For most cases, I recommend using the latest version of ethernet cable, but the regular type, not the shielded type. Here are the reasons:

#1. The twisted-pair design inside the cable, means that the emission of RF (radiofrequency fields) is relatively low. Yes a highly sensitive person might still be sensitive to the RF emitted from the cable itself, but it is such a low level of exposure compared to all the other wireless stuff in the world, that it’s kind of a drop in the bucket. So while shielded ethernet cable would reduce this RF leakage a little bit, it’s such a minuscule amount to begin with, but it doesn’t offer much additional protection. But there can be big downsides to the shielding material.

#2. A shielded ethernet cable has a layer of metal, usually metal foil, wrapped around the wires inside. This helps reduce the emission of RF signals from the cable, but this shielding material itself can become an EMF source, and emit electric fields and magnetic fields. This does not always happen, but it can happen, and often this emission of extra electric fields and magnetic fields is more of a problem, then the RF leakage from the cable that the shielding stops. Here are some other ways that troubles can happen.

#3. If this shielding material is not grounded, and it can be tricky to properly ground the shielding material around ethernet cable, then this material can actually pick up voltages from nearby sources of electric fields, such as unshielded Romex building wire, and now this ungrounded shielding material, becomes another source of ELF electric fields. This doesn’t always happen, but it can happen, to various degrees, and can be troublesome for highly sensitive individuals.

#4. If this shielding material is grounded, and it’s grounded to a relatively dirty grounding system – as is fairly common in the world now, many houses have dirty voltages on the electrical grounding system – then (just like any shielding material) the shielding itself can now have certain dirty AC voltages on it. When this happens, the shielding itself becomes an emitter of ELF electric fields, and very dirty ELF electric fields, which can also be troublesome for highly sensitive individuals.

#5. Also, if this shielding material is grounded, and there are stray currents (amps) running in the grounding system – which is also fairly common in the world now, with many houses having stray currents that run in the electrical grounding system – the shielding itself can conduct these grounding currents through it. When this happens, the shielding itself becomes an emitter of ELF magnetic fields, which can be troublesome for highly sensitive individuals.

#6. So when you put together all of these concerns: the RF emissions from unshielded ethernet cable are usually relatively low due to the twisted pair design, plus there are some big possible downsides with the potential emission of ELF magnetic and electric fields (if the shielding is not properly grounded, and also if the shielding is grounded but to a dirty electrical grounding system), for most real world situations, I have found it to be more troublesome than helpful, to use shielded ethernet cable. My general recommendation, to avoid the potential downsides, is to install regular (unshielded) ethernet cable, but keep it at a distance from the places where people will spend a lot of their time. Again, every case is different, but this information is offered to help you make more informed decisions. Just because something is shielded, does not necessarily mean it’s better.