Does the PS5 Have an Ethernet Port?

A significant part of any device these days, particularly gaming devices, is how it connects to the internet.

In the vast majority of cases, people prefer having WiFi connectivity on their devices. WiFi, of course, is hassle-free, is tidy, and does not require much technical understanding.

The old-schoolers, however, still wish to stick to physical cable-based connectivity via the Ethernet ports.

So while the older generation of consoles did feature an Ethernet port, many gamers stepping into the PS5 generation ask, “Does the PS5 have an Ethernet Port?”.

The answer to the question is a resounding yes. PS5 DOES have an Ethernet or LAN port rated at 1 Gigabit per second of transfer speed.

In the following article, I will explore this topic further.

What is the Ethernet Connection?

So before I get into the details regarding this subject, let us be clear regarding what an Ethernet connection is.

For newcomers, the word ethernet can sound too complex, but in reality, it is just another word for the Local Area Network (LAN) port that you find on many devices like routers, modems, desktops, laptops, etc.

Ethernet ports offer a physical land-based connectivity to the router and the device for accessing not just the internet, but also other devices in the same network.

Standards of Ethernet

Like the WiFi connectivity that evolved over time, so has the Ethernet standard.

There was a time when Ethernet connectivity was done through coaxial cables, however, the standard changed to twisted pair cables in 1984 and since then it has been evolving ever since.

The following are the different Ethernet standards and what they entail:

• 10BASE-T – supports speeds of up to 10 Mbps
• 100BASE-TX – supports speed of up to 100 MBps
• 1000BASE-T – supports speeds of up to 1 Gbps
• 10GBASE-T – supports speed of up to 10 Gbps

So Does the PS5 Have an Ethernet Port?

Yes, fortunately, the PS5 DOES feature an Ethernet port. It is located at the back side of the console in between the USB and the HDMI port.

As far as the version of this port goes, it is based on the 1000BASE-T standard. In other words, it supports a maximum transfer rate of 1 Gigabit per second.

It should be noted here, that Gigabit is NOT the same as Gigabyte. There are 8 bits in a byte. As such this translates to 125 Megabytes/second of transfer speed.

Unlike the transfer rate, file sizes are measured in ‘bytes’ not ‘bits’.

While those with super fast internet speeds would have preferred to have the 10GBASE-T or 10 Gbps transfer speed, for the vast majority of the users, the 1 Gigabit per second is more than sufficient.

10GBASE-T ethernet hardware is expensive and would have added to the cost of PS5.

Plus, the average speed in USA is about 100 Mbps anyways, so your internet speed will not be taking a hit with 1 Gbps ethernet in PS5.

Also Read: Does PS5 Support WiFi 6?

Which Ethernet Cable for PS5

Another question that commonly surrounds the question of ethernet connectivity with PS5 is what Ethernet cable to use.

Afterall, like the ethernet ports, the ethernet cables have also evolved overtimes.

For starters, know that all of the current Ethernet cables use twisted pair cables with an RJ45 connector.

To connect this type of cable, you take the male end of the RJ45 connector, and orient it so that the locking key notch matches with the port it would connect to.

Then you simply press that in and the locking mechanism should give you a noticeable clicking feedback with a clicking sound.

But the actual confusion lies in which VERSION of the Ethernet Cable to use.

Versions of the Ethernet Cable

Ethernet cables have evolved over time. They are differentiated by their category number abbreviated as CAT.

The category of the cable is very important to note because while they may all look the same, they differ greatly in terms of the bandwidth they can carry.

Additionally, newer cables also offer improved functionality such as offering higher frequency and reduced interference.

The most common one that you may have come across is CAT5 and CAT5E cable, but given how far networking has advanced, you can even find CAT8 cables.

Each newer version of Ethernet Cable is more expensive than its former counterpart

Here is a run down on the different ethernet cable versions.

• Category 5 (Cat 5): The CAT5 Ethernet cable is now largely obsolete. It offers performance of up to 100 Mbps and was suitable for most installations during its peak. You may still find them in use in certain households.
• Category 5e (Cat 5e): This is an enhanced version of CAT 5 that reduces interference AND supports Ethernet speeds up to 1 Gbps (gigabit per second) for shorter distances.
• Category 6 (Cat 6): CAT6 cables are an improvement over CAT5e. They can support speeds up to 10 Gbps, but the length is limited to 55 meters for such speeds. For longer distances (up to 100 meters), the speed drops to 1 Gbps. CAT6 cables reduce interference even further.

Now there are CAT6A, CAT7, and even CAT8 ethernet cables that offer great performance increases, but they are certainly not that you need to concern yourself with PS5. These are enterprise-grade cables not intended for gamers.

The most suitable cable for PS5 Ethernet connectivity is CAT6 cable.

While the CAT5E cable would be sufficient as well, it has gone obsolete and even if you were to find one, it would be more expensive than CAT6 (supply vs demand).