The cable that came with my new C-8 Pro is very stiff. Is this by design or can I use any Cat 5/6 cable I have?
Any viable CAT5/6 cable should work.
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or cat 7 or 8 if you like throwing away money.
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I noticed that also. but it's no big deal, seems to have a thicker sheeting.
as said above, any Cat5/6 cable will work. since the hub only runs at 100meg anyways, even the cheapest of the cheep will most likely work without issue.
The big difference in Ethernet cables is the degree of twist in the wires and the shielding. Since the Hubitat hub is a Zigbee and Z-wave transmitter, I would not recommend using cables rated for CAT5 or lower. However, CAT5e and CAT6 cables are a lot more flexible than CAT8 and should still have adequate shielding.
CAT 5e is technically cable for use as short patch cables up to 2.5 gbe and for longer runs up to 1 gbe. For anything over 1 gbe, CAT 6 or higher is a better option. I have upgraded my LAN to 2.5 gbe and use CAT6 cables for most connections.
Cat7 was never a legitimate standard. Cat7 or cat8 are going to be counterfeit cables. So you are throwing away money in two ways. Overpaying and buying substandard. Cat5e 100% copper -- NOT CCA round cables. Can't go wrong.
If choosing "cat6" get cat6a. That is the best "cat6" standard. Still get 100% copper cables.
Amphenol makes CAT8 cables
Cat 5e and 6 have a tighter twist in the wire pairs, 6 being tighter than 5e. This is to prevent cross-talk in the cable. Nothing to do with interference from the outside. For that you would need shielded Ethernet cable.
There’s no concern with Zigbee or Z-Wave interfering with Ethernet transmission.
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Sure. No home user is going to pay the costs for a genuine cat8 cable. I didn't say they didn't exist, I just implied that cables labeled as "cat8" from mass sales locations are going to be counterfeit.
not true.. many home users like me have some computers and nas's with a 10gbe connection and we WILL pay for cat8..
maybe i just had bad cables or its the cheaper connectors. but i have had issues with cat 6a cables with both 2.5gbe and 10gbe which i have both.
6a all the way! (long distance) 
Then you are paying TOO MUCH. Cat6A is all that is required for 10GE.
Probably? Cat6a shouldn’t have trouble with 10gbps.
