Category Archives: Optical & Copper Network

Ethernet Cable vs Wi-Fi

The huge development of computer technology has been seen in the past 20 years, and sometimes you feel that the latest achievements are out of date. Computers have become smaller, lighter and more powerful. The scale of hard disk is bigger and the life expectancy is longer than any other time. Today, the only thing that hasn’t changed is how computers connect to the Internet. When we choose between Wi-Fi and Ethernet, we often get confused.

What Is Ethernet Cable and What Is Wi-Fi

What Is Ethernet Cable

Ethernet cable is one of the most commonly used network cables in wired networks. Ethernet cables connect devices in local area networks, such as PCs, routers and switches. Considering that these are physical cables, they do have their limitations. They can stretch in distance and still carry the appropriate signals with their durability. Ethernet cables are similar to telephone cables, but they are larger and have more wires. Ethernet cables have different colors, but telephone cables are usually gray.

Ethernet cable

Figure: Ethernet cable

What Is Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is a wireless network protocol that allows devices to communicate without interconnections. It is technically an industry term, representing a wireless local area network (LAN) protocol based on 802.11 IEEE network standard. Wi-Fi is the most popular way to transmit data in a fixed location. It is a trademark of the Wi-Fi alliance, which is an international company association involving wireless LAN technology and products.

Ethernet Cable vs Wi-Fi: What’s the Difference

Ethernet Cable vs Wi-Fi: Speed vs Standards

So far, you may be more optimistic about your Wi-Fi, but here are some technical facts you may need to know about Wi-Fi and Ethernet:

Wi-Fi standards such as 802.11ac and 802.11n provide maximum speed of 866.7 Mb / s and 150 Mb / s respectively. But it is hard for you to realize that a large part of this bandwidth because it is also used by our Wi-Fi router for other purposes. Similarly, there are standards for Ethernet cables, such as CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6 cables, etc., all of them belong to patch cables. In theory, if you have CAT6 cable, wired Ethernet connection can provide up to 10 Gb / s rate.

Ethernet Cable vs Wi-Fi: Latency

If you are a gamer, you must know how annoying delays are in online games. Moreover, it is obvious that Ethernet provides the advantage of lower latency in the war between Wi-Fi and Ethernet. Because when the Wi-Fi connection is sent around your home, your router uses radio waves. The strength and consistency of these radio waves can be reduced by obstructions in your home, interference from other devices, and the distance between your router and the connected device. These issues can cause the latency.

Ethernet Cable vs Wi-Fi: Interference

The most disadvantage of Wi-Fi is interference. As technology takes over the world, we have wireless interference in our homes, including Wi-Fi routers, TVs, ovens, smart phones, game consoles, etc. These interference will not keep your Wi-Fi signal from other signals that affect your Wi-Fi. However, Ethernet cables have no such effect.

Ethernet Cable vs Wi-Fi: Security

Intruding Wi-Fi networks is easier to access than having an access to physical cables. Data on Ethernet can only be physically accessed to device access to the network. These devices, including laptops at one end and routers at the other end, need be protected by firewalls. With Wi-Fi, the data is in the air. If you are using an open network, all the data you send and receive can be intercepted, including personal information and login details.

Conclusion

Finally, Ethernet provides better speed, lower latency and more reliable security. Wi-Fi provides convenient advantages and it is sufficient for most purposes. Therefore, you just need to see if your device is suitable for the type that Ethernet will affect it, and then decide whether it will produce enough differences to run some cables. FS.COM can provide you with many kinds of Ethernet cables, such as Cat5e Patch Cables, Cat6 Patch Cables, Cat6a Patch Cables and so on. Contact us if you have any problem about this.

The Advantage of Slim Cat6 Cable

Introduction of Slim Cat6 Cable

Slim cat6 cable is the thin version of cat6 cable, which is designed to meet the requirement of Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) since the rapid development of today’s network. Cat6 is a patch cable used to connect electronic devices in local area networks such as routers, computers and company intranet, for carrying broadband signals between the devices. This sixth generation of twisted-pair network cable can support speeds up to 10Gbps and is able to operate at up to 250MHz with an improved design of thicker-gauge wire and increased shielding. This can guarantee data integrity simultaneously.

Advantages of Slim Cat6 Cable

Slim cat6 cable is commonly constructed of 28 AWG(American Wire Gauge, a standard to distinguish the diameter of individual wire ) wire. The slim patch cable is almost 36% thinner than other network cable constructed of 24AWG copper conductors. The relationship between wire gauge and wire diameter is inverse, which means the gauge is smaller and the diameter of the wire is larger. For example, with 24AWG copper conductor, the outer diameter of a typical cat6 cord is 0.235 inches. However, the cable constructed of 28AWG copper wire is significantly smaller in diameter. With copper pairs of this type, cat6 cable cord with 28AWG wire is 0.15 inches in outer diameter. Therefore, using slim cat6 cable can optimize network. It provides many benefits as followed.

  • Reduce space

Commonly the larger the gauge, the smaller the wire. From the above, we can see that with a diameter of only 0.15 inches, the slimmer cat6 cable is almost half the size of a standard cat6 cable with a diameter of 0.235 inches. This indicates the slim cat6 can nearly reduce the cord’s size by more than 50 percent, which offers a larger extra space for cable managers and pathways.

  • Improve airflow

The slim design occupies less space in data center than other network cables. This can generate better airflow and equipment cooling, which are especially important for machines with large chassis switches. It is also helpful for equipment maintenance.

  • Enable easier management

Compared with the standard cat6, the slim cable is more flexible with a smaller volume. In addition, the slim cat6 cable brings more available space, so the cable is easier to manage especially on high-density panels. This make it convenient for users route cable without horizontal cable managers, and port numbers on high-density panels can be identified easily. It contributes to save time and labor in a certain meaning.

easy to management

Application of Slim Cat6 Cable

The majority of new buildings has installed cat6 cable in recent years. And the slim cat6 cable is usually applied in telecommunication rooms or data center due to its benefits like reduced space. This network cable can handle issues in high-density rooms.

Conclusion

The slim cat6 cable is a great alternative to other traditional cable, for it can save space, improve airflow with easy management. With the internet demand of better signals, the importance of better network cables has been increased that can not be ignored. FS.COM will always serve you with good network cables.