Summary
- Avoid long HDMI runs — pets, kids, and clutter raise breakage risk.
- Keep HDMI away from vents and direct sun — heat degrades cables over time.
- Don’t yank your cords. Instead, unplug gently. And choose braided, reputable HDMI cables for longevity.
HDMI cables can last a long time without you taking any precautions, but if you are careful with how you treat them, you can have them last even longer. The HDMI format has been around for a long time now, and it’s still evolving. If you’re an early adopter, you likely have quite a few of these cables spread around your house.
If you’re not trying to add to that collection, you’ll want to do everything you can to prevent them from breaking down. Sometimes, failure happens even if you take the best care of your stuff, but it’s still better to take those measures than not. Ultimately, HDMI cables aren’t too expensive to replace, but you should still try to avoid doing that if you can. These four tips have helped my cables last longer, and they let me spend that extra cash saved on other things instead of using it to replace my already existing cables.
Avoid using long cables
An unnecessary risk
Long cables are at the risk of breaking down faster because of how much of them can be left in the open. Long cables lying around could be tampered with by pets or children, and that’s a risk I wouldn’t want to take if I could avoid it.
You can get around the cable length by taking advantage of cable management, like bunching up all your extra cable with a form of cable management, or you can consider running it through your wall. I’m fortunate enough to be in a situation where I don’t have to rely on longer cables, but I know my situation isn’t the same as others. If you can find a way to hide the cable or use a braided cable, it’d be a lot better.
If it’s out in the open, then keep your fingers crossed, and hope nothing happens.
Stay away from vents
Heat isn’t good for the cables
I’m guilty of doing this, but sometimes the best place for my cables to run is directly in front of a heat vent. In the summer months when cool air is blowing out, I don’t worry a lot about it, but I start to sweat a little when my HDMI cable is sitting in front of a vent that’s expelling hot air for half the day.
Heat can degrade your cable over time, and that applies not only to your vent, but also direct sunlight. If you have to run your cable in front of a vent, you can try to route it around the vent by taping it to the wall. At the very least, you can drag it a few inches away from the vent so it’s not directly against or on it.
Handle with care
Don’t yank too hard
Tugging too hard on your cable to unplug it from your TV is a recipe for disaster. It might seem obvious, but you should avoid pulling and twisting your cable — it’s one of the easiest way to break the wiring. Sometimes, the TV just doesn’t want to let go of the cable — I get it — but you should avoid doing that when you can.
Given the nature of HDMI cables, you shouldn’t have to move them around very often, so one hard pull on one likely won’t destroy it, but it can quickly become a problem if you’re constantly doing it.
Buy a high-quality cable
They last longer
I won’t judge you for buying a cheap cable — I’ve definitely done the same thing with many products, and the Amazon Basics HDMI cables are actually solid for the price. However, I can say is that going with a more reputable brand such as Monoprice or Anker could be the difference between a cable that lasts for a little while versus one that lasts a long time.
On top of a known brand, it helps to buy something more than just a basic cable. This is why I recommend getting a braided cable when you can, because it makes a big difference. While I notice the biggest difference with the cables I use daily, like phone chargers, it doesn’t hurt to have your HDMI cable wrapped in a nice protective coating.
As a cherry on top, you’ll find that many braided HDMI cables don’t cost much more than a regular one.
