Where to get quality cat5e/cat6 cable and keystones at a decent price?
December 5, 2015 12:07 PM   Subscribe

I have recently picked up a couple gigs wiring small businesses. Thus discovering that cat6 and even cat5e cable and keystones are expensive. Where do you get yours?

Cable:
Lowes / Home depot / $localElectricSupplier has cat5e for $70-80 / 1000 ft. Online, all I can find is generally equal or much, much more. Amazon has aluminum clad with copper, for $40, I'm avoiding that.

Keystones:
I have found a source on Amazon for $1/keystone (Cable Matters). Other than that it's ALWAYS at least $2/piece, usually >$3/piece.

Additionally I'm concerned that whatever I order will not be anywhere near spec.

Are these just what the prices are? Or am I just not finding the right supplier?
posted by Folk to Computers & Internet (5 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'd try Monoprice. They have low prices and stand behind their products. Here are their keystone jacks. Cat6 keystones are only $1.42.

Their bulk cable prices are about the same, though, at $79/1000ft of cat5e.
posted by zsazsa at 12:22 PM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]


I had good luck with cat5ecableguy when I needed good outdoor cat 5 cables.
posted by rockindata at 12:39 PM on December 5, 2015


Just an aside...
Make damn sure you use plenum rated cable (which is more expensive) if you're routing cables in suspended ceiling air return spaces.
posted by Consult The Oracle at 4:12 PM on December 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


Nth-ing Monoprice. I've personally used them a number of times, and our company orders from them every week or two.

Firefold is good too, especially if you're on the East Coast. A touch more expensive than Monoprice, but the cheaper shipping & faster turntime (I'm in NC) have made it a good alternative for our company.

Edit: No affiliation with either company; just a satisfied customer.
posted by PCjabber at 6:02 PM on December 6, 2015


I bought a bunch of stuff at Graybar once and got a reseller discount without asking for it. I went back for a similar quantity of stuff at a later date and got charged full price, and I have no idea what I did differently. If this is going to be a line of work for you, get a business license (if you don't have one yet) and open an account with them for best service. Then whenever you order from them you can give your account number and they'll give you "your" pricing.
posted by fedward at 12:55 PM on December 7, 2015


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