[nist7]

So I heard that most ethernet/LAN cables (cat5, cat6) are unshielded, and there are a few cat 6 that I saw that was shielded.

So AFAIK the shielded cable is protected from EMI and thus theoretically should translate to less interference and better speeds?

 

[[Teh Root]]

Shielded is always better. They tend to be higher quality cables, which means less packet loss, and less EMI on the packets as well.

 

[nist7]

Of course shielded is "better." That is a fact. I guess I was wondering if it is worth the extra cost if using it in a short-length, home network sort of environment.

So I can get a Cat6 UTP for $3.84 or a Cat6A STP for $8.61 which is more than double the price!

Btw as cheap as they seem, they are supposed to be uber high quality from monoprice.com

 

[wtomlinson]

if you're using it in a home-environment, you're not really going to notice the difference. you can get pretty much the same results with Cat5e if you're using a Gigabit switch. also, STP is a PITA to tip when you're making a ton of them.

 

[radodrill]

a lot of commercial installations use UTP (I know the local university's IT department does, even on long runs).

 

[savagebunny]

Your really only going to see STP if there is a lot of EMI around the cables, if not then most of the time it will be UTP

 

[D3FiN3 SiN]

I like working with unshielded cables if making some simple RJ-45 hook-ups in a home environment.

I really hate peeling back the shielding and stuffing it into the connector.

 

[wtomlinson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by radodrill a lot of commercial installations use UTP (I know the local university's IT department does, even on long runs).

a lot of the military uses UTP too.

 

[Geriden]

Its probably a waste of money to go for STP in most home network, unless you can justify otherwise.

In terms of performance difference there is none, it will just prevent EMI (which i doubt is an issue in your home) so stick with the UTP!

 

[captthunderpnts]

The only reason I would use shielded cable in a residential setting is if you had a monstrous run. And by monstrous, I mean over 100' (and that's only 1/3 of the usable range of unshielded). Save yourself some money and just buy unshielded cabling. Wtomlinson is right about how much of a pain it can be when crimping lots of shielded UTP, for sure.