[SOLVED] Cable to connect two computers via Gigabits Ethernet

modeonoff

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Hi, I have a MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt to Gigabits Ethernet adapter. I also have a headless single board computer with Gigabits Ethernet port. I want to connect the two and use my Mac to access the single board computer on the same desk (about 190cm) or in the same bedroom. Which brand and product do you recommend? Is it better to get Cat 8 cable? Will the length of the cable affect the speed and reliability?
 
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I don't think there is anything called CAT8 except by some scammers trying to make you think bigger number is better.

All you need is cat5e cables. They are rated to go 1gbit at 100 meters. Buying a more expensive cable does not go faster because your ports can only go 1gbit. It is the speed of the port not the cable that tends to be the limiting factor.

The main concern is all the fake cable being sold. You need to check that the cable is pure copper (no CCA) and has wire size 22-24 (no flat or thin ). These cable do not meet the requirement to be certified cables.
Quality cable almost always has EIA/TIA printed on the side. This means the company that made it paid to be certified. But there are companies in...
I don't think there is anything called CAT8 except by some scammers trying to make you think bigger number is better.

All you need is cat5e cables. They are rated to go 1gbit at 100 meters. Buying a more expensive cable does not go faster because your ports can only go 1gbit. It is the speed of the port not the cable that tends to be the limiting factor.

The main concern is all the fake cable being sold. You need to check that the cable is pure copper (no CCA) and has wire size 22-24 (no flat or thin ). These cable do not meet the requirement to be certified cables.
Quality cable almost always has EIA/TIA printed on the side. This means the company that made it paid to be certified. But there are companies in china that print this on fake cable so you really have to be careful what you are buying.
 
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Solution

QwerkyPengwen

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Anything from monoprice is guaranteed good. Can buy directly from their website.
Rosewill also is good.

If all you are looking to do is connect to the single board computer for access to files and such while staying on your home network, you will need to connect the single board PC to your home network through a router.
To keep everything within a close proximity, just get an Ethernet switch.
A switch is just an Ethernet hub where your plug the Cable coming from your router into one of the ports then plug your devices into any of the other ports to connect them all to the network. TP Link makes good products for cheap.
 
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modeonoff

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Anything from monoprice is guaranteed good. Can buy directly from their website.
Rosewill also is good.

If all you are looking to do is connect to the single board computer for access to files and such while staying on your home network, you will need to connect the single board PC to your home network through a router.
To keep everything within a close proximity, just get an Ethernet switch.
A switch is just an Ethernet hub where your plug the Cable coming from your router into one of the ports then plug your devices into any of the other ports to connect them all to the network. TP Link makes good products for cheap.

Thanks but the problem is that the router/hub from my IPS are in another room. I also want to use GUI to access the single board computer.
 

QwerkyPengwen

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Oh. You are using WiFi on the Mac?
In that case, if again, your are simply looking to access files, you will need to setup some software for doing so first, then you can simply just connect the two together via Ethernet and setup your network settings for the file sharing.

I don't use Mac so I have no idea what to do for that specifically so Google will be your friend
 

modeonoff

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Yes, MacBook Pro in my room is connected to the router through wifi. Then, headless single board computer to the MacBook Pro via gigabits ethernet. May add NAS later. I can run both Mac OS and Windows 10 on my MAc.

Is ETL Verified as good as EIA/TIA?
 
Yes, MacBook Pro in my room is connected to the router through wifi. Then, headless single board computer to the MacBook Pro via gigabits ethernet. May add NAS later. I can run both Mac OS and Windows 10 on my MAc.

Is ETL Verified as good as EIA/TIA?
That I don't know for sure. If I remember right ETL is a higher level that verifies that a company meets things like eia/tia. There are actually 3 different standards that ethernet cables must meet the eia/tia one is the most commonly quote but they must meet all three.

It is a good start but it is best if you know what the wire is made of and the wire size. Amazon at least cracked down on companies trying to sell CCA cable as copper and forced them to state it was CCA.

If you just have some cable laying around you just try it and see if it works. Many of the fake cables actually work they just fail more often and they have huge issue when you are using longer cables.
 
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