I recently bought a Cat 8 Ethernet cable, but my house is pretty old, and the sockets all seem to look like they're the Cat 5 type. I've tried looking for an adapter but can't find one. Can someone help me figure out what I can do? Just a heads up, I'm not very tech-savvy, so please keep it simple!
4 Answers
Make sure you’re plugging into RJ45 jacks and not RJ11 ones, which are meant for phone lines. If it’s the right socket, your Cat 8 should work just fine!
If the cable doesn’t physically fit into the sockets, you’re likely dealing with outdated wiring—often, older homes used RJ11 for phones rather than RJ45 for internet.
You should be good! All Ethernet cables use the same RJ45 connector, so you don’t need an adapter. Just keep in mind that your speed might be limited to Cat 5 standards if that’s what your house is using.
If the connector is too big for the wall sockets, that’s a sign your house might be wired with phone lines instead of Ethernet. Just check to ensure it fits!
Exactly! If your network traffic goes through any Cat 5 connections, that’s where your speed will be capped.