This thread is great.

Genius tier:
1.) Buy CAT6 patch cables
2.) All desktops connect through 100mbit phones with ethernet hubs

— SwiftOnSecurity (@SwiftOnSecurity) February 1, 2018

When you’re in networking training classes they tell you that patch (networking) cables either work or they don’t, that there is no in-between.

THIS IS A LIE.

Patch cables can degrade in all sorts of ways that aren’t complete failures, and I think I’ve seen just about every one in nearly twenty years of professional IT work. If you think there is a software problem, or a routing problem, or see some persistent issue that no amount of twiddling settings or changing parts out seems to correct, even if you have a tested fine “working” cable, change that out and a lot of the time that’ll resolve it.

So to juniors I seem like a magician sometimes when they ask, “Why are you changing the cable out? We know it works!”

And I’ll say, “Do we?” And slap the cable in and all starts functioning again.