#588: Which is Ethernet? What's the difference?

#588: Which is Ethernet? What's the difference?

From David Bombal by David Bombal

June 30, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

In this episode, David Bombal discusses the differences in Ethernet types and the physical layer of networking with guest Jim Davis from Fluke Networks.

Big thank you to DeleteMe for sponsoring this video. Use my link https://joindeleteme.com/Bombal to receive a 20% discount or use the QR Code in the video. Also, a Big thanks to Cisco for sponsoring my trip to Cisco Live Vegas 2026. Do you really need Cat 8 Ethernet for your home network in 2026? And what actually happens when you touch the end of a fiber optic cable? We break it all down with hands-on demos. At Cisco Live, I caught up with Jim from Fluke Networks to dive deep into the physical layer of networking. We strip away the marketing hype and look at the real-world performance of both copper and glass. In this video, we cover everything from the crucial safety reasons why you should never look into a fiber cable, to a microscope demonstration showing how a single speck of dirt or finger oil can cause frame errors and take down your SFP modules. We also run a live cable certification test on Cat 6 vs Cat 8 to show you exactly why Cat 6A is all you actually need for your home network, and how pros use an OTDR to find exact breaks in long fiber runs. If you want to build or troubleshoot networks effectively, you need to understand the physical layer. // Jim Davis from Fluke…

People in this episode

Host: David Bombal

Guest: Jim Davis

Topics covered

Keywords

Sponsors

DeleteMe

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cisco, Fluke Networks

More episodes of David Bombal

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the David Bombal podcast page.