Cat Cable

Buy or replace your cat 5 network cable cheaply Even if you have solid skills to repair your cat 5 cable -- essentially stripping the damaged area and re-tipping it -- using cables in good or perfect condition is ideal, especially if you want to make safety and performance a priority. Plus, new cat 5 cables come in a variety of colors which will make it easy to identify ethernet lines in case you need to reorganize your office or quickly identify your cat 5 network cables for any reason.

I recommend:  Shop GreatCables.com for a wide selection of cat 5 cables and buy in bulk for the biggest price breaks. For same-day shipping on U.S.-made cat 5 cables in both blue and grey contact Cables To Go.

Look for extenders and get more use from your cat 5 cable Though the choice of your cat cable and its applications vary greatly, most cat cables come in standard lengths. Since cat cables longer than 350 feet can hinder diagnosing potential problems with the cables, many companies manufacture extenders. Individual extenders are small but are more expensive than the cables themselves but can solve both problems that could occur with diagnostics as well as the frustrations that come with having too many cables or cords in one area.

I recommend:  Both Black Box Network Services and KVM Switches Online offer cat 5 network cable extenders for multimedia use.

Get twice the speed with a cat 6 cable A cat 6 cable offers an even higher signal-to-noise ratio than cat 5 cables. And though a cat 6 cable or a cat 7 cable is typically manufactured with heavier gauge wire than a cat 5 cable and offers less system noise, there are also limitations on their length -- the longest is 330 feet in length. The connectors to which they attach are also less common than those of cat 5 cables.

I recommend:  For cat 6 cable needs, buy several colors by-the-foot through Control Cable Inc.. Comtrad Cables offers a bulk pack of cat 6 cables for a deep discount.