Cat 8 vs Fiber – Which Cable is Best for Your Network?

if you're looking to go full networking beast mode and by that I mean multi-gig networking then you're going to have to choose between cat 8 or fiber optics and in this video I'll tell you which cable to choose for your network I'm Michael Scott this is the ultimate Tech [Music] Hub so cad8 or fiber optics which one should we choose well before we answer that question let's compare both cables cat 8 also known as category 8 ethernet is the newest generation of twisted pair copper cables all cat 8 cables contain twisted pair copper cables wrapped in foil which provides greater protection and shielding over Emi and just to be clear with CAD 8 there is no unshielded variant in addition CAD 8 uses RJ45 connectors which will work with all your routers switches hubs and wired devices it's pretty much compatible with all your networking equipment and then we have fiber optic cables Fiber Optic Cables transmit data as light pulses through the glass or plastic strands inside the fiber cable there are two main types of fiber multimode and single mode multimode fiber has a larger core and allows for multiple paths through the fiber while single mode fiber has a smaller core and allows only one path fiber optic cables are used in a variety of ways including fiber to home fiber to building fiber to node fiber to premises direct fiber and shared fiber to use Fiber you will need an on to convert the light signals into electrical signals that devices can use o and ts are also known as fiber boxes if you wanted to run fiber throughout your entire network you would need routers and switches that contain SFP SFP Plus or qsfp ports these are essentially high-speed fiber ports and you would also need your end devices like computers with those ports as well so let's talk about speed cad8 speeds can achieve up to 40 gbit per second and installing 2,000 MHz of bandwidth and this is the fastest of all the ethernet types now fiber optics can reach speeds up to 100 gbits per second and theoretically it can achieve speeds that are nearly Limitless this is where fiber optics definitely has an advantage however the actual speeds of fiber optic cables depends on several factors including networking equipment cable length Network congestion and the type of fiber used fiber cables are capable of transmitting data over long distances without losing signal quality in addition Fiber Optic Cables offer over 1,000 times the bandwidth of traditional copper cables which means more traffic and flow with the fiber cable without causing Network congestion think of the fiber cable as a super highway with 1,000 lanes and cad8 with 50 Lanes it's a no-brainer more Lanes is more better now let's talk range this is where fiber clearly pulls ahead fiber cables can transmit data over very long distances we're talking kilometers or even miles without degrading the signal quality pretty amazing however cad8 has a max range of 100 ft before you start seeing signal loss obviously in a small office or home networking environment you won't experience miles of cable runs from one device to another probably less than 100 ft between devices would be the norm however large buildings like school campuses warehouses or large business offices may have cable runs way longer than 100 ft and this is where fiber cables should definitely be used now let's talk about installation k a ethernet is straightforward to install and is similar to the older ethernet types like cat 5e cat 6 cat 6A and Cat 7 but don't use cat 7 because cat 7 is officially dead and there'll be a link at the end of this video explaining why so make sure to watch it and to make things even better since all networking equipment uses the standard RJ45 ports installing cata a is a simple plug-and-play you can even terminate your own C A cables and it doesn't require special tools or expertise on the other hand fiber optic installation is more complex it often requires Professional installation special tools and precise handling because fiber cables are way more fragile because of the interglass core this makes the initial setup costs higher especially when you factor in transceivers switches and termination points you see most networking equipment is not designed for fiber connections it's mainly designed for ethernet connections and one more thing you just can't make your own fiber cables without very expensive equipment and some serious expertise now let's talk about longevity and repair fiber optics has the edge in longevity and repairability unlike cad8 which cannot be repaired mid cable underground Fiber Optic Cables can be mended potentially reducing long-term maintenance costs fiber optic cables all perceived as more complex to install offer flexibility and efficiency once in place now let's talk about durability cad8 cables are fairly durable and some of these thicker versions can take a serious beating without signal loss and cad8 is also built with shielding to protect from Emi and this is fantastic if you're going to run the cables through walls or near Electronics cad8 ethernet should last between 5 and 8 years without signal loss or connectivity issues however when it comes to durability fiber optic cables are generally more durable than CAD cables fiber optic cables are designed to last for decades with proper installation and maintenance and fiber cables can withstand extreme temperatures and conditions one thing to note is that fiber cables are very fragile and should be handled with kib gloves the inside the fiber cable contains a glass or plastic core and can be easily damaged during installations so Professional installation is recommended when it comes to immunity from interference Fiber Optic Cables is unmatched since fber uses light to transmit data it's completely immune to Emi electromagnetic interference and this makes it the best choice for industrial sites warehouses and factories now let's talk about security plain and simple fiber cables are more secure than C A cables because they're immune to Emi and are less likely to be disrupted by external factors and because fiber cables use light pulses it's harder for hackers to intercept data so fiber is way more secure now let's talk about price kadak cables are very AFF affordable and matter of fact cat 8 is only slightly more expensive than cat 7 or cat 6A but even though cat8 is not very expensive fiber cables are cheaper fiber cables will cost between $2 a foot for single mode and $3 a foot for multi mode while C eight is between $4 and $5 a foot so it's almost twice as expensive but one thing to consider is that you may need to pay for fiber installation and you'll have to upgrade all of your networking equipment to include SFP SFP Plus or qsf p and these are special high-speed fiber ports and this Factor does Drive the cost up quite a bit so what about future proofing your network well once again fivr rules the day if you want to futureproof your network then fivr is the clear winner it's faster more durable more secure and even cheaper than cad8 and to top it all it can handle 100 GBS per second or more and the future of networks is always faster so with all this information which cable is the right choice cat 8 or Fiber if you're if you're setting up a home network or a small business with high-speed internet needs then cat8 is a costeffective solution in terms of installation and your current networking devices and with 40 gbits per second you won't have any speed issues however if you're working on a large scale Enterprise college campus or industrial site and you require longdistance interference-free connections or you just want a futureproof your home network then fiber optics is the way to go and now you need to watch the video on why cat 7 is officially dead and I'll see you in the next video real soon high five peace