Network cable to connect two or more computer or networking devices in a network, cable are used.
There are three types of network cables;
1. Co-axial cable.
2. Twisted pair.
3. Fiber Optic Cable.
Co-axial Cable:-
This cable contains a conductor, insulator, braiding, and sheath. The sheath covers the braiding covers the insulation, and the insulation covers the conductor.
.png)
Component of Co-axial cable
Sheath
This is the outlet layer of the Co-axial cable . It protect the cable from physical damage.
Braided- shield
This shield protect signal from external interface and noise.
Insulation
Insulation protect the core. It also keepa the core Separate from the beaided shield. Since both the core and the braided shield use the same matal, without this layer they will touch each other and create a short circuit in the wire.
Conductor
The conductor carries electromagnetic signal. based on conductor cable. can be categorized into two types; single core Co-axial cable and multicore Co-axial cable.
Co-axial cable in computer network.
The Co-axial cable were not primarily developed for the computer network . these cable were developed for general purpose. They were in use even before computer network come into existence. they are still used even their use in computer network has been completely discontinued.
At the beginning of computer of network when there were no dedicated media cables available for computer network.
Specification of Co-axial cables
Co-axial cable have been in use for the last four decodes. During these years, based on several factors such as the thickness of the sheath the metal of the conductor and the material used in insulation hundreds of specify the characteristics of Co-axial cables. From these specification only a few were used in computer network.
The following table lists them.
RG stands for the Radio Guide. Co-axial cable mainly uses radio frequency in transmission line. Impedence is the resistance that control the signals. It is expressed in the ohms.
AWG stands for American wire Guage. It is used to measure the size of the core. the layer the AWG size , the smaller the diameter of the core wire.
Twisted - pair cable
Usually there are four pairs . Each pair has one solid color and one stripped color wire. solid color are blue, brown , green and orange. In stripped color the solid color is mixed with the white color.
Based on how pair are steipped in the palstic sheath there are two types of twisted pair cable UTP and STP . In the UTP ( Unshielded twisted pair) cable all pair are wrapped in a single plastic sheth.
In the STP (shielded twisted pair) cable each pair is wrapped with on additional metal shield then all pair are wrapped in a single outer plastic sheth.
.png)
Fiber optic cable
This cable consists of core cladding buffer and jacket The core is made from the thin standered of glass or plastics that can carry data over the long distance . The core is wrapped in the cladding the buffer and the biffer is wrapped in the jacket.
Core carries the data signal in the from of the light . This cable from physical damage. Fiber optic cable is completely immune to EMI and RFI. It can transmit data upto 40 kilometers at the speed of 100 Gbps.
Based on how many beams of light are transmitted at a given time location there are two types of fiber optical cable SMF and MMF.
SMF (Single Mode Fiber)
SMF ( single mode fiber ) optical cable :-
This cable carries only a single beam of light. This is more reliable and supports much higher band width and long distance than the MMF cable . This cable uses a laser as the light source and transmits 1300 and 1550 nanometers wavelength of light.
MMF (Multi-mode fiber) optical cable :-
The cable carries multiple beam of light. because of multiple beam this cable carries much more data than the SMF cable . this cable uses an LED as the light source and transmits of light.
There are several types of network cables used for different applications in computer networking. Here are the most common network cable types and their specifications:
Ethernet Cables:
Category 5e (Cat 5e): This cable type supports data transmission speeds of up to 1000 Mbps (Gigabit Ethernet) and is backward compatible with Cat 5. It is commonly used for Ethernet networking in homes and small to medium-sized businesses.
Category 6 (Cat 6): Cat 6 cables support data transmission speeds of up to 10 Gbps over short distances. They have better performance and reduced crosstalk compared to Cat 5e cables. Cat 6 cables are suitable for high-speed Ethernet networks and are commonly used in larger businesses and data centers.
Category 6a (Cat 6a): Cat 6a cables provide enhanced performance and support data transmission speeds of up to 10 Gbps over longer distances compared to Cat 6. They are often used in applications that require higher bandwidth, such as 10 Gigabit Ethernet.
Fiber Optic Cables:
Single-mode fiber (SMF): Single-mode fiber cables are designed for long-distance, high-bandwidth transmission. They use a small core size and a single transmission mode, allowing for higher speeds and longer reach. Single-mode fiber is commonly used in telecommunication networks, long-distance data transmission, and backbone infrastructure.
Multimode fiber (MMF): Multimode fiber cables have a larger core size that allows multiple modes of light to propagate. They are suitable for shorter distances and lower bandwidth requirements. MMF is commonly used in local area networks (LANs), data centers, and campus environments.
Coaxial Cables:
RG-6: RG-6 cables are commonly used for cable television (CATV) and satellite TV installations. They provide good bandwidth and signal quality, making them suitable for high-frequency applications.
RG-59: RG-59 cables are often used for CCTV systems and video applications. They have a smaller conductor size compared to RG-6 and are suitable for lower-frequency signals.
HDMI Cables:
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cables are used for transmitting high-definition audio and video signals between devices such as TVs, monitors, and audio/video receivers. HDMI cables support various video resolutions, including standard HD, Full HD (1080p), and Ultra HD (4K).
These are some of the most commonly used network cable types. When selecting a cable, consider factors such as the required data transmission speed, distance, application, and environmental conditions. It's also essential to ensure compatibility with the networking equipment and standards being used.
