My Favorite Network Patch Cables

Thanks for an interesting video about something I would have never considered important before watching. I am BRAND NEW to this kind of stuff but I would like to build out a ubiquity network to replace my existing Orbi mesh system. Do you have any content that you would recommend for beginners? I am currently considering a system with 2-3 APs (I currently have Eufy cameras but I'd like to switch to POE cams with better resolution), and add some hard-wired access for smart TVs/home office). Thanks again!!

While we’re on the topic of cables, does anyone here have any recommendations for USB-C cables that don’t tangle easily? (Bonus points if they might offer faster data-transfer speeds than plain ol’ USB2.)

I've been using the Monoprice thinline since they came out, no issues at all. They are so nice looking and the color variety is bonus.

Have you heard of Kordz? Their Pro and PRS patch range is fantastic. Every PRS patch cord from Kordz that rolls off the production line has a full certification check performed by a Fluke DSX-5000. Fantastic patch, AOC, RCA and HDMI cables. Structured cabling very good too!

We finally just got the green light to standardize on 1ft mono price cables and my god am I glad.

I like the ones you do, I also for customers will also use Cable Matters and Amazon Basics in addition to Monoprice because not everything available in the US is available here in Canada and/or a decent price because of the 30-40% exchange rate

I switched all of our cables out to the Monoprice ones a few years ago. They are great!

I have been using monoprice 0.5m cables as well as Ubiquity ones.

I just placed an order for a pack of 35 etherlight cables for my max switches

Need to try and find some great British alternatives.

I don't get why no one can make DAC and fiber cables short like that...

Monoprice:
They have a good warranty on their cables. Had a really low failure rate on their patch cables. (Wasnt worth shipping them back, had maybe 30-60 cables out of some 12000 that has issues over 5 years.)

I own some of the thin Monoprice cables. The rubbery ramp boot piece constantly gets stuck under the plastic clip used to release the cable, making the cables a complete pain in the ass to use. It’s a terrible design. I won’t be buying any more of them.

in my personal experience, all I care about in patch cables is a good availability of several colors and those snagless connectors. I can't live with the broken clips and insufficient color coding! 😁

This is perfect timing, was looking at cables for a rack rewire just yesterday! Thank you!

I usually just buy the cheap minopr8ce. They work great.

Interesting video, thanks for taking the time to produce it. I managed a couple research data centers for a decade and the main headache I faces was the quality of the gold plating on the connector. Once a patch cord was connected to equipment, they were connected for the life of the equipment until it was decommissioned. In the early years periodically the connection to a piece of equipment was sporadic even when the link light was on and it turned out the connector pins didn't have a solid "rich" looking gold color. The pins in the connector had a more silvery color. Replacing the cable with the ones I standardized on always solved the problem.

I build my own 😊

i coil even fairly short cables using the over-under technique. that way i can just grab one end and throw the rest, and the whole thing comes undone without drama

We always strive to make our racks look aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Clients absolutely love the organized look and issues are more easily solved remotely if a cable malfunctions, etc. Love the cable videos. Cabling and designing network racks is absolutely a art within itself.

We have been using the small form factor patch cables thanks to your recommendations.

Monoprices snagless molded strain relief is afaik a copy of the better, more pliable Cables2Go version. I usually recommend cables2go for more price sensitive jobs, otherwise I use certified vendors with warranty.

I've been using the monotype slim cables for years and they're fantastic. The "regular" ones are not great as road cables... the spring one you showed is definitely in a different class (and I'll be ordering one for my bag!). But they're great for semi-permanent installs, racks, etc. Just not something that's getting moved around a lot.

For smaller installs I love the 6-12" size patch cables to make everything look pretty. BUT soooo many switch companies still make sub-48 port switches that only use one half of the rack unit, which makes neat cabling incredibly hard... the short ones are too short, and the jump to 12" makes for awkward transitions. I'm really puzzled why some enterprising company hasn't made a set of "fanned" cables in progressively longer sizes that allow nice cabling in that all-too-common scenario. (I wish more 24 port switches used the single row model that Ubiquiti's Enterprise and Max switches do, but even their lower end Pro and Standard switches use that obnoxious "right side" swith layout.

I found a company on AliExpress (which I usually try to avoid) that makes 7.5" patch cables, which have helped a LOT to tidy things up. So far so good, with those. A true fanned set would be so much nicer, though.

And then we get to labeling... heat shrink labels are the best, but none I have found can shrink enough to fit over the connector but still shrink down to skinny cable diameters , so that's just sad.

I work in live entertainment (specifically sound) and I love those thin Cat6a patch cables from Monoprice. They also work great with Ubiquiti etherlighting. I would normally never recommend ANY cables from Monoprice but those patch cables are great.

In my industry we need rugged yet flexible cables for longer runs. Cables are treated pretty roughly, especially on tours, and are installed/uninstalled/reinstalled on a daily basis. Van Damme Tourcat is a good example of good cabling made for our industry. Also, the ends are usually terminated with field term plugs or Neutrik Ethercon connectors (which is more of a casing that goes around a traditional RJ45 that makes them a bit more like an XLR connector).

Ubiquiti cables are unreliable in my experience

I'm wondering if the plastic on the Ubiquiti Cable will get "sticky" after a couple of years? Is it that type of coating on them?

Was hoping to hear shield vs unshielded discussion.

There is reason why cables are round..The flat cables although look cool, they are not electromagnic interfrence which is a lot in a rack.

dude, my hands have gone raw from unpacking stacks of individually wrapped cables, the worst.

So after this video I am thinking about buying 10 pack of 0,3m Monoprice CAT6A for patchpanel-switch connections. But how about choosing cables for patchpanel-device connections (about 1m for 9U rack I think)? Same? I run shielded 6A in my home, it's a bit too stiff to be run in rack (cracks happen, that's why I want to upgrade) but I am curious if I will be ok with grounding my rack (patchpanel, shielded keystones LSA-RJ45 & RJ45-RJ45 from Ali) and just give up with shielding inside?

I am in the EU unfortunately the monoprice cables are not that available and if they are they are really expensive. There is a austrian company called "wirewin" they are making the "just slim" patch cables, they are really great!

Have you tried the leviton 6H460-XX and H6A10-XX cables? They are high flex and have in integrated boot. Thin and flexable but you can tell they are still durable. Would love to hear your opinion about them.

Big fan of the channel, and just picked up a couple of these for my home network. They work great, but I find they’re really hard to take out unless I use a small flathead to depress the pin on the RJ45 connector (this is after adjusting the boot to make sure it’s in the correct orientation). Is this typical for monoprice or did I just get a funky batch?

Love the Monoprice cables. The colors are great and all that I use.

If you coil up your long cables using the Over-under Method (used by contractors to coil up long extension cords or hoses) you will be able to quickly uncoil a cable without twists or tangles, or leave parts or, according to wiki, leave part the coil intact while maintaining the total capacitance of the cable.

I love the thin Monoprice patch cables. I was concerned about their suitability for PoE but it's good to know they won't be an issue.

Have you tried true cables?? Watched a few videos on they're channel testing cables to a CAT 6 standard using the Fluke testers. Very interesting results

I've been using the Monoprice Slimline for several years. POE and POE+ has not been a problem. I have had 2 out of 400 or so that were DOA out of the box. Otherwise, they're great!

Dude I made a post on Reddit about the cables not sliding / actually hold on to each other and got roasted LOL. glad I'm not the only one

No mention of copper vs aluminum. Since electric cars became a mass produced consumer item the price of copper has increased. Are Ethernet cable manufacturers using metals other than copper in their cables? If so, does this affect performance or longevity?

What's your opinion of the "thin" cat 6 Ethernet cables ? Out here I need to order everything online, no local dealers.

What are your thoughts on STP, for POE ports?

The flat cables generally are not true twisted pair either and are prone to interference for anything over 3m IME.

I use the monoprice 6" patch cables, even for PoE, they work just fine.

I have some of the Monoprice cables. I like the boot and the thinness of the cable. However, due to the thinness of the cables, performance has been an issue for me for the longer runs, especially when it comes to POE. I saw significant loss in network speeds and even intermittent outages for POE. Tried different Monoprice cables and the same issues. I decided to switch back to the thicker CAT6 UTP and I haven’t had any issues since.

Do people actually say you can't use POE over the 28 awg cables? I feel like that was the first thing i googled when i saw them.

I'd really like to see the Monoprice ones on a Etherlighting switch as the end is pretty translucent on them as well.

Thanks Brad Pitt. Will make my own cables.

I make my own cables. Length at my leisure. Test and reliable