For most people, the best Ethernet cable is one that has good strong connectors and plenty of speed for their needs. Pretty much any well-built Cat 5E or newer cable is fast enough for the average consumer with gigabit speeds running across the house and even faster speeds within a few feet of the switch. Still, whether you’ve just picked up one of the best routers and want to set it up with nice new cables, or you’re tired of making excuses for intermittent Wi-Fi, a high-quality Ethernet cable can be the best way to improve network reliability. For gamers and people working from home, choosing Ethernet over Wi-Fi can lead to improved speeds and better consistency for your connection.

• Best overall

  AmazonBasics Cat7 Ethernet Cable

  This Amazon Basics cable gets just about everything right with a low price for its length, a nice braided cord, and high-quality Cat 7 tips with snag protection. The braiding keeps the cable from sticking to others making it easy to quickly plug into a laptop, or to pull through a mess of HDMI cables and speaker wired behind your TV. With up to 10Gbps, it has plenty of speed for streaming and downloading.

  $10 at Amazon
• Best value

  Mediabridge Ethernet Cable Cat 6

  If you’re looking for a cheap cable with no frills, this blue Mediabridge Ethernet cable ticks all of the boxes. It’s an older Cat 6 standard, but for most people, it still has plenty of speed at up to 10Gbps. It also has some nice quality of life features like snag protection for the clip. It even comes with a cable strap so you can keep your network tidy and avoid creating a spaghetti mess of cables behind your router.

  $9 at Amazon
• Best outdoor cable

  GearIT Cat 6 Outdoor Ethernet Cable CCA

  If you’re running an Ethernet cable outside, you want one that’s up to the job. This GearIT Cat 6 cable can be buried and also has protection from UV. For your network, you’ve got POE support if you don’t have power on the other end, and gigabit speed support with Cat 6. Whether you’re setting up a security camera on an outdoor building, like a barn, or have no better path to another house, this cable is a good pick.

  $41 at Amazon
• Wire a new network

  Cable Matters Snagless Cat 6 Ethernet 10-pack

  If you’re setting up a new network, it can be nice to have some nice uniform cables to work with instead of digging through your old cable box for some that might work. This 10-pack from Cable Matters has 10Gbps-capable Cat 6 cables with snag protection on the clips. Whether you’ve got a NAS, multiple switches, or just want the flexibility to add to your network in the future, it’s never a bad idea to have an extra cable.

  $30 at Amazon
• Best value shielded

  Cable Matters Shielded Snagless Cat 6 Ethernet Cable

  Sometimes you’ve got no choice but to run your cable alongside power or over a fluorescent light starter. To avoid interference, a shielded Ethernet cable should be used and this Cat 6 10Gbps cable from Cable Matters fits the bill. Available in a wide range of lengths up to 200 feet, this could be the perfect cable to completing your homes wired network without adding new cable trays or conduit.

  $9 at Amazon
• Best speed

  UGREEN 25ft RJ45 Cat 8 Braided Ethernet Patch Cable

  If you want the best of the best, it doesn’t get much better than the UGREEN Cat 8 Ethernet cable. This ultra-fast cable supports speeds up to 40Gbps with shielding to help get to this speeds. The cable is nice to use with a braided design preventing snags and protecting the cable from tears. The tips are also nice with large covers over the clips that are easy to press to unplug.

  $23 at Amazon
• Best POE

  Startech.com Cat 6 POE Ethernet Cable

  Length

  1ft-100ft

  Category

  6

  Power over Ethernet, POE, can be used to power devices like security cameras, alarm components, or even thin client PCs. This StarTech.com cable supports 100W POE with Cat 6 speeds. You can get it in multiple colors to help with organization if you’re setting up a whole network. You can get it in length up to 100 feet and as short as 1 foot, which can help avoid having a bunch of extra length stuffed behind your switch.

  $7 at Amazon
• Best flat cable

  Amazon Basics Flat Cat 7 Ethernet Cable

  If you want to run an Ethernet cable across your house, a flat cable makes it easy to conceal along the baseboards, under rugs, and even under doors. This Amazon Basics Cat 7 flat cable is available in 25-foot, 30-foot, 50-foot, and 100-foot lengths and even comes with nails and clips to secure it. If you’re running Ethernet across an apartment and don’t want to risk putting a hole in the wall, a flat cable is a good choice.

  $16 at Amazon

These are the best Ethernet cables to upgrade your network

Looking through Ethernet cables online, it can be easy to get distracted by the different categories, with Cat 6, Cat 7, and Cat 8 cables offering stellar speed promises at reasonable prices. For the vast majority of users, there will be very little if any difference in speed between a Cat 6 and Cat 8 cable. The fastest Wi-Fi 7 routers you can get, like the TP-Link Archer BE800, are only equipped with 10Gbps wired networking, meaning there’s no reason to spend extra on Cat 7 or Cat 8 cables promising 40Gbps speeds. That being said, these cables have some nice improvements like metal connectors, and will work fine with slower systems, so if you want to be ready for the next wave of tech that might offer faster networking, you can.

For many people, there are other more important aspects to consider with Ethernet cables, starting with support for POE. POE (power over Ethernet) allows a device, like a security camera, to be connected to the network and powered by a single cable. POE can save you the trouble of setting up a separate power supply, which can make an installation cheaper and quicker overall. It also means fewer points of failure and better protection for a power outage since you’ll only need to power the switch. Finally, shielded cables can protect from interference caused by other electrical appliances if you’re running your cable through an area with a lot of power, such as through a utility closet.

For most people, a fairly basic cable like the Amazon Basics RJ45 Cat 7 Ethernet Patch Cable is all they need and more. This 25-foot cable has a braided cover to make it a bit tougher and to help keep it from getting caught on other cables when you’re pulling through the back of an entertainment center. The clips on the connectors are protected from snags that can break them with an extra piece of plastic, making it easier to move the cable. Finally, its Cat 7 10Gbps support makes it a great cable for gaming, streaming, or downloading massive files at speeds ten times higher than the internet connection most people can get. It comes in 3-foot, 25-foot, and 50-foot lengths, so you can run it across the room, or well into another room.