When I got my New Variax, I hated the short Cable that came with the guitar since I play guitar and keyboard and need a longer one. So I said I will use a RJ-45 Cable that is longer. This is not a good idea because not all Rj-45 cables are shielded. My Helix squibble strips did not like it and I had to send my unit back for a new power supply. Not knowing what caused this, I plugged my Rj-45 back in and all worked fine until I booted my helix up the next day and the same thing. I called Line 6 back up which has customer support that no one beats, together we figured out what the problem was. I did complain about the short cable that comes with the guitar and now I just use a guitar cable until I can get a long shielded correct cable. So beware new Variax users. An unshielded RJ-45 will mess your squibble strips up.