Question about internet connection to streamer

This is a controversial subject. Many of us (and science) hold that any decent Ethernet cable will work. After all, audio has a relatively low data rate compared to modern Ethernet. I favor Cat 5e and Cat 6. Blue Jeans Cable tests and certifies their cables to meet specs. I have NEVER had dropouts or other problems using such cables. Nor do I find any appreciable difference between wired and wireless operation, but I can see that might depend on the devices you are using.

Shielded Ethernet cables have become popular with some audiophiles, but the shield can defeat the transformer isolation that otherwise cuts down on noise transmission in Ethernet connections. Is the cable in the walls shielded?

If some audiophiles didn’t find boutique cables worthwhile, there wouldn’t be a market for them. My advice is, try the basic ones first, and put the money you save into music, room acoustics, better gear, or taking your mate to a nice dinner.

I do want to add that defective Ethernet cables are more common than one might think. I wasted about a day troubleshooting a problem before finding a defective generic Cat 5e cable. When I replaced the cable with another Cat 5e cable, the problem was solved.

After that, I bought an inexpensive network cable tester from Amazon. It will not test data rates but at least does a thorough job of checking continuity and correct wiring.