Increase internet speed by knowing your network cables

Our guide to using your internet cabling to optimise your router set-up and increase internet speed

Network cables come in all shapes and sizes; typically at home you will be dealing with two types. The first is the phone (DSL) cable that goes from the wall socket to your router, and the second is the network cable that plugs into your home PC from the router. By making sure that your cables do not exceed our maximum recommended lengths you should be able to increase internet speed, so read on for our guide.

DSL Cables: Keep it Short

The DSL cable that connects your router to the wall is a very simple cable with two copper wires inside. The copper wires run adjacent to one another in a long line. When a lot of bandwidth (internet usage) is pushed through that line, it generates a larger magnetic field in both wires. Once they get big enough, both magnetic fields cross over and cause interference and disruption of service as the bits of data that travel down the line get distorted and changed.

Don’t worry; the solution to this problem is easy, though often ignored. Firstly, check the packaging for your DSL cable to make sure it contains 100% copper wiring. Many manufacturers will attempt to cut aluminium into the cables which makes it cheaper, but gives a poorer connection to your ISP. The cable from wall socket to router should be no longer than one metre long.

Ethernet Cables: Efficient Design

if you’re looking to increase internet speed, a good start is to connect your computer directly to the router, rather than connecting via wifi. You probably know that the network cable you would use at home to connect your PC to your router is called an Ethernet cable. Inside an Ethernet cable are four pairs of copper wires: Two pairs for sending and two pairs for receiving information. These are well designed, with the pairs twisting around each other in a calculated fashion that protects against the Electromagnetic Interference described further up in this article.

What this means is that the Ethernet cable linking the router to the PC can be up to 100 metres long without the worry of loss or distortion of data.

In Summary

Make sure that the DSL cable from the master socket to the router is short (<1m) and made of 100% copper for maximum efficiency. The wire from router to PC can be up to 100 meters long with almost no interference.

Know that you know how to use the correct cable lengths to increase internet speeds, browse our support archive for more helpful advice.