GoKawiil
Tech News
Standard Ethernet cables contain four twisted pairs of copper wires, with all four pairs active when supporting gigabit internet speeds. The twisting prevents 'cross-talk,' a form of electromagnetic interference between wires carrying separate signals, and each pair is twisted at a different rate so their magnetic fields don't interfere with neighboring pairs.
An explainer on home networking details why flat Ethernet cables underperform compared to round ones: their wire pairs sit side by side instead of twisted together, offering less protection from interference, and they typically use thinner wire gauge, which increases electrical resistance over distance. The report also notes flat cables are often routed under rugs or doors, where bending and compression can damage the thinner wires inside.
Ethernet cables with four twisted pairs can be divided by passive splitters into two two-pair connections, but this only works for older 10/100Mbps standards that don't use all four pairs for data. A functioning setup requires two splitters, one at each end, since a router's single RJ45 port cannot talk to two separate devices at once. Switches, unlike splitters, actively manage multiple full-speed connections through dedicated hardware.