Does the length of Ethernet cable affect speed? (Explained)

Ethernet network cables provide high-speed internet connections and are highly reliable. However there are certain factors that can affect their data transmission speed. The environmental conditions in which the cable is installed, the design of the cable, and the ethernet cable length can have a significant impact on its speed. And if you are wondering whether or not the length of an ethernet cable has anything to do with the speed of the connection – yes it does. The Cable run length limitations of Ethernet cables in your network have a direct impact on the speed of your internet connection. Here, “run-length” refers to the length of individual cables in your Ethernet network. Different Ethernet network cables have specific Cable run limitations, at which they can perform at their optimum capacity. The Cable run limitations apply to all of the ethernet cable categories.For example, Cat6 cables can support data transmission speeds of up to 1Gbps over a distance of 100 meters or 328 feet. 

Quick Answer: Does a long ethernet cable affect speed? Yes. Ethernet cable length affects speed if you run it at more than its specified lengths. For instance, you can get the Cat 6 speed is 1 Gbit/s over 100 meters. The Cat5e speed is 100 Mbi/s at 100 meters. If you run these cables at longer than these specified lengths, their speed will reduce noticeably. However, if you run the cables within these lengths, their speed will remain unaffected. 

Cat5e Cables

Cat6 Cables

As mentioned earlier,  the Cat 6 ethernet cable speed is up to 1 Gbps over a distance of 100 meters. And it is up to 10 Gbps over a cable length of 50 meters. These cables are perfect for commercial applications. The 1 Gbps data transfer rate at a length of 100 meters is ideal for all sorts of household and commercial applications.Cat6 cables can support plenty of ethernet network technologies such as ANSI X3T9.5 TP-PMD (FDDI), ATM PMD 155 Mbps IEEE 802.3 Fast Ethernet:10 Base-T, 100 Base-T4, 100 Base-X IEEE 802.5:4/16 Mbps Token Ring, and IEEE 802.12:100 Base-VG.The bandwidth capacity of the category 6 ethernet cables is up to 550 MHz and it is also immune to the effects of the cable length.

Cat6a cables

Various Ethernet Cables and the Effect of Length on Their Speed

Does a long ethernet cable reduce speed?

Speed on ethernet cables is vital to a highly functional LAN network. This means whether or not a long ethernet cable reduces speed is something you need to know. A long ethernet cable does not reduce the data transfer speed. This is because the cable is equipped to deal with data transmission at longer lengths. And as long as you are running the cable at its designated length, it will not reduce the speed of the connection. For instance, the cat6 cable will allow you to transfer data at maximum speeds of 1 gbit/s over 100 meters. And here, the 100-meter length is the designated limit of the cable. Meaning, if you run the cat6 cable at longer lengths, it will then result in slower speeds. 

Other Factors that can affect the speed of ethernet cables

Apart from the run length of ethernet cables, there are other factors that can have an impact on the speed of the ethernet cables. For example, extreme environmental conditions. 

Extreme Environmental Conditions

If the Ethernet network is installed in extreme environmental conditions such as high temperature or extremely low temperature, the data transfer speed of the cables can slow down. This is caused due to the reaction of the conductor element to the variations in the environmental temperature.

Cable Design

The design of the cables can also have a significant impact on the speed of the ethernet cables.

Shielded cables

are more immune to electromagnetic interference and crosstalk. What the shielding in a cable does is that it prevents various resistances from disrupting the signal flow. Which ultimately prevents the speed of the cable from slowing down.

Conclusion

To answer the question does the ethernet cable length matter? Yes, the data transmission speed of ethernet network cables remains constant as long as they are run at their specified lengths. However, running cables longer than their recommended lengths reduces the data transmission speeds.At NewYork Cables, we test our cables rigorously to ensure their compliance with market standards. As a result, our cables are known for not just meeting the market standards but also exceeding them.