An Ethernet cable is one of the most common types of network cables used for wired networks. Ethernet cables connect devices within a local area network, like PCs, routers, and switches. These physical cables are limited by their length and by their durability. If a network cable is too long or of poor quality, it won't carry a good network signal. These limits are one reason there are different types of Ethernet cables optimized to perform certain tasks in specific situations.
What an Ethernet Cable Looks Like
An ethernet cable resembles a phone cable, but is larger and has more wires. Both cables share a similar shape and plug, but an ethernet cable has eight wires, while phone cables have four. Ethernet cable connectors are also larger.
Ethernet cables plug into Ethernet ports, which are larger than phone cable ports. An Ethernet port on a computer is accessible through the Ethernet card on the motherboard. This port is usually on the back of a desktop computer, or on the side of a laptop.
Ethernet cables come in different colors, but phone cables are usually just grey.
What is an Ethernet Cable?Types of Ethernet Cables
Ethernet cables support one or more industry standards including Category 5 and Category 6. Most technicians refer to these standards as CAT5 and CAT6, respectively. Because of this, many online stores that sell network cables use this abbreviated language as well.
Ethernet cables are manufactured in two basic forms called solid and stranded. Solid Ethernet cables offer slightly better performance and improved protection against electrical interference. They're also commonly used on business networks, wiring inside office walls, or under lab floors to fixed locations.
Stranded Ethernet cables are less prone to physical cracks and breaks, making them more suitable for travelers or in home network setups.
Wifi Working But Not Ethernet
A crossover cable is a type of Ethernet cable designed to connect two computers to each other. By contrast, most Ethernet cables are designed to connect one computer to a router or switch.
Limitations of Ethernet Cables
A single Ethernet cable has a maximum distance capacity, meaning the cable has an upper limit as to how long it can be before there is a signal loss (called attenuation). This problem results from the fact that the electrical resistance of a very long cable starts to affect performance.
Both ends of the cable should be close enough to each other to receive signals quickly, and far enough away from outside electrical interference to avoid interruptions. However, this precaution alone doesn't limit the size of a network, because hardware like routers or hubs can be used to join multiple ethernet cables together on the same network. This distance between two devices is called the network diameter.
The maximum length of a single CAT5 cable, before attenuation occurs, is 324 feet. CAT6 can go up to 700 feet. Ethernet cables can be longer but they might suffer from signal loss, especially if they pass near large electrical appliances.
Ethernet cable length is a little different if you're talking about thin ethernet cables known as '10 base 2', or thick ethernet cables known as '10 base 5'. The former should be no longer than 600 feet while the latter cable type can reach lengths of around 1,640 feet.
A short cable may suffer from reflection. However, some people have reported no problems with cable lengths as low as 4 inches.
Different types of RJ-45 connectors serve different purposes. One type, designed for use with stranded cables, is incompatible with solid cables. Other types of RJ-45 connectors may work with both stranded and solid cables.
Alternatives to Ethernet Cables for Computer Networking
Wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have replaced Ethernet on many home and business networks. In fact most tablets and other mobile devices don't have any network port at all. These wireless technologies are especially advantageous if you'd otherwise run the cable outside or in locations with a heightened risk of wire damage.
I have an HP Pavilion 20 All-in-One PC running with Win 8. I recently moved from the place I was living and cannot manage to establish a connection. In my old place the computer connected through ethernet and worked perfectly. In my new house I cannot connect it through an ethernet cable because the PC is upstairs while the modem is downstairs. I wanted to conmect it through Wifi but it seems that the PC has no Wifi option. I know that is not possible because I have seen the same computer with Wifi connections before. I tried going to the adapter settings in Network and Sharing Center but apparently the only option available is through an ethernet cable. What do I have to do?
Hennes
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SebastianSebastian
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Your Wifi driver might not be properly installed if you press your Wifi button and the card still does not 'wake up'.
To correct this issue, if the card is not automatically recognised and drivers found, the possible solution is to enter control panel and procceed as follows:
Ethernet Cable Types
1 - Find the card and do as specified on image
2 - Click the hardware ID, Ctrl + C it, then paste on google to find the apropriate drivers. note: always prefer manufacturer websites for this.
Lorenzo Von MatterhornLorenzo Von Matterhorn
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Few things in life are more frustrating than not being able to access the internet when you have a lot of work (or play) to do. When your computer can't connect to the network, you may see an error message that reads 'A network cable is unplugged' and see a red 'X' on the taskbar or in Windows Explorer.
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This message might be seen only once every few days or once every few minutes, depending on the nature of the problem, and it can occur even when you're on Wi-Fi.
Internet Only Works With Ethernet Cable Not Wireless Charging![]() Causes for Network Cable Unplugged Error
Errors regarding unplugged network cables have several potential causes. Typically, the message appears on a computer when an installed Ethernet network adapter is attempting unsuccessfully to make a local network connection.
Reasons for failure might include malfunctioning network adapters, bad Ethernet cables, or misbehaving network device drivers.
Some users who have upgraded from older versions of Windows to Windows 10 have also reported this issue.
Solutions
Try the following procedures, in order, to stop these error messages from appearing and reconnect to the network:
If none of the above procedures fix the 'A network cable is unplugged' error, it's possible that the device on the other end of the Ethernet connection, such as a broadband router, is the one malfunctioning. Troubleshoot these devices as needed.
Im not too techy guys so please bare with me.
Ive had my mums old sony vaio laptop as my hard drive has given up. this laptop is running windows vista home premium. it won't connect to my wifi router with wifi but will with the ethernet cable. I have checked and the wifi toggle on laptop is on and enabled. in netwrok sharing it says limited connection, local only, public network. when i plug the ethernet in, it asked me to create a profile for the connection etc and all went as usual. excellent signal strength etc. I have followed lots of guides off the interenet but none have been successful (unchecked ivp6, tired auto obtain ip etc, entered ip manually etc). the lapttop worked fine on my mums wifi and it connnects to my iphone if i turn personal hotsopt on, on my phone and it gets web pages etc. so i know wifi works on the laptop. I also know the router works as my ipad (wifi only model) connects fine and surfs the net as normal. the lapt and router are not talking and i need to sort it out. can some one please help me and tell me what to do so i can fix this pesky problem. I can ipconfig, and get into the router settings. let me know what i need to provide to you guys to make sense of whats going on as the ipconfig results and info in the router settings mean little to me. Comments are closed.
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