Home Networking: Upgrading Ethernet Network

Note to myself:  regardless of what your current internet provider can offer, when upgrading ethernet cables then plan for the future by buying cat-6*

Click here for data.

PS:  Don’t forget to buy shielded twisted pair only.   This will reduce interference from other signals.

Common industry abbreviations for cable construction
Industry acronyms ISO/IEC 11801 name Cable shielding Pair shielding
UTP U/UTP None None
STP, ScTP, PiMF U/FTP None Foil
FTP, STP, ScTP F/UTP Foil None
STP, ScTP S/UTP Braiding None
SFTP, S-FTP, STP SF/UTP Braiding, foil None
FFTP F/FTP Foil Foil
SSTP, SFTP, STP PiMF S/FTP Braiding Foil
SSTP, SFTP SF/FTP Braiding, foil Foil
The code before the slash designates the shielding for the cable itself, while the code after the slash determines the shielding for the individual pairs:
U = unshielded
F = foil shielding
S = braided shielding (outer layer only)
TP = twisted pair
TQ = twisted pair, individual shielding in quads

Yours Truly.