one.

So, in a nutshell, what spec cable should I be looking at?

Thanks in advance!

Dan

Re: Ethernet Cable

TimmyBGood — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 19:22:40 GMT

@Danorak81

Cat5e is fine, Cat6 for bragging rights. Anything above that is intended for multi-gigabit data transfer in server rooms, and entirely unnecessary in domestic use.

There shouldn't be any need to pay more than about £1 per metre: 'premium' cables are generally the domain of scammers.

Avoid cables which don't declare a Cat standard though: these may be copper-clad aluminium rather than actual copper.

Re: Ethernet Cable

Danorak81 — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 20:40:20 GMT

Brilliant-thanks a lot of the info-I'd never have known that. And that's one thing I'm always wary off buying anything online: the OTT descriptions and deconstructed images etc.

Cheers!

Re: Ethernet Cable

ilovelasvegas60 — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 19:52:18 GMT

Evening

I have had Full Fibre installed today - all is working fine but I need to buy a longer ethernet cable to prevent a "trip hazard" (I am old and we oldies need to consider stuff like that !}. Seen on this post that I need a CAT5e cable - lovely - off to Amazon website I go - why is everything so complicated ?? Found one - Connector type RJ11 ADSL -"connects BT Infinity, Sky Q etc" - "That's the jobby for me "as Billy Connolly used to say - however the small print says "Cable supplies your router with main incoming signal from wall box and is not designed to connect devices to the yellow ports on your router " . My router is a SKY black hub and all the ports are yellow !! Doh !! Also says "Fits RJ45 Openreach Master Socket - I now have a ONT box thingy. Can someone please advise me exactly what I need to buy - as simply as possible - I like to live in obsolete times but I am being dragged kicking and screaming into modern living !!

Thank you in advance for any assistance , this forum has always been helpful with my stupid questions in the past.

Re: Ethernet Cable

JimM1 — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 20:00:32 GMT

@ilovelasvegas60 You need to get a cat5e Ethernet cable RJ45 to RJ45 and the length that you require to connect from the back off the hub port 4 marked WAN to the ONT Lan port, just like the cable you have on now. The RJ11 is of NO USE to you at all, so ignore that cable!

Start with the link below and apply more filters as needed.

Amazon.co.uk : amazon ethernet cable

Re: Ethernet Cable

ilovelasvegas60 — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 20:14:58 GMT

Thank you so much for your swift reply - when it said Sky Q on the description I automatically assumed it would be compatible - what does RJ11 and RJ45 mean anyway , is it to do with the equipment that's on the wall i.e the ONT box ??As I said nothing is simple - a cable is a cable to my simple mind !!! Anyway thanks again.

Re: Ethernet Cable

TimmyBGood — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 20:33:02 GMT

@ilovelasvegas60

Registered Jack has been a naming convention for the past half century.

Registered Jack 11 is a connection used in telephony and data transfer over telephone connections.

Registered Jack 45 is an 'ethernet plug'

https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2968/

The relevant connection between an ONT and a router is ethernet, so the cable required is RJ45 to RJ45: a Cat5e ethernet cable will always have these jack plugs.

Re: Ethernet Cable

JimM1 — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 20:24:19 GMT

@ilovelasvegas60 RJ11 is the smaller 6 pin connector used for connecting up the DSL to the Master Phone socket just like you used before the upgrade, normally 4 or 6 pins on it but only 2 ever used pins 3 and 4.

RJ45 is the 8 pin connector larger but same shape and it will never fit into the smaller socket, 4 cables used then lower speed to 100Mb/s, all 8 pins used then speed to 1000Mb/s which more common is displayed as 1Gb/s speed....

The ONT on the wall has a RJ45 socket and the Port 4 wan on the hub has a RJ45 socket, the cable is a RJ45 - RJ45 patch for linking the two, standard lengths are 1M,2M,3M,5M 10Metre etc!

Re: Ethernet Cable

ilovelasvegas60 — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 20:30:54 GMT

thanks again I used your link to Amazon and have hopefully ordered the right thing ! So grateful for your help, us oldies need all the assistance we can get to navigate the modern world !

Re: Ethernet Cable

Deb3000 — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 10:02:39 GMT

Please stop associating age with technical incompetence. It’s a label the rest of us don’t need. I’m an OAP myself and I know exactly what I’m doing.

Re: Ethernet Cable

Chrisee — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 10:06:59 GMT

@Deb3000 I 100% agree being well over 70 myself. 😀

Re: Ethernet Cable

ilovelasvegas60 — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 19:41:26 GMT

Evening

I am really sorry to have caused any offence to anyone on this forum. I was upset to see the last two comments, having been so grateful for the assistance other subscibers gave me. I freely admit that I find it difficult to embrace a lot of the new technology and I find a lot of my friends and acquaintances feel the same. But yes I shouldn't assume we are all in the same boat so apologies again.

Re: Ethernet Cable

JimM1 — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 20:32:31 GMT

@ilovelasvegas60 It's not a problem, if not involved in the field of electronics and its equipment, and have no general inclination off such then best to ask, you learned something new, now you can pass it on, they say knowledge is power, and combined makes me feel so young in the late sixties, must be the baby off the ((oldies team))!😁

Re: Ethernet Cable

Deb3000 — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 21:33:21 GMT

@ilovelasvegas60 You’re forgiven. I just bulk at everyone assuming “us oldies” automatically means ineptitude. There's enough prejudice out there without reinforcing it.