Ethernet patch cable 5e with cat 6e


Maybe a dumb question, but I am using a patch Cable 5e to further connect a cat 6e Ethernet cable. Does use of the 5e negate the impact of 6e? I like the 6e because it's insulated better.  Isn't 5e older and pretty much out of date?

 

emergingsoul

Great points.
 

What about streaming videos? Audio bandwith not a problem I don't think except would be better to not have an extender before the Cat 5 patch cable which is about 20 feet.

HD Video streams at about 5 Mbps and ultra-high video (4K) needs about 25 Mbps. So the Cat 5 spec and 100 Mbps connection would still work fine for that. The only way you might get in trouble is if you have multiple users all streaming different 4K video sources at the same time. 

A cat 5 would probably work fine, but does it impair and reduce quality of the audio and video being streamed? What a cat 6E work better? And longer-term I guess it would be better.

We know the video Signal may be fine, but the audio signal which has always been compressed in the past is now receiving more attention toward being uncompressed and with this would a cat 5 not work as well since many of us Herein are using a very revealing soundsystem when watching movies.

As noted, it is up to you to decide whether or not you can hear (or see) a difference between Cat 5 and 6. Unlike the dynamic range for perceived volume where you need headroom above the average playback volume for peaks, the streaming signal doesn't exhibit that trait. If you are watching a 4K video streaming at 25 Mbps, you don't need another 50% or 100% for headroom.  25 Mbps is the max. 

If you want to play 192K/24 music, the max stream rate will be under 5 Mbps. With a 100 Mbps connection, you'll be 20 times that. Not sure why one would need more if that is all you're doing. My two cents is, if there is a sonic issue, it has more to do with EMF/RFI than speed. 

The really high speed connections are great when you are transferring big files and want them to download or upload as quickly as possible, but that's not a real-time playback issue. And, as noted before, higher speeds can be nice when you have a lot of people in the household online at the same time, each doing their own thing. Who else is going to be using your particular run of Cat cable? 

As noted, the main thing you are losing is shielding. If you have a highly resolving system and streamer that is sensitive to noise, it could make a difference. Trying a full length Cat 6 will give you your answer. Blue Jeans will make you any length at relatively low cost.