This miniature ethernet cable fad raises so many questions

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It began on the ubiquiti subreddit, and is now invading Twitter with its lilliputian network connectors.

The itty bitty ethernet cable pictured after being tested
(Image credit: rickyh7)

Right now, reddit users are competing to make the world's shortest ethernet cable for reasons I can't quite understand. I mean, I'm all for cable management solutions but... could this be going too far?

The fad was brought to our attention through a recent tweet from angel investor and 'recovering programmer,' Zach Holman in which they highlight some of the more impressive entries.

So far the shortest I've spotted comes in at a minuscule 13mm, with the original post entitled "We were so preoccupied with whether or not we could we didn’t stop to think if we should."

The 13mm connector does indeed work, as rickyh7 proves in a subsequent post with a testing video. Commenters called for proof, and they got it.

The fad has even been raising philosophical questions, such as "If a highly minute ethernet cable appears capable of fulfilling the various technical functions of an ethernet cable but is too tiny to connect any two know devices, is it still an ethernet cable?" WASDmatter getting down to the deep themes on Twitter, there.

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mnemonicovrload came back with a party-pooping reply, noting that "None of these are technically Ethernet cables because they don't meet the spec. There's a minimum length of 18" in the specification, because of excessive reflections iirc."

It's a fair point, but let them have their fun. Making tiny versions of things is always encouraged here at PC Gamer, from itty bitty PCs for console gaming, right up to jamming some parts into the best mini ITX case.

Still, I'm not sure I'd like to try and fish one of these teeny connectors out the back of my machine, tweezers in hand.

Katie Wickens
Katie Wickens
Hardware Writer

Having been obsessed with game mechanics, computers and graphics for three decades, Katie took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni and has been writing about digital games, tabletop games and gaming technology for over five years since. She can be found facilitating board game design workshops and optimising everything in her path.