Network Cabling - Network+ Certification Tutorial

Coax: Two conductors share the same axis. Commonly used for thick Ethernet, thin ethernet, cable TV and ARCnet, coaxial cabling that uses BNC connectors; heavy shielding protects data, but expensive and hard to make connectors. Bandwidth between 2.5 Mbps and 10 Mbps.

CAT 3: lowest data grade cable. Can be used for voice or data, but can be used for data up to 10Mps. Good for cable segments to workstations or printers. Most phone systems use CAT 3.

CAT 5: data-grade cable, four twisted pairs, can support data up to 100 Mbps. Good as a backbone. Can be used for workstations and printers.

Fiber optic: (IEEE 802.8) Cable in which the center core, a glass cladding composed of varying layers of reflective glass, refracts light back into the core. Max length is 25 kilometers, speed is up to 2Gbps but very expensive. Best used for a backbone due to cost.

UTP: Unshielded Twisted Pair; uses RJ-45, RJ-11, RS-232, and RS-449 connectors. Max length is 100 meters, speed is up to 100Mps. Cheap, easy to install, length becomes a problem. Most sensitive to electromagnetic interference. Can be CAT 2,3,4 or 5 quality grades.

STP: Shielded Twisted Pair. One or more twisted pairs of wire in foil or wire woven-copper shielding. Uses RJ-45, RJ-11, RS-232, and RS-449 connectors, max length is 100 meters, speed is up to 500Mps, though no common networks exceed 155 Mbps in 100 meter runs.. Not as inexpensive as UTP, easy to install, length becomes a problem. Can be CAT 2,3,4 or 5 quality grades.

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