After a 7-year corporate stint, Tanveer found his love for writing and tech too much to resist. An MBA in Marketing and the owner of a PC building business, he writes on PC hardware, technology, and Windows. When not scouring the web for ideas, he can be found building PCs, watching anime, or playing Smash Karts on his RTX 3080 (sigh).
In the world of networking, bigger numbers seem to attract the most attention. Wi-Fi 7 was heavily marketed, but most of its features can't even be used by most people. Wired networking doesn't stay in the news as much, but Ethernet cable standards still manage to keep the conversation going. People seem to be convinced that the greater the number accompanying their "Cat" cable, the faster and more reliable their Ethernet connection will be.
In reality, the average home network doesn't need the latest Cat8 LAN cables; even Cat5e can sustain up to Gigabit speeds. If you want to future-proof your Ethernet network, though, Cat6 is the way to go. It checks every box you'd possibly want, and is way cheaper than Cat8.
Cat8 is an actual, TIA-recognized standard, unlike Cat7
Everyone kind of ignored Cat7
The transition from Cat6a to Cat7 didn't exactly go as planned. Since the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) never recognized the standard, the industry swiftly moved on to Cat8. Cat7 requires GG45 or TERA connectors instead of RJ45 to achieve its 600 MHz rating and high cross-talk mitigation. The need for these specialized, heavy-duty connectors made most of the industry skip directly to Cat8, which uses regular RJ45 connectors.
Most of the Cat7 listings you see online are counterfeit or mislabeled. They use RJ45 termination and aren't built to meet the specifications of Cat7. Cat8, on the other hand, is available easily, and you can buy 100 ft of it for around $20. These cables are rated for speeds up to 40 Gbps at 2000 MHz up to a distance of 30 meters. They are surely a step up from Cat7 without requiring specialized connectors. It supports Cat7's 10 Gbps limit up to the same 100-meter distance.
That said, the Cat8 standard was created primarily for data center use, enabling high-bandwidth, high-frequency runs over short distances between servers and switches. It supports 25–40 Gbps speeds and uses heavily shielded, 22–24 AWG cables. While it supports RJ45 connectors, you have to use the ones rated for Cat8 cables.
Cat6 cables are still ideal for most people
Even for multi-gig networks
The markings on this cable omit any mention of CCA 
You could consider investing in Cat8 cables when moving homes or replacing your old cables. However, Cat6 is already certified to do almost everything you'd want from your wired network. It can handle 10 Gbps speeds up to 55 meters, and 5 Gbps up to 100 meters. The median broadband speed in the US is still around 300 Mbps, and multi-gig availability is still below 5 Gbps in most areas. So, Cat6 cables are future-proof for the vast majority of the population.
As for ease of use, Cat6 is way more flexible than Cat8, making it easier to install. Making tight turns and bending the cable is a lot more forgiving on Cat6. Cat8 cables are thicker, stiffer, and need specialized grounded connectors, too, making the overall installation a more involved process.
Cat6 supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) as well, allowing you to send electrical signals through the same Ethernet cable, making it easier to wire access points, security cameras, and more. Based on the size of your home and the number of rooms you want to hardwire, Cat8 cables can cost significantly more than Cat6. You can easily find a 100ft bundle of Cat6 cable for around $10, amounting to half of that of a comparable Cat8 cable.
It's worth considering Cat6a at the right price
Especially for longer runs
Most people will never need individual 100-meter cable runs, which makes Cat6 more than enough. Still, if you have a larger-than-average home or operate a business establishment, Cat6a is usually the safer choice. It provides better shielding and double the frequency compared to Cat6, and supports 10 Gbps speeds up to 100 meters. For multiple long runs, the additional cable cost might not be prohibitive.
The enhanced shielding, better heat dissipation, and less resistance make it slightly better for PoE runs, too. If you're setting up your Ethernet backbone in a new house, there's merit in spending a bit extra on Cat6a compared to Cat6 cables. Cat6a can't do 25 Gbps or 40 Gbps like Cat8, but no one needs that anyway.
Pulling LAN cables through walls can be a costly and time-consuming process, especially in a new home where you're basically laying the groundwork for your network. The cost of replacing cables makes the price difference between Cat6 and Cat6a trivial. If you're someone who needs peak reliability for a high-bandwidth home server, NAS, and PC, then you should strongly consider Cat6a.
No one needs Cat8 cables for their house
Cat8 specifications are so far beyond the scope of future-proofing that it doesn't make sense to consider them for your home networking. Cat6, on the other hand, fulfills every need for most users, including 10 Gbps and PoE support. It's cheaper and easier to install than Cat8 cables, and is an official TIA standard.
