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There was a time when the internet was a fascinating concept. Literally, it meant interconnected network and that was all. Before the possibilities of the interconnected network were explored and eventually expanded, you got one cable: the Ethernet cable that plugged into your massive desktop computer. And to do so, you had to unplug off all other communication to your house.
Fortunately, things changed, computers got smaller and portable and so did the internet. Let’s get a deeper insight into the history of the internet and how our way of living has changed because of it:
Dial up connection:
The beginning of the internet was complicated. If you had a landline connection in your house, you had to use the same cable to plug into your computer to get on the internet. The caveats were plenty: disconnection in the landline and therefore defunct; expensive internet data, not to mention the whole thing was slow!
However, what this internet brought was a completely different way of communication. Online communities were born and it gave rise to the internet culture. People met in chat rooms, developed relationships, and networked with like-minded people.
Eventually, the internet sophisticated and this gave rise to newer technology. As the demand for better connectivity grew, Ethernet cables began evolving. Its comprised materials also changed.Modem-router connection:
Once the internet established a place in houses, the attempt was to make it simpler, better and more accessible to as many people as possible.
This change came alongside the miniaturization of computers. They became more portable in the form of laptops which became more accessible by the general public. People started knowing how to plug in an Ethernet cable to get on the internet.
This meant that people also started putting things on the internet like music, movies, books, information of all kinds, etc. This brought a disruption in not only the technology but also in a variety of other industries.
Doing homework for kids was easier, communicating with someone across the globe was far cheaper and seamless than before. Most of all, this was not limited to offices and didn’t require a deep understanding of technology. It was for the average consumer.
WIFI:
The next shift came with the invention of the Wireless network. Once laptops became popular, it was unpopular to sit in a place just to use it. Wi-Fi made moving around with a laptop, while still using the internet, possible. You still had to connect your modem or router to the internet line in the house via an Ethernet cable, but at least you were free to move around.
Since anything wired has better connectivity than wireless, this required improvements to the cables in use. The wiring in the houses had to be with better, newer Ethernet cables, like the cat4, cat5, cat5e cable, and cat 6a cable. The latest one was enough for all industries to leverage the internet.
Now that the basics are covered and we are moving towards constant connectivity, streaming high-resolution movies and games, and cloud architecture, the demands of the average user’s internet have shifted again.
The wiring in the houses needs to be with cat 7 cable or cat 8 ethernet cable, and you also need to use that on your routers and modems. Even if your house doesn’t need this advanced speed, if you are rewiring the house, it is better to future proof it.
Mesh WIFI:
The next best thing to happen to consumer accessible internet, since Wi-Fi was mesh network Wi-Fi. Its main use is to eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones that can happen in a house. The bigger your house, the more difficult it is to get decent Wi-Fi coverage in all parts of it.
With the mesh Wi-Fi system connected to a cat 7 cable or a cat 8 ethernet cable, you can experience seamless internet connectivity in all areas of your house. Not only that, but your device will also be handed off from one node or zone to another as you move through the house.
If you use the internet only on your phones and laptops, you can make do with cat5e cable and cat 6a cable, but if you want to turn your home into a smart home that has multiple IoT devices that need to run on fast internet, you should splurge for the more expensive, top tire Ethernet cables.
Last Words
The coming enhancement of the internet is 5G connectivity. It promises almost no lag and negligible ping time in the cloud-computing era that we currently live in. But it is still a couple of years out. So, if you want to get the best internet experience right now, you can do so by upgrading your cables, and devices.
When it comes to consumer technology there is always a balance you need to find: use what’s most comfortable for you while also making sure that the device you are buying is future proof for at least more than a couple of years.
5G connectivity will change the internet and once again, the way we use it. For the foreseeable future, Ethernet cables are here to stay and therefore we’ve stocked them at SF Cable. Browse from our wide selection, and contact us if you need more information about which cable is right for your use.