Belkin, based in Compton, California, are one of the world’s leading manufacturers of peripherals and connectivity in the computer industry. Their products are designed for home and business users and cover a large range including: USB Hubs, LAN and Wireless devices and cables, Networking Hardware and accessories, and Computer and audio-visual cables.
*Category 5 Cables - Networking*
With respect to my personal circumstances I found myself considering Belkin's range of products when I was in need of a networking cable.
A Network set up is a group of two or more computers linked together. There are several networking groups, including LAN (Local Area Network), whereby the computers are geographically close together.
My home LAN Network set up originally consisted of two Personal Computers (PC) connected to a modem, one via a USB (Universal Serial Bus cable that supports data transfers) and one via an
Ethernet Cable (Bus cable supporting data transfers). However with the introduction of a new PC, my machine was moved to a different room, hence the requirement of a longer, Networking cable that could support the data transfer requirements and provide flawless data transmission.
Computers that are linked up to a LAN are connected using Cat-5 Cables. Cat-5 is short for Category 5; the definition for network cabling that consists of four twisted pairs of copper wire terminated by RJ45 Connectors (Registered Jack 45 – an 8 wire computer connector). RJ45 Connectors look very similar to the RJ11 connectors used to connect telephone equipment but they are slightly wider/ Standard Category 5 cabling supports frequencies of 100Mhz and speeds up to 1000Mbps.
Cables that consist of twisted pairs of wire virtually eliminate cross talk and strengthen your signal integrity.
The Belkin FastCAT5e is a superior networking cable, and is rated over 3 times the CAT5 Standard, providing frequencies up to 350Mhz. The FastCat5e is designed to provide you with flawless transmission at the highest speeds, and due to its increased frequency can provide the bandwidth (Data transfer rate) necessary to reliably deliver voice, video and data flawlessly.
*Installation and Connectivity*
The Belkin FastCat5e cables feature moulded cables to ensure easy installations, and to prevent damage to the cables. Belkin advertise a Limited Product Warranty on the back of the product packaging, advising that “For the life of the product, Belkin warrants that this cable shall be free of defects in design, assembly, material and workmanship”.
With regards to my personal LAN, installation was very simple. Each end of the FastCAT5e cable is terminated with a RJ45 connector, of which each end is identical. This means there is no confusion when connecting the cable to your computer of modem/router, as either end can be used. Therefore, one end is connected to the Ethernet slot on the back of your computer, and the other in the Ethernet slot on the modem/router. The Ethernet slots are easily distinguishable from USB slots on modems, as they require different connectors of a different shape and size.
Normally the PC user using the FastCAT5e cable to connect to the modem, and therefore connect to the Internet, would have full access at this point and installation would be complete. However my PC, a Hewlett Packard (HP) 412.uk would not recognise the network cables as my internal network card was not compatible with the FastCAT5e network cable. This was easily resolved by reverting back to my old LAN set up, and accessing the HP website where I proceeded to download several drivers in order to update my network card.
A driver acts like a translator between a device (e.g. a Printer) and the programs that use the device (e.g. printing software). Most drivers come with the operating system (e.g. Windows XP) but for other devices, such as the network cable, you may need to load new drivers in order to use the device.
*Price and Availability*
The Belkin FastCAT5e Network cable is readily available from most good PC Accessory outlets, however if you search through some of the well-known Internet outlets you will be able to find this product cheaper.
It is available in a range of lengths, according to your requirements and colours, i.e. red, blue, black, green and yellow.
For example at PC World you will be able to purchase the following FastCAT5e cables from Belkin
However if you are looking to use a CAT5e cable of longer length or for external requirements I recommend you contact a dedicated cable supplier, such as Universal Networks to ensure the suitability and safety of your product.
*Conclusion*
For a home user the Belkin FastCAT5e fulfils all the necessary requirements. Data, voice and video are flawlessly transmitted at high speeds, and the installation process is generally very easy. The network cable is ideal for file sharing and for broadband sharing, whilst maintaining speed and reliability, and the product is designed with manoeuvrability in mind with its moulded cable.
Whilst the price varies according to the purchase location, it is still a good deal, and a lifetime guaranteed one at that.
*Questions*
in response to a question by Thingywhatsit asking if this cable is suitable for DVD to TV connection, then the answer is no. If you require a cable for this procedure you will need to look for a Belkin PC-DVD to TV Cable Kit with S Video Cable and Scart Adapter, also available from PC World.
Thank you reading Kels
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Left: 1 x RJ-45 - male, 1 x BNC - male, 1 x RJ-45 - female, 1 x RJ-11, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x RJ-12 - male, 1 x TW-BNC - male, 1 x IBM Data Connector - Right: 1 x 25 pin D-Sub (DB-25) - female, 1 x bare wire - female
Good review, setting up my 1st network was a nightmare eventually got there!
t3Cougar 20.07.2005 22:06
I didn't know you could write so much about a bit of cabling! A bit overloaded with information!
ASIL1508 22.05.2005 23:56
I tried to go the wireless route for my laptop [when the new PC was in situ] but when I couldn't set the blinkin' connection up, I now chuck 30 metres of this out of the window when I want to sunbathe and surf ...... Lisa :~)
very helpful by (100%):
