Part of a network technician’s job is to comprehend network cabling based on availability, optimal use and their capacities. Cabling evolves over time. In the article below, we shall cover some of the most common network cabling types and explain why the type of cabling might be preferred over another in certain scenarios of deployment.
Copper
Copper cables are the most widely used. A single cable consists of eight twisted wires that are twisted against one another. In essence, it helps the electronic signal to maintain consistency. Copper Ethernet cable uses RJ45 for connecting switches, routers, network cards or any other copper related devices. The cabling us either UTP unshielded twisted pair) or STP (shielded twisted pair). STP can be found in areas with high electromagnetic interference such as in manufacturing plants with large chunks of equipment. UTP on the other hand is the most common since it kink start compared to STP, more pliable and it is cheaper.
Copper cables also have different category ratings based on EIA/TIA standard that determines distances and data rates. Common categories: Cat 5, Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6A and Cat7. It is important that you understand the category of your cable. For instance, Cat5 cabling operate at gigabit Ethernet speeds, howbeit, for you to operate on new multi-gigabit standards, you will need over cat 5e cabling or higher.
Ethernet cable basics
The Ethernet cables can be used in home and office environments and rely solely on twisted pair within. Twisting the cables enhance balancing of the current. In this way, data is transmitted over considerable length without need for undue precautions.
Ethernet cable are available in various lengths; some come as patch cords or cable itself that can be terminated where connectors are crimped on both ends. These cables are available in various lengths.
Earlier network cables were unshielded but the later ones were shielded to improve on the performance. For instance, UTP may be efficient for a short run between a router and a computer but a foil shielded cable (FTP) runs longer.
Flat Ethernet cable and connector
Shielding can be done differently; the most common is to place a shield around each pair. It provides external shielding and reduces the crosstalk between internal pairs. There are diverse codes used in different types of shielding:
- S/FTP – braided shielded cable, foil shielded twisted pairs
- U/FTP – Unshielded cable, foil shielded twisted pairs
- F/UTP – Foil shielded cable, unshielded twisted pairs
- U/UTP – Unshielded cable, unshielded twisted pairs
Where: U (unshielded), TP (twisted pair), S (braided shielding), F (foil shielded)
Siemon Cable: Siemon is the industry leader in the manufacture and design of high performance and quality cables for intelligent buildings, data centers and enterprises.
Officepoint cables: this is a high performance cat 6 UTP that supports higher bandwidth than he cat5 cables to help in maximizing the speed of your network. You can get officepoint cat 6 cables at Kimathi street, old mutual building, 3rd floor room 335.