Honestly, I felt the same way when I started planning—fiber just seemed like tech overkill for a backyard project. I went with Cat6 too, and it’s been rock solid for streaming and Zoom calls while I tinker in the shed. The cost difference was wild when I looked into fiber—between the cable itself and the termination tools, it added up fast. Did you bury your cable or go overhead? I spent half a day digging a trench, but it feels worth it now that I can work out there without worrying about dropouts. Wondering if anyone’s actually maxed out Cat6 in a home setup...
- Cat6 is more than enough for most home setups—10Gbps over short runs, which is way beyond what most ISPs offer.
- I buried mine too, mostly for peace of mind. Overhead just felt like asking for trouble with storms or squirrels.
- Haven’t come close to maxing it out. Even with a NAS and multiple streams, the bottleneck’s always the internet speed, not the cable.
- Fiber’s cool tech but honestly, unless you’re running a server farm in your shed... Cat6 is the budget-friendly winner.
Overhead just felt like asking for trouble with storms or squirrels.
Yeah, burying the line really is the way to go if you want to avoid headaches later. I did overhead once at a previous place and had to fix it twice thanks to wind and one very determined raccoon. Cat6 has been plenty for me too, even with a couple of security cams and a Pi server running 24/7. Curious—did you use conduit or just direct-bury rated cable? I went with conduit for a little extra protection, but sometimes I wonder if that was overkill.
I’ve always leaned toward conduit, maybe just for peace of mind. It’s a bit more work up front, but I like knowing there’s a barrier if someone ever decides to plant a tree or dig for something later. Plus, pulling new cable is way easier if you ever upgrade. Did you run into any issues with moisture or critters getting into the conduit? I had a friend who found ants nesting inside his, believe it or not… made me rethink sealing the ends better.
Conduit’s the way to go, hands down. I’ve seen too many direct-buried cables get chewed up by roots or even the odd shovel. As for critters—yeah, ants are sneaky. I always recommend stuffing a bit of steel wool in the ends before sealing with duct seal putty. Keeps out bugs and moisture, and you can still pull new cable later if you need to. It’s a little extra work, but worth it for peace of mind.