Customer Reviews

WHITE 100FT CAT5 CAT5e RJ45 PATCH ETHERNET NETWORK CABLE 100 FT

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

The requirements for a CAT5 cable call for single twisted pair wires to cancel out electromagnetic interference : [...]. Each of the four pairs in a Cat 5 cable has differing precise number of twists per metre based on prime numbers to minimize crosstalk between the pairs, on average 6 twists per 2 inches.

This product does not have twisted wires and that makes it, by definition, NOT a CAT5e cable, not even a CAT5.

Since it's a patch cable, it does use stranded wires, which also means, as another reviewer observed, that you cannot cut it and put new connectors on it, since the flexibility of the wires make it hard to push it all the way in.

On top of that, I don't think the wires are copper, since copper is not supposed to look silvery (see picture).

But wait, it gets worse - I don't think it's 24 AWG cable either. Of course, since it's stranded it makes it a bit more difficult to measure it, but as far as I can tell, the diameter is closer to that of 26 AWG than 24. My caliper read 0.42 mm; 26AWG is 0.40mm, which is closer if you account for the stranded wires, while 24AWG is supposed to be 0.51mm.

All these factors are bad enough by themselves, but if you add that to the length of the cable, it makes for an abysmal quality item.

Out of the box this cable only connected at 100T speeds, gigabit connection was not possible.

On the plus side, the wire is pretty flexible, which in theory should make for really good wiring around the house, but running untwisted cable over a 100ft is just asking for trouble.

This 100ft cable is a good cable, it is good for running through the walls to hook up a Xbox 360 or PC to a router. The only reason I gave it four out of five stars is because the cable was made with poor connectors. The cheep connectors that come with it correctly lock into the Ethernet port but are slightly too small, which allows them to come loose and disconnect from the internet. As long as you are not moving the computer or Xbox while you are using them, then this cable will work fine for you. If you need to be able to move something while using it. Then find a better cable.

Just steer clear of these cables. I bought several of these cables as a relatively cheap way to wire some rooms in the house for Internet access. You get what you pay for.

First of all, as another reviewer stated, this isn't even cat5 cable. None of the wire pairs are twisted. Wire pairs are twisted to reduce crosstalk. Twisted pairs are part of the cat5 spec. No twisted pairs = no cat5.

Second, the wires are probably 26AWG, instead of the 22AWG or 24AWG required. That means that you can't cut the ends off these and expect to wire the cable to a wall jack. The wall jacks I use require a punch-down tool to push the wire into a couple of metal pins. The pins typically cut through the rubber sleeve on the wire and make contact with the wire itself. Since these wires are thinner than required, the rubber is never cut sufficiently, resulting in inconsistent contact.

Third, the connectors on the end are just crap. They are small, so they move around in the RJ45 port on switches, routers, or computers. This causes any connection you might have to drop in and out. Also, the pins on the connector are smaller than on a known good cable connector. The pins are about half the width of a good cable, again resulting in bad connections.

Fourth, the wires are not copper. Reading up on cheap cat5 cables, I see that copper-clad aluminum is being used in cheap wires. Copper is used in wires for a reason. It conducts the signal much better than other materials while still keeping a good price point. The copper-clad aluminum will pretty much rule out using these cables for gigabit ethernet connections. You'll be lucky to get 100Mbit connections.

Luckily, I only ran a couple of these wires before discovering all of this, so I don't have to do too much work to rewire those rooms. The price on these cables was too good to be true and now I know why. Don't waste your money. Buy some better quality cables. You'll spend more up front, but you'll be happier in the end.

I was a little skeptical at first with this cable, but I was thrilled to have gotten it and have it work on my xbox 360, rather than dropping so much for the wireless adapter.

We needed a nonobtrusive ethernet connection for a room distant from the modem. This fit the bill perfectly. It was far less expensive and more compatable in length and color than could be found at any computer solutions source in our small community. I used the standard shipping method and it arrived far sooner than was quoted. Thanks bunches from those in the house for whom wireless was ineffective.

This would've been a fine cable but it arrived with a big gash through the rubber casing and it did not work when tested.

After searching the cable we found the open area and located a spot on one of the wires where it had been sliced in half. I repaired the wire myself and closed the rubber with electrical tape but if you don't know how to do this kind of repair you would be stuck with a non working cable. Also, now it doesn't look very nice but luckily that does not matter for my application.

Other than that is an OK cable. The rubber is supple (perhaps too soft to protect it!) and it works fine as long as none of your wires are sliced in half. If you receive a non damaged cable I'm sure it would be a good value at this price.

I should start by saying that I purchased one at first to see how well it would work out. After using it for a week, I decided it would fit my needs perfectly, and ordered another. Both came within 5 business days (ordered on Monday, received on Friday). Both cords were the correct length, even slightly over which is nice. Both were clearly new, had not been used.

I only have two negative notes. On the cable which I use for my laptop (constantly plugging and unplugging), the clip that latches the cord into the Ethernet socket has broken off. This really doesn't hurt anything, but I can see it being an issue for some people. The other thing I noticed was that both cables were shipped in a envelope. Since neither were lined with anything, a misguided nail or screw could have harmed the cables. I was lucky and had no issue, but it's something to keep in mind when ordering.

Overall I love the product and it works perfectly for my needs (going upstairs where my router's signal will simply not reach). I would not recommend using it for construction purposes however, not very durable.

Hey, a cable is a cable, Right? The big difference is the price. The only one I could find localy was over $80. These cable are high quality and cost under $20. I am definitely pleased with the way it is working.

I ordered this item thinking I was getting a good deal on a long cat 5e cable to send a television signal from our main entertainment center to our kitchen. Given the length of the run I was concerned about noise and interference so I orderd this cat5e cable. When I unboxed it I became suspicious of it immediately becuase the cable was much thinner and flimsier than other cat5e cables I have. In spite of my concerns I tested the cable anyway and the results were not good. The television signal showed a lot of noise and ghosting as well as colors that were dull and flat. To confirm that the cable was the culprit I went to radio shack and purchased their cheapest 100' cat5e cable and installed it in place of this cable. The radio shack cable did not show any of the noise or problems that this cable had in the installation. Finally I stripped the jacket off a section of this cable to ensure it was at least constructed correctly but unfortunately I found that the pairs were not twisted. Twisted pairs is a key requirement for cat5 that minimizes interference. The conclusion is that this cable is essentially useless. Do not buy this cable unless you don't care about the signal quality you intend to send across it.

This is the cheapest cable i found. The wire is fine, just the ends are cheap plastic and easily broken.But you can replace the ends yourself for like five bucks and i'm sure if you're careful it won't break.