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Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
UTP is the most common type of cable used in computer networking and is used to connect network devices that are in the same building, such as computers, printers and switches together. It is made up of copper wires, twisted into pairs to reduce crosstalk. The fact that the UTP cable is made of copper and carries an electric signal means that it is only safe to use it indoors. Outdoor exposure to lightning would result in damage being caused to the devices at either end because of the massive increase in current strength.The terminator
UTP is the most common type of cable used in computer networking and is used to connect network devices that are in the same building, such as computers, printers and switches together. It is made up of copper wires, twisted into pairs to reduce crosstalk. The fact that the UTP cable is made of copper and carries an electric signal means that it is only safe to use it indoors. Outdoor exposure to lightning would result in damage being caused to the devices at either end because of the massive increase in current strength.The terminator
The ends of the cable are terminated on each end with an RJ45 plastic plug. when you are creating a termination the arrangement of the wires in the plug is quite important. if you hold the plug with the clip down the order from the left is:OW,O,GW,Bl,BlW,G,BrW,Br There are two types of termination arrangements this one above is type B, in a type A termination you would swap the orange and green sets.
If you need to make a special cable called a cross over then you would terminate one end in type A and the other in type B. There is not much need for such cables these days since modern devices can automatically detect and compensate for the cable. In short you can use any arrangement of colours that you like as long as you do the same to both ends....
here is a video of how to terminate CAT6
CAT5 and CAT6 and CAT6a
CAT5 and CAT6 and CAT6a
There are various standards that have been defined and specify the operating parameters of each cable type. In essence category 5 cable is rated at 100Mbps and category 6 cable at 1Gbps. The increase in data transfer rate from CAT5 to CAT6 is because the wires in the CAT6 cable are thincker and as a result have lower resistance. CAT6a is an augmented version of the CAT 6 cable spec and can operate at twice the frequency of CAT 6 cable.
Advantages
Advantages
Cheap
Easy to install
More flexible than fiber or coaxial cables
Disadvantages
Disadvantages
UTP can only be used over short ranges due to signal degradation / attenuation.
They are susceptible to electromagnetic magnetic interference (EMI).
Lightening and electrical surges will not only damage the cables but also the devices attached to either end.
They are generally not suitable when connecting two buildings as even a potential difference between buildings can lead to surges.
Fiber Optics
Fiber Optics
A fire optic cable consists of a group of several pairs of thin resin strands. Laser light is directed into one strand of each pair and the light follows the curves in the resin stands until it arrives at the end where it falls on a light receiver. The laser light is sent in pulses at a particular interval where a pulse means one and no pulse means zero.
Each pair would have a transmitter and receiver at each end and each cable in the pair would work in the opposite direction.
It is critical the the resin fibre should be optically perfect, any imperfection would lead to light being reflected out of the cable and result in data loss. It is fairly easy with modern materials and production techniques to create optically perfect strands that are hundreds of kilometres long. The tricky part is when it comes to terminating or joining the strands, any errors would result in data loss.
Advantages
very low attenuation (Hundreds of kilometres]
outdoor use (immune to any type of interference from electromagnetic sourc
es- like lightning)secure- immune to eavesdropping
Disadvantages
More expensive per meter than UTP
More difficult [expensive] to install [terminate]
Fibre optic cable is ideal for under sea data transfer. South Africa has recently had 2 major under sea data cables installed, one down the east coast (Seacon) connecting us to central Europe and the other down the west coast (WACS)
Co-axial
Co-axial cable is a commonly used cable type in various different areas. It has fallen from favour in the data communication world but is still commonly used in the audio visual world. It started being used for data networks when better alternatives like UTP had yet to be standardised on. It only supported a data transfer rate of 10Mbps but had lower attenuation rates than UTP so you could run a length or 150m between devices. Co-axial was also well suited to creating ring topology networks and remains the easiest type of cabling to install (although you are unlikely to find a network interface card that sports a BNC connector.
Co-axial cable is a commonly used cable type in various different areas. It has fallen from favour in the data communication world but is still commonly used in the audio visual world. It started being used for data networks when better alternatives like UTP had yet to be standardised on. It only supported a data transfer rate of 10Mbps but had lower attenuation rates than UTP so you could run a length or 150m between devices. Co-axial was also well suited to creating ring topology networks and remains the easiest type of cabling to install (although you are unlikely to find a network interface card that sports a BNC connector.
Advantages:
Advantages:
Cheap to make and install
It is less susceptible to electromagnetic interference and signal degradation
Disadvantages:
Disadvantages:
Susceptible to damage from lightening strikes
Relatively slower transmission speeds than other cable types.
References:
References:
[1] wiki.answers.com "What are the advantages and disadvantages of coaxial cable?" (n.d) (Online) Available at: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_of_coaxial_cable (Accessed 01 March 2013)
[2] Tony RB "Advantages/Disadvantages of UTP/STP compared with other communication medium?" (2009) (Online) Available at: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090320193013AAJU95Y (Accessed: 01 March 2013)
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