Then what you need is CW1308 cable which is what Open Reach use and is somewhat better than the cheap rubbish you get by and large. When I was on ADSL I got around 10% higher data rate when I switched to this (no apparent change with BT Infinity FTTC). Obviously not everyone will see a difference
For CAT 5E,6 or 7 ensure itās solid core copper for long runs - āinstallation cableā - the stuff you thread through conduits/behind skirting boards, etc (not stranded or copper coated aluminium). This used to be called CW1724, but CW1724 is not available anymore. That being the case youāre looking for something verified to ISO/IEC 11801, EN50173 and ANSI/TIA-568-C.2
For patch cables (eg wall socket to NAS), solid copper, not copper clad, still applies, but can be stranded.
If itās copper clad aluminium, or other metal, itās not CAT anything (āCATā cable has to be solid copper).
Actually not quite right, telephone extension and Ethernet wiring come from the same family with approx 100 ohm twisted pair CI ā¦ and Ethernet Cat 5 cabling comes from the structured cabling standard that was used to carry ISDN, PSTN, Ethernet etcā¦ and effectively 8P8C Ethernet was designed to originally run over telephone structured wiring.
So you can absolutely and effectively use Cat5e for your modem connection, and indeed RJ11 Cat5e cabling is available to connect your master socket NTE face plate, and promoted for high speed use such as VDSL. You should never tamper and interfere with the Openreach wiring that feeds the NTE socket. Cat 3 cabling historically is more typically used for home telephone wiring.
If I wanted to get the strong (approx. 5 inch) coils out of the 5m Ugreen ethernet cable I recently bought (which is about 8mm in diameter), could I lay the cable out along the length of the room and pin it down with large books? Would that be likely to get the coils out, or are they made to be permanently somewhat coiled?
By the way, the cable was a total of Ā£5 inc. delivery - is that a triumph of sensible buying, or a sign that Iāve probably bought a poor quality item?
To clarify, I wasnāt talking about the āOpen Reach sideā of the master socket. The cable I listed (CW1308) is 2xtwisted pair, but much more flexible than CAT5, hence is more user friendly than CAT5E for the short run from RJ11 socket to modem. (This is CAT3 I believe).
I use CAT5E to run from master socket to the socket in the room with the router in it, then the more flexible one from wall point (RJ11) to modem/router.
As SiS says, donāt mess with the input wiring to the house - donāt remove the NTE5.
You should be able to get the coils out of your green cable by pulling it along a few inches at a time by pressing hard with the finger and thumb of one hand, while pulling it through those fingers with the other hand. Thereās a knack to it - donāt give up ! Donāt press too hard, you donāt want to remove the twists of the internal wires
My approach is to stick with the router your ISP has supplied. If you look in the various settings menus, it will be full of configuration options, many of which you wonāt understand (at least, I donāt!) and the ISP may even apply updates without your knowledge. With different hardware, your ISP may not be able to offer support if you have problems in future with your internet connection.
For your LAN, on the other hand, I would certainly consider running a third party device if the ISP supplied router isnāt up to it. Not always necessary, as some ISPs have improved the quality of their hardware, I suspect mainly because they want to sell you more services such as TV etc. But, if they have given you a basic router that doesnāt work well, I would just turn off the WiFi and run an Ethernet cable to your chosen device, and run all wired and wireless connections through this. This also gives you flexibility to choose an optimum location for best wireless performance - WAPs are usually best placed high up, at ceiling level.
