Published May 6, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT Oliver has been writing about mobile and the wider technology space for more than a decade with bylines on TechRadar, CNET, Inverse, and more. With experience covering breaking news, writing in-depth product reviews, and sharing more than a few opinions, Oliver has been the go-to expert for some of the biggest publications both online and in print. No matter how fast modern Wi-Fi routers have become, they still can't compete with a good wired connection. Offering a combination of performance and reliability that even the fanciest Wi-Fi 7 routers can't match, you can't beat a good Ethernet cable . But one Ethernet cable isn't necessarily the same as another, and the labels like Cat5 and Cat5e aren't always as informative as they could be. On the face of it, you'd think it was fairly simple. Ranging from Cat1 through Cat8, you'd expect that choosing a larger number will get you a faster connection. And broadly, you'd be right.…