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. But it isn’t that simple, because for most home networks, you don’t really need anything beyond Cat5e — no matter how much the marketing might say otherwise. Related Please stop using the wrong Ethernet cables Using the wrong Ethernet cables can throttle the speed from your ISP. Categories explained “Cat5 or 5e, that is the question” — Shakespeare alexkich / ShutterstockCredit: alexkich / Shutterstock OK, so Ethernet cables weren’t around during Shakespeare’s day, but if they …