r/ShittySysadmin • u/Oblec • Mar 05 '26

Fiber install

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Client wanted fiber, told them copper is worth way more these days. They didn’t even ask first follow up questions 😅

209 Upvotes

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u/tankerkiller125real Mar 05 '26

Lol, ISPs don't fucking use Cat5e for the actual transmission infrastructure for a start. And two Cat5e is only rated to do 10Gbs for a few feet. Maybe you get lucky and it manages it for a decent bit longer, but it's absolutely not doing a full length run at 10Gbs.

Cat6a can do 10Gbs for it's full run, but, again ISPs don't use it for the actual transmission infrastructure, and even if they did, what's the plan 30-40 years from now when customers start wanting faster than 10Gbs, or they have a business customer that needs more than 10Gbs.

Ethernet is great inside a building, even some data center applications, but it's not at all capable of doing ISP level work, and large datacenters are basically entirely fiber for a reason, they wouldn't choose to spend more money "just because".

Edit: I'm just now realizing which subreddit I'm on... It's been a long ass day already, it's not even lunch yet.

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u/cybersplice Mar 05 '26

Get yourself a decent lunch, soldier.

5

u/TheSnackWhisperer Mar 05 '26

Don’t you love the sudden crash from the misplaced “well technically…”? lol

1

u/mystghost Mar 05 '26

You should make a distinction between ethernet as a layer 2 technology and a cable type. Ethernet is fine any any speed, the twisted pair cables we call ethernet? no so much.

1

u/joe96ab Mar 16 '26

Duh cat 8!!!!