When designing your specific network solution
a variety of cabling options are available dependent upon your needs. While our team will help you decide the best cabling options for your network, we’ll give you the basics here so you know what your options are for you networking needs. Here is a brief description of the different types of cabling.
Unshielded twisted pair cable (UTP) –
This is the most commonly used networking cable. The quality of UTP cabling varies from telephone grade wire to extremely high-speed network cables. These type of cables consist of four pairs of wires inside the jacket, and each pair is twisted with a different number of twists per inch to help eliminate interference from other wires and nearby electrical devices. The tighter the twist, the faster the data transmission and higher the cost per foot of the wire. Currently, there are six categories of UTP wire, as follows:
- 1 Mbps is used only for voice telephone systems.
- 4 Mbps is used for LocalTalk and telephone and is rarely used.
- 16 Mbps is used for 10BaseT Ethernet cabling.
- 20 Mbps is used for TokenRing. This is also rarely used.
- 100 Mbps (2 pair) is 100BaseT Ethernet and 1000 Mbps (4 pair) is Gigabit Ethernet cabling.
- A subcategory, 1,000 Mbps is also used for Gigabit Ethernet.
- 10,000 Mbps is the fastest and also used for Gigabit Ethernet.
UTP cable is connected using what is called an RJ-45 connector, which looks like a bigger version of the connector of a standard telephone jack.
Shielded twisted pair cable (STP) –
STP cable is much like UTP except that the cable is shielded from high electrical interference. Occasional, cable must be placed in areas where UTP wire would be susceptible to an amount of interference that would render the wire useless or subject to performance drawbacks. STP cable is more expensive but is shielded from the interference of neighboring devices. If your networking cables must pass through areas of high interference, STP cable is recommended. The cable is shielded with any of the following:
- A metal jacket around each pair of wires.
- A metal jacket surrounding all the wires.
- Both a jacket around each pair and a jacket surrounding all of the pairs.
Coaxial Cable –
Coaxial cable is the type of cable used in cable modem and television installations and is highly recognizable to anyone who’s plugged in a cable television or modem. This type of wire is highly resistant to electrical interference and can support much greater distances between networking devices. If a network must be shared among different buildings, this cable may be used.
Fiber Optic Cable –
Fiber Optic Cable is another cable that is great over distances. A glass core down the center of the cable transmits light instead of electrical current, eliminating any electrical interference over any distance. This cable is best used over extremely long distances and will rarely be used for a localized network solution.
Wireless Networking –
A wireless network can be a wonderful network solution in a classroom or in a small area where the use of laptops or mobile devices will be connecting to your network for any reason. Many wireless routers allow for cabled networks to be installed alongside them, and they’ll allow your laptop and mobile users to stay connected without dragging networking cable all over the place causing trip hazards.
If a good amount of work will be done on a mobile device, it’s definitely a good idea to consider a wireless networking solution alongside your main network to provide convenience and safety to any mobile workers that may be in the office.
Contact Us Today
For more information on how CampbellNet Solutions can help you with your cabling needs, contact us today.
