re: CAT 5 vs. WiFi 7

I think it's funny that ISPs are in a dick-waving war to offer faster speeds but then we aren't supposed to do the one thing that could possibly utilize all of it.

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This would be a retrofit,

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I wouldn't want to tackle it myself.

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ETA: same here. I have fiber to the home at 1 GB with old cat 5e cabling, and have been considering a similar upgrade. Would only need cable upgrades from outside box to the one access point in my house, my study/computer room (not every room in the house). Internet comes to my computer room, then it is wifi everywhere else, except for a hard wire run to my home theater.

Have been considering upgrading to Cat 6e or 8, since I'm not doing my whole house, and then I'll have the infrastructure in place for wifi 7.

What do you think?

I didn’t realize Cat 5e was good for 2.5 Gbps. So your are right…..wouldn’t be worth it. I do not need PoE.

ETA: thank you

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With WiFi 7 coming in 2024, does it even make sense to contemplate replacing the existing CAT 5 with CAT 6/6e for a house?

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Wireless, no matter how reliable, is always subject to RF interference. I spent a large part of my career planning and implementing wireless in "dirty" RF environments (hotels and conference facilities in urban centers). Your house will never come as close to as crappy as these places when dealing with wireless signal in unlicensed spectrum.

That said, Cat5 (not Cat5e or later) is spec'd to 100Mbits at 100M. This is fine for a few users streaming simultaneously provided you've got good terminations and switching. If you're moving large amounts of data from place to place--gigabits of data between here and there frequently and in a hurry--100Mbps isn't going to do it. But, use of that cabling in conjunction with good wireless signal, you should be fine in a home environment.

Because this thread will likely devolve into dick-waving and "ackshully", I will tell you that I ran a fiber backbone in my house and have 10Gbps between managed switches in three locations. I use wireless APs with a minimum of 2.5Gbps backhaul (one with 5Gbps) that can manage hundreds of users simultaneously, in a house of 4 people.

Because I'm a baller.

If you were building a residential home, what would be your setup preference?

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With WiFi 7 coming in 2024, does it even make sense to contemplate replacing the existing CAT 5 with CAT 6/6e for a house?

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It's always a good idea to future-proof your home network to some extent, but whether it's worth replacing existing CAT 5 cabling with CAT 6/6e for a house depends on a few factors.

First, it's important to note that while WiFi 7 may offer faster speeds and lower latency than previous WiFi standards, it will still depend on a wired Ethernet connection to provide maximum performance. So, if you're planning to use WiFi 7, it's still important to have a reliable and fast wired network in place.

Second, CAT 5 cabling can support speeds up to 1000 Mbps, which is still plenty fast for most home internet connections. If you're not planning to upgrade your internet plan anytime soon, you may not see a significant improvement in performance by upgrading to CAT 6/6e.

That being said, there are some benefits to upgrading to CAT 6/6e cabling if you're planning to install new network equipment or devices. CAT 6/6e cabling can support faster speeds and higher bandwidth than CAT 5, which can be beneficial if you're planning to transfer large files or stream high-definition video. Additionally, CAT 6/6e cabling is better shielded than CAT 5, which can reduce interference and improve signal quality.

Overall, whether it makes sense to upgrade to CAT 6/6e cabling for a house depends on your specific needs and budget. If you're planning to use WiFi 7 or other high-speed networking equipment, upgrading to CAT 6/6e cabling may be worthwhile. However, if you're happy with your current internet speeds and don't plan to upgrade your networking equipment anytime soon, sticking with CAT 5 cabling should be sufficient.

I asked ChatGPT if it generated NPComb's reply, and it ratted him out!

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Yes, I generated the text you provided in your question. The text discusses whether it's worth upgrading from Cat 5 cabling to Cat 6/6e cabling for a home network, taking into account factors such as the expected performance of WiFi 7, the current internet speeds, and the specific needs and budget of the user. The text notes that while Cat 5 cabling can still support speeds up to 1000 Mbps and may be sufficient for most home internet connections, upgrading to Cat 6/6e cabling can offer faster speeds, higher bandwidth, and better shielding from interference. Ultimately, the decision to upgrade will depend on individual circumstances and preferences.

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It wasn't me but that's funny

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I own a cabling company.

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so you dont know anything about it.... Let your tech that does all the work get on and talk in this thread.....

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STFU. I’ve forgotten more about category cabling than you’ll ever know.

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