If you own a computer or a cell phone, odds are you’ve heard of HDMI cables. They’re necessary for a number of tasks, namely connecting a computer to another interface.
There are four different types of HDMI cables: standard, standard with ethernet, highspeed, and highspeed with ethernet. Knowing which type to choose is often the challenge that people face, but we’re here to make an argument for HDMI highspeed cables today. So here’s a list of four reasons to use HDMI highspeed cables in your home.

Superior Picture and Sound Quality
HDMI highspeed cables, like most other HDMI cables, keep videos in binary, a digital language made up of ones and zeros. This eliminates any fuzziness or compromised video and audio that can often come with digital to analog connections. In addition, HDMI cables can support resolutions up to 4K (3840 × 2160), which is an essential component for HDMI and Blu-ray-capable televisions. Not to mention the superior sound quality that HDMI cables offer.

3D Video Capabilities
HDMI-DVI cables are some of the only cables that can support 3D video connections. So now instead of settling for a cable that can only support a 2D connection, you’ll be able to use your 3D player and 3D television to their fullest capability. Why own a 3D television if the cables can’t support it, right?

Supports More than Just Video
HDMI cables house 19 pins, which may seem like nothing special at first, but really it’s the key to unlocking their potential. Not only can HDMI cables support excellent audio and video connection, they can support two-way control information.

These are just a few of the many reasons that should convince you to start using HDMI cables. Not only are they extremely versatile, they’re durable and high-quality as well.

We’re a society constantly linked in and on our phones. If you Glance around any line, restaurant, grocery store, home, or workplace, and you’re sure to see at least a few people (if not the majority) tapping or scrolling away on their phone. The Apple iPhone seemed to lead the charge with the rise of smartphones, with other big tech companies following suit. Just shy of 400 iPhones are sold every minute and there are over 100 million iPhone users in the United States alone. There are currently nine generations of the iPhone and as of 2015, it was the second largest smartphone vendor in the world in terms of shipment.

One of the latest changes that Apple has introduced is how we charge our phones — this time with a lightning cable instead of the more traditional USB chargers. However, there are a dozen other cables, cords, and wires that we need to link our devices and stay connected. Let’s talk about the basic cords and cables you’ll need to stay connected and to transfer data and information easily between devices. Having the necessary accessories on hand can make your life much easier in the long run.

What Basic Items Will I Need?

If you have a computer, a smartphone, a printer, a TV, and Internet access, you’re well set up. However, all of these things need to be connected to each other at some point. Here are the basic cables you’ll need:

• Ethernet cable
• Lightning cable or other charging cable
• USB printer cables
• HDMI cables

In addition to these cables, having a surge protector on hand is a good idea to keep your devices safe from any unexpected power spikes. You may also need other miscellaneous USB cables for cameras, tablets, and other devices.

Why Do I Need Each of These Cables?

Ethernet cable
An Ethernet cable will allow you to access the Internet at a greater speed and connection than WiFi can often provide. It’s a good backup if the WiFi should go out or you need a better connection speed. It connects your modem, router, and computer, and is always a good item to have on hand.

Given your needs, you might want to opt for Cat5e cables, Cat6 cables, or maybe Cat6a cables. If you’re not sure which to use, you can consult a tech expert at an electronics store or search online.

Lightning Cable
A lightning cable will keep your devices charged and ready for use. It’ll also help connect your phone to your computer or another device, for easy transference of data, such as pictures or messages. You can also backup your phone’s data this way, either to a computer or an external hard drive. Many devices have switched over to the lightning cable popularized by the Apple products, but you may need a different kind of charging cable if you don’t use one of those devices.

For the ultimate convenience, keep a charging cable at your home, workplace, and anywhere else you spend a good amount of time.

USB printing cable
This one is pretty self-explanatory. A USB printing cable will connect your printer to your computer, enabling you to print whatever documents you need. In some cases, you may be able to connect those two devices wirelessly, but it’s good to have a cable on hand, in case something goes wrong with your wireless network and you need to print immediately.

HDMI cables
HDMI cables are useful for streaming audio or visuals from one device to another. A common use is to hook up a laptop or tablet to your TV with an HDMI cable and stream a TV show or movie using the Internet onto your TV. It’s great for making entertainment systems simpler — get rid of those unnecessary cables and replace it with one HDMI cable.

Keep your tech life simplified by knowing what cables you’ll need in your everyday life. Having them on hand and knowing how to use them can save you time and unnecessary frustration.

Whether you're working for a tech company or you're simply looking for ways to improve power safety in your home, surge protectors for computers and other household electronics should be on your to-do list.

An electrical surge is usually less than 500V and lasts less than two seconds. But a spike lasts less than one-thousandth of a second and packs a volt measure well into the thousands. Both of these electrical occurrences are excellent reasons to have surge protectors on hand. If you want to know more about surge protectors, here's a short guide to get you started.

Not Every Protector is the Same
Power strips and surge protectors are two different things, and they should be treated as such. Power strips might provide more outlets, but they're simply a method of expanding the capacity of a wall outlet. Genuine protectors, on the other hand, offer some protection against surges so your electrical equipment doesn't go haywire in the event of a power surge.

Keep the Joules in Mind
When looking at power lightning cables or protectors, it's important that you pay attention to the joules, as this is the unit of protection they offer. The higher the joules, the more protection you'll receive for your cell phone cables, computer cables, and other electronics.

Power Spikes Don't DiscriminateIt doesn't matter what gear you have or how safe you're being. If a power spike is going to happen, there's no stopping it. All cables can carry power spikes, so it's really a matter of how much protection you have and if you're being smart about it. For example, getting surge protectors for your cable lines could be a great idea, especially if you rely on your cable.

Whether you're running a business or you simply want to protect the electronics in your home, there's no denying that this equipment is something you're going to want.

Our lives seem to be made up of cables and cords these days, from USB cables to power lightning cables that charge our phones, to HDMI high-speed cables to connect different devices to each other, to Ethernet cables that connect us to the Internet and other devices. If you’re searching for the right kind of cable, it can get confusing when you’re confronted with the variety available to you. Do you need a USB 2.0 cable or a USB 3 cable? Should you get a Cat5e, Cat6, or Cat6a ethernet cable? What’s the difference? Let us help you break the lingo down so you know what to look for and what might work best with the devices you have at home or in the office. In any case, having a power strip surge protector is always a good idea, to protect your devices in case of lightning, an electric outage, etc.

What’s the Difference Between a USB Cable and an Ethernet Cable?

If you pick up a USB cable and an Ethernet cable, you’ll see right away that they look different. A USB cable helps connect external devices to a computer — such a camera or your phone.

There a couple different kinds of USB cables as well. A USB 3 cable, for example, will have a different port than a USB 2 cable. The main difference in this case, for example, would be that the USB 3 cable is faster than the USB 2 cable. This means that backing things up, loading data onto a computer or transferring it to another device from your computer, etc., will take less time with a USB 3 cable than compared to using a USB 2 cable.

While an Ethernet cable can connect a DSL or cable modem to a computer, it can’t connect just anything. It links local area networks together and helps run your Internet. All Ethernet cables are made up of four twisted pairs of wires. The twisting prevents currents or interference that might happen between or among the wire pairings.

What are Cat Cables?

Cat cables are a type of Ethernet cable, that are usually quite colorful and help connect different devices in one LAN (local area network). The most basic cat cable will hook up your computer to your router; more complicated ones (like what you might find in an office) can offer a faster link or more wiggle room to meet certain requirements.

There are three main types of cat cables: Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6a. Using a Cat5e cable to access the Internet can be a better option that using WiFi in some cases, due to WiFi’s drop off over longer distances and interference. This kind of cable can last as long as five to 10 years and are great for the person who wants a better Internet connection and better speed, but doesn’t need a whole lot of extra.

Cat6 cables are slightly more expensive than Cat5e, but also can support much faster speeds over short distances — up to 10GB per second over distances no more than 180 feet, Cat6a is required for the full 328 feet. The “e” in the Cat5e simply means “enhanced” — it’s a little better than a Cat5 cable but not as pricey as a Cat6 cable. The enhanced cables also cut down on how much interference occurs between the paired wires inside the cables.

Lastly, a Cat6a cable is the fastest kind of Ethernet cable, and one that offers higher frequencies than the Cat5e or Cat6a, so if you want super speed, this is the way to go. However, be warned that they’re considerably more expensive than the other two cables and some tech experts warn that they’re a bit trickier to install.

Hopefully, you feel more confident in choosing the correct kind of cable to use going forward. Do keep in mind that we offer a lifetime warranty on our cables, so if you’re looking for an HDMI cable, a USB cable, or an Ethernet cable, come check us out.

We all love technology, so it only makes sense to have it in our homes everywhere we look, right? If you are interested in getting a high-performing Internet connection, it is crucial to invest in Cat6 cables or Cat5e cables in your home. Simply put, these cables will be able to connect your computer or television to your wireless router, and they differ only in the amount of high-speed frequency they can deliver.

If you are looking to install either Cat6 or Cat5e cables into your home, it is imperative you follow a specific series of steps in order to get the best media sharing, streaming, gaming, and Internet access possible. Here is a checklist that will help with the entire process.

The Planning Stage

• Figure out where you need/want to put the cables. Which rooms do you want to be wired? Which rooms typically get the best service?
• Is there a specific number of ports you need for a connection in each room?
• What is your ideal network speed?

Tools Required – Make sure you have all these tools before you start your project!

• A drill for drilling through the wall plates — You may not need one if there is already an appropriate hole
• Strong string/tape
• A pencil and a permanent marker for labeling
• A small screwdriver
• A surge protector — When shopping around for one, make sure it has a UL rating of 1449, a clamping voltage close to 120 volts, and it absorbs at least 600 joules of energy

Assembly

• Step 1: Mount the wall plates. If you don’t know where to start, consider putting them near your cable TV jacks if you have them.
• Step 2: Measure and run your cables to each location.
• Step 3: Connect the network jacks to the patch panels.
• Step 4: Test your connection! Simply grab your laptop and see if it works in different parts of your home.

And that is all you need to do to ensure that you have quality Internet throughout your home. Pretty simple, right?