ethernet cable

[rojo]

i need to use my laptop further away from my virginmedia modem do i need to buy a fibre optic ethernet cable or any ethernet cable?

[gen2]

Fibre optics would be an extremely expensive and unnecessary solution to your problem. A standard patch cable would do the job. The maximum length for such cables is 300feet/100metres but the majority of shops don't stock lengths over 10 ft (3m).

An alternative solution would be to go wireless with a wireless router. If your laptop was purchesed fairly recently, it will already be wireless capable. That would give you total freedom to use it anywhere within your house.

[Cakeboy]

How far away. A fibre optic cable will give you less signal loss over a long distance, but if you're only taking distances within the house, then a standard Ethernet cable will suffice - unless you live in Buck Palace or a similar sized stately home :)

Alternatively, if your router is wireless capable, then buy a wireless dongle for about �20 for your laptop and it's much more convienient

[ACtheTROLL]

simply you can't use fiber without the kit to connect it to at both ends.

ethernet allows a cable to be a total max of 100m (to deliver the ISO quoted rates ... in real life ... you can go over this limit by a small margin .... 100m is quite a distance.

I hate wireless ... especially when files are being transfered between machines.

if there is no easy route ... wireless is the only option .... but given the heavy saturation in many areas ... pref can be dropped to less than 2Mb/s ...

[rojo]

thank you all for your answer to my question. ifound a 5 metre patch cable in argos at half the price of p.c. world and it did the trick