What is Network Cabling?

Cable is the medium through which information usually moves from one network device to
another. There are several types of cable which are commonly used with LANs. In some cases, a
network will utilize only one type of cable, other networks will use a variety of cable types. The
type of cable chosen for a network is related to the network's topology, protocol, and size.
Understanding the characteristics of different types of cable and how they relate to other aspects
of a network is necessary for the development of a successful network.

The following sections discuss the types of cables used in networks and other related topics.

 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable

 Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable
 Coaxial Cable
 Fiber Optic Cable
 Cable Installation Guides
 Wireless LANs
 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable

Twisted pair cabling comes in two varieties: shielded and unshielded. Unshielded twisted pair
(UTP) is the most popular and is generally the best option for school networks (See fig. 1).

Fig.1. Unshielded twisted pair

The quality of UTP may vary from telephone-grade wire to extremely high-speed cable. The
cable has four pairs of wires inside the jacket. Each pair is twisted with a different number of
twists per inch to help eliminate interference from adjacent pairs and other electrical devices.
The tighter the twisting, the higher the supported transmission rate and the greater the cost per
foot. The EIA/TIA (Electronic Industry Association/Telecommunication Industry Association)
has established standards of UTP and rated six categories of wire (additional categories are
emerging).

Categories of Unshielded Twisted Pair

Category Speed Use

1 1 Mbps Voice Only (Telephone Wire)
2 4 Mbps Local Talk & Telephone (Rarely used)
3 16 Mbps 10BaseT Ethernet
4 20 Mbps Token Ring (Rarely used)
100 Mbps (2 pair) 100BaseT Ethernet
5
1000 Mbps (4 pair) Gigabit Ethernet

5e 1,000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet

6 10,000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet

Unshielded Twisted Pair Connector

The standard connector for unshielded twisted pair cabling is an RJ-45 connector. This is a
plastic connector that looks like a large telephone-style connector (See fig. 2). A slot allows the
RJ-45 to be inserted only one way. RJ stands for Registered Jack, implying that the connector
follows a standard borrowed from the telephone industry. This standard designates which wire
goes with each pin inside the connector.

Fig. 2. RJ-45 connector

Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable

Although UTP cable is the least expensive cable, it may be susceptible to radio and electrical
frequency interference (it should not be too close to electric motors, fluorescent lights, etc.). If
you must place cable in environments with lots of potential interference, or if you must place
cable in extremely sensitive environments that may be susceptible to the electrical current in the
UTP, shielded twisted pair may be the solution. Shielded cables can also help to extend the
maximum distance of the cables.

Shielded twisted pair cable is available in three different configurations:

1. Each pair of wires is individually shielded with foil.

2. There is a foil or braid shield inside the jacket covering all wires (as a group).
 3. There is a shield around each individual pair, as well as around the entire group of wires
(referred to as double shield twisted pair).

Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cabling has a single copper conductor at its center. A plastic layer provides insulation
between the center conductor and a braided metal shield (See fig. 3). The metal shield helps to
block any outside interference from fluorescent lights, motors, and other computers.

Fig. 3. Coaxial cable

Although coaxial cabling is difficult to install, it is highly resistant to signal interference. In

addition, it can support greater cable lengths between network devices than twisted pair cable.
The two types of coaxial cabling are thick coaxial and thin coaxial.

Thin coaxial cable is also referred to as thinnet. 10Base2 refers to the specifications for thin
coaxial cable carrying Ethernet signals. The 2 refers to the approximate maximum segment
length being 200 meters. In actual fact the maximum segment length is 185 meters. Thin coaxial
cable has been popular in school networks, especially linear bus networks.

Thick coaxial cable is also referred to as thicknet. 10Base5 refers to the specifications for thick
coaxial cable carrying Ethernet signals. The 5 refers to the maximum segment length being 500
meters. Thick coaxial cable has an extra protective plastic cover that helps keep moisture away
from the center conductor. This makes thick coaxial a great choice when running longer lengths
in a linear bus network. One disadvantage of thick coaxial is that it does not bend easily and is
difficult to install.

Coaxial Cable Connectors

The most common type of connector used with coaxial cables is the Bayone-Neill-Concelman
(BNC) connector (See fig. 4). Different types of adapters are available for BNC connectors,
including a T-connector, barrel connector, and terminator. Connectors on the cable are the
weakest points in any network. To help avoid problems with your network, always use the BNC
connectors that crimp, rather screw, onto the cable.

Fig. 4. BNC connector

Fiber Optic Cable

Fiber optic cabling consists of a center glass core surrounded by several layers of protective
materials (See fig. 5). It transmits light rather than electronic signals eliminating the problem of
electrical interference. This makes it ideal for certain environments that contain a large amount
of electrical interference. It has also made it the standard for connecting networks between
buildings, due to its immunity to the effects of moisture and lighting.

Fiber optic cable has the ability to transmit signals over much longer distances than coaxial and
twisted pair. It also has the capability to carry information at vastly greater speeds. This capacity
broadens communication possibilities to include services such as video conferencing and
interactive services. The cost of fiber optic cabling is comparable to copper cabling; however, it
is more difficult to install and modify. 10BaseF refers to the specifications for fiber optic cable
carrying Ethernet signals.

The center core of fiber cables is made from glass or plastic fibers (see fig 5). A plastic coating
then cushions the fiber center, and kevlar fibers help to strengthen the cables and prevent
breakage. The outer insulating jacket made of teflon or PVC.

Fig. 5. Fiber optic cable

There are two common types of fiber cables -- single mode and multimode. Multimode cable has
a larger diameter; however, both cables provide high bandwidth at high speeds. Single mode can
provide more distance, but it is more expensive.

Specification Cable Type

10BaseT Unshielded Twisted Pair
10Base2 Thin Coaxial
10Base5 Thick Coaxial
100BaseT Unshielded Twisted Pair
100BaseFX Fiber Optic
100BaseBX Single mode Fiber
100BaseSX Multimode Fiber
1000BaseT Unshielded Twisted Pair
1000BaseFX Fiber Optic
 1000BaseBX Single mode Fiber
1000BaseSX Multimode Fiber

Differences between STP and UTP twisted pair cables

Following image shows Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable.

Following images show two different types of Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cables.
 Shielded Twisted Pair Unshielded Twisted Pair

STP - Shielded Twisted Pair cable. UTP - Unshielded Twisted Pair cable.

STP is costlier in price than UTP. UTP is cheap in price compared with STP.

STP require grounding of cable. UTP requires no grounding of cable.

STP reduces electromagnetic interference more than UTP Electromagnetic interference is more in UTP

Low crosstalk in STP Crosstalk in UTP is more than STP

STP is fast compared with UTP UTP is slow compared to STP

Coaxial cables, Twisted Pair STP and UTP cables, Twisted Pair Cable Categories (CAT)
Cables are commonly used to carry communication signals within Local Area Networks (LAN). There are
three common types of cable media that can be used to connect devices to a network and they are
coaxial cable, twisted-pair cable, and fiber-optic cable.
Coaxial Cables

Coaxial cable looks similar to the cable used to carry TV signal. A solid-core copper wire conductor runs
down the middle of the cable. Around that solid-core copper wire is a layer of insulation, and covering
that insulation is braided wire and metal foil shield, which shields against electromagnetic interference.
A final layer of plastic insulation jacket covers the braided wire.

Following image shows the general structure of coaxial cable.

There are two types of coaxial cabling: ThinNet and ThickNet. ThinNet is a flexible coaxial cable about ¼
inch thick. ThinNet is used for short-distance. ThinNet connects directly to a workstation’s network
adapter card using a British Naval Connector (BNC). The maximum length of thinnet is 185 to 200
meters. ThickNet coaxial cable is thicker cable than ThinNet. ThickNet cable is about ½ inch thick and can
support data transfer over longer distances than ThinNet. ThickNet has a maximum supported cable
length of 500 meters and usually is used as a backbone to connect several smaller ThinNet-based
networks.
There are two Ethernet media standards defined for coaxial cable-based Ethernet. Those standards are
10Base2 and 10Base5.

10Base2 has a bandwidth speed of 10 Mbps, to a maximum distance of 200 meters. 10 denotes
bandwidth speed and 2 denotes 200 meters. Base denotes baseband type of signal. Coaxial cable used
for 10Base2 Ethernet media standard is ThinNet.

10Base5 has a bandwidth speed of 10 Mbps, to a maximum distance of 500 meters. 10 denotes
bandwidth speed and 5 denotes 500 meters. Base denotes baseband type of signal. Coaxial cable used
for 10Base5 Ethernet media standard is ThickNet.

The bandwidth available for both 10Base2 (Thinnet Ethernet) and 10Base5 (Thicknet Ethernet) were 10
Mbps (Megabits per second).

Type of Cable used to wire Local Area Networks (LAN) these days is Twisted Pair cable. It is extremely
difficult to find a live business network using coaxial cable.

Twisted Pair Cables

Twisted-pair cable is the most common type of cabling you can see in today's Local Area Networks
(LAN) networks. A pair of wires forms a circuit that can transmit data. The pairs are twisted to provide
protection against crosstalk. Crosstalk is the undesired signal noise generated by the electromagnetic
fields of the adjacent wires.

When a wire is carrying a current, the current creates a magnetic field around the wire. This field can
interfere with signals on nearby wires. To eliminate this, pairs of wires carry signals in opposite
directions, so that the two magnetic fields also occur in opposite directions and cancel each other out.
This process is known as cancellation.

Color codes used for Twisted Pair wire’s plastic insulation are Orange, Orange-White, Blue, Blue-White,
Green, Green-White, Brown and Brown-White.

Two types of twisted pair cables are Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) and Shielded Twisted Pair (STP).

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cables

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable is the most common networking media. Unshielded Twisted Pair
(UTP) consists of four pairs of thin, copper wires covered in color-coded plastic insulation that are
twisted together. The wire pairs are then covered with a plastic outer jacket. UTP cables are of small
diameter and it doesn’t need grounding. Since there is no shielding for UTP cabling, it relies only on
"cancellation" to avoid noise.

Following image shows Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable.

Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cables

Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cables additionally have an overall conducting metallic shields covering four
twisted pair wires. There may be another conducting metallic shields covering individual twisted pairs
also. These metallic shields blocks out electromagnetic interference to prevent unwanted noise from the
communication circuit.

Drain wires are also used in Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cables together with metallic shields for
grounding purpose. The drain wire provides a low-resistance connection to shield for better grounding.
The main purpose of drain wire is to carry away unwanted interference noise to ground.

Click following link to learn about different types of STP cables - F/UTP, S/UTP, SF/UTP, S/FTP, F/FTP,
U/FTP cables.

Following images show two different types of Shielded Twisted Pair cables (STP).
The connector used on a UTP cable is called as RJ-45 (Registered Jack 45) connector. Below picture
shows an RJ45 jack, attached to UTP cable. Eight color-coded wires inside Twisted-Pair cable is attached
to eight pins in a RJ45 jack as shown below. Each wire in the Twisted Pair cable is crimped into 8 pins in
the RJ45 jack.
One end of the Twisted Pair cable with RJ45 jacks attached is plugged in to computer's Ethernet NIC
card port and other end is plugged to the wall mount plate with female RJ45 port (receptacle), as shown
below.

From the wall mount RJ45 female receptacle, Twisted Pair cable is wired to the Local Area Network
(LAN) switches. Please refer below image.

Twisted pair cables Categories

Twisted pair cables have different categories. Each category of twisted pair cabling was designed for a
specific type of communication or transfer rate. The most popular categories in use today is Cat 6, Cat
6a and Cat 7. Cat 6, Cat 6a and Cat 7 twisted pair cables can reach transfer rates of over 1000 Mbps (1
Gbps).
 UTP Category Purpose Frequency Transfer Rate

Category 1 Voice Only

Category 2 Data 4 MHz 4 Mbps

Category 3 Data 16 MHz 10 Mbps

Category 4 Data 20 Mbps 16 Mbps

Category 5 Data 100 MHz 100 Mbps

Category 5e Data 100 MHz 1 Gbps

Category 6 Data 250 MHz Upto 10 Gbps

Category 6a Data 500 MHz Upto 10 Gbps

Category 7 Data 600 MHz Upto 10 Gbps

Category 7a Data 1 GHz (1000 MHz) 40 to 100 Gbps

Category 8 Data 2 GHz (2000 MHz) 25 to 40 Gbps

Generally twisted pair cables support a maximum distance of 100 Meters (from NIC Card to Switch Port),
without signal distortion.

The following table shows different twisted pair categories and corresponding transfer rate.

Optical Fiber Cabling

Optical Fiber cables use optical fibers that carry digital data signals in the form of modulated pulses of
light. An optical fiber consists of an extremely thin cylinder of glass, called the core, surrounded by a
concentric layer of glass, known as the cladding. There are two fibers per cable—one to transmit and
one to receive. The core also can be an optical-quality clear plastic, and the cladding can be made up of
gel that reflects signals back into the fiber to reduce signal loss.

There are two types of fiber optic cable: Single Mode Fiber (SMF) and Multi Mode Fiber (MMF).

1. Single-mode Fiber (SMF) uses a single ray of light to carry transmission over long distances. Please
click next link to learn more about single mode fiber (SMF).
2. Multi-mode Fiber (MMF) uses multiple rays of light simultaneously with each ray of light running at a
different reflection angle to carry the transmission over short distances. Multi-mode fiber cables can
transmit data at 100 Mbps (megabits per second) for distances up to 2 kilometers (100Base-FX), 1 Gbps
up to 1000 meters (1 kilometer), and 10 Gbps up to 550 meters. Please click next link to learn more
about multimode fiber (MMF).

Ethernet standards

Below is a listing of different standards of Ethernet and additional information about each of
them.

Ethernet II / DIX / 802.3

Ethernet II is a revised version of Ethernet rewritten by with Digital Equipment Corp, Intel,
and Xerox. Ethernet II, also known as DIX, (Digital, Intel, and Xerox) and 802.3.

Fast Ethernet / 100BASE-T / 802.3u

Fast Ethernet (100BASE-T or 802.3u) is a communications protocol for sharing data at rates of
100 million bits per second instead of the standard 10 million bps. Fast Ethernet works over
category 5 twisted-pair wiring.

There are two available 100BASE-T standards. The first standard known as 100BASE-T utilizes
CSMA/CD. The second standard, known as 100VG-AnyLAN or 802.12, is similar to the other
standard; however, it utilizes a different Ethernet frame to send its data.

100BASE-T is available with three different cable technologies

1. 100BASE-T4 = Utilizes four pairs of telephone-grade twisted-pair wire and is

used for networks that need a low-quality twisted-pair on a 100-Mbps Ethernet.

2. 100BASE-TX = Developed by ANSI 100BASE-TX is also known

as 100BASE-X, 100BASE-TX uses two wire data grade twisted-pair wire.

3. 100BASE-FX = Developed by ANSI, 100BASE-FX utilizes 2 stands

of fiber cable.

Ethernet SNAP
Ethernet SNAP is short for Ethernet SubNetwork Access Protocol and is an Ethernet protocol
that enabled old and new protocols to be encapsulated in a type 1 LLC.

Gigabit Ethernet / 1000BASE-T / 802.3z / 802.ab

Gigabit Ethernet is also known as 1000BASE-T or 802.3z / 802.3ab. It is a later Ethernet

technology that utilizes all four copper wires in a category 5 (Cat 5 & Cat 5e) cable capable of
transferring 1 Gbps.

10 Gigabit Ethernet / 802.3ae

10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GE or 10 GbE or 10 GigE) is also known as 802.3ae is a new standard
that was published in 2002 and supports up to 10 Gb/s transmissions. 10 gigabit Ethernet defines
only full duplex point to point links that are connected by network switches, unlike previous
Ethernet standards. The half-duplex operation, CSMA/CD (carrier sense multiple access with
collision detection) and hubs do not exist in 10 GbE.

1000BASE-CX

The 1000BASE-CX is a copper cable gigabit Ethernet standard that is no longer used. This
standard was replaced by 1000BASE-T.

1000BASE-LX

The 1000BASE-LX is a fiber optic gigabit Ethernet standard that operates over single-mode
fiber.

1000BASE-SX

The 1000BASE-SX is a fiber optic gigabit Ethernet standard that operates over multi-mode
fiber with typical distances of up to 550 meters (1804 feet).

Token Ring
Token ring (IEEE 802.5) is a communication protocol in a local area network (LAN) where all
stations are connected in a ring topology and pass one or more tokens for channel acquisition. A
token is a special frame of 3 bytes that circulates along the ring of stations. A station can send
data frames only if it holds a token. The tokens are released on successful receipt of the data
frame.
Token Passing Mechanism in Token Ring
If a station has a frame to transmit when it receives a token, it sends the frame and then passes
the token to the next station; otherwise it simply passes the token to the next station. Passing the
token means receiving the token from the preceding station and transmitting to the successor
station. The data flow is unidirectional in the direction of the token passing. In order that tokens
are not circulated infinitely, they are removed from the network once their purpose is completed.
This is shown in the following diagram −

Token Bus
Token Bus (IEEE 802.4) is a standard for implementing token ring over virtual ring in LANs.
The physical media has a bus or a tree topology and uses coaxial cables. A virtual ring is created
with the nodes/stations and the token is passed from one node to the next in a sequence along this
virtual ring. Each node knows the address of its preceding station and its succeeding station. A
station can only transmit data when it has the token. The working principle of token bus is
similar to Token Ring.
Token Passing Mechanism in Token Bus
A token is a small message that circulates among the stations of a computer network providing
permission to the stations for transmission. If a station has data to transmit when it receives a
token, it sends the data and then passes the token to the next station; otherwise, it simply passes
the token to the next station. This is depicted in the following diagram −
Differences between Token Ring and Token Bus
Token Ring Token Bus

The token is passed over the physical ring The token is passed along the virtual ring of
formed by the stations and the coaxial cable stations connected to a LAN.
network.

The stations are connected by ring topology, or The underlying topology that connects the
sometimes star topology. stations is either bus or tree topology.

It is defined by IEEE 802.5 standard. It is defined by IEEE 802.4 standard.

The maximum time for a token to reach a station It is not feasible to calculate the time for token
can be calculated here. transfer.

Explain the Token Ring Network (IEEE Standard 802.5) in Computer Network.
In a token ring, a special bit pattern, known as a token, circulates around the ring when all the
stations are idle. Token Ring is formed by the nodes connected in ring format, as shown in the
diagram below.
The principle used in the token ring network is that a token is circulating in the ring, and
whichever node grabs that token will have the right to transmit the data.
Whenever a station wants to transmit a frame, it inverts a single bit of the 3-byte token, which
instantaneously changes it into a normal data packet. As there is only one token, there can be
only one transmission at a time.
Since the token rotates in the ring, it is guaranteed that every node gets the token within some
specified time. So there is an upper bound on the time of waiting to grab the token so that
starvation is avoided. There is also an upper limit of 250 on the number of nodes in the network.
The ring network is depicted in the figure given below −

Modes of Operation
There are various modes of operations which are as follows −
 Listen Mode − In the listen mode, the incoming bits are simply transmitted to the output
line with no further action taken.
 Talk or Transmit Node − The ring interface is set to the talk or transmit node when the
station connected to the ring interface has acquired a token. The direct input to output
connection through the single bit buffer is disconnected.
 By-pass Mode − This mode reaches when the node is down. Any data is just bypassed.
There is no one-bit delay in this mode.
FDDI

Fiber Distributed Data Interface is a set of standards for transmitting data over fiber-optic cable
over a span of up to 124 miles. FDDI is usually used as a backbone in a Wide Area Network
(WAN), like that connecting two different buildings in the same city. FDDI is similar to old-
fashioned Token Ring, but it uses two token rings: a primary ring and a secondary ring, each able
to carry 100Mbps. If the primary ring is working correctly, the backup ring can also be used,
doubling the capacity to 200Mbps. However, a dual ring has a maximum distance of only 62
miles. For distances greater than that, only one ring can be used at a time.

Wireless

Although Wireless can refer to many technologies, in networks the most common technology
used in home and offices is the 802.11 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), also called Wi-
Fi. Access to a WLAN is controlled by a wireless access point, which is most commonly a
wireless router. Any computer or wireless device -- like an iPhone, laptop or smart TV -- must
request access from the access point and supply the appropriate password if requested before
joining the wireless network. Currently, the fastest wireless is 802.11n technology, which can
transmit up to 300Mbps. Upcoming 802.11ac technology can transfer up to 433Mbps. Although
range is affected by obstructions and even atmospheric conditions, range is generally up to 230
feet indoors and 800 feet outdoors.

Three basic techniques are used to protect networks from unauthorized wireless use. Use any and
all of these techniques when setting up your wireless access points:

Encryption.
Enable the strongest encryption supported by the devices you will be connecting to the
network. Use strong passwords (strong passwords are generally defined as passwords
containing symbols, numbers, and mixed case letters, at least 14 characters long).
Isolation.
Use a wireless router that places all wireless connections on a subnet independent of the
primary private network. This protects your private network data from pass-through
internet traffic.
Hidden SSID.
Every access point has a Service Set IDentifier (SSID) that by default is broadcast to
client devices so that the access point can be found. By disabling this feature, standard
client connection software won't be able to "see" the access point. However, the eves-
dropping programs discussed previously can easily find these access points, so this alone
does little more than keep the access point name out of sight for casual wireless users.

Advantages of wireless networks:

 Mobility - With a laptop computer or mobile device, access can be available throughout a
school, at the mall, on an airplane, etc. More and more businesses are also offering free
WiFi access ("Hot spots").
  Fast setup - If your computer has a wireless adapter, locating a wireless network can be
as simple as clicking "Connect to a Network" -- in some cases, you will connect
automatically to networks within range.
 Cost - Setting up a wireless network can be much more cost effective than buying and
installing cables.
 Expandability - Adding new computers to a wireless network is as easy as turning the
computer on (as long as you do not exceed the maximum number of devices).

Disadvantages of wireless networks:

 Security - Be careful. Be vigilant. Protect your sensitive data with backups, isolated
private networks, strong encryption and passwords, and monitor network access traffic to
and from your wireless network.
 Interference - Because wireless networks use radio signals and similar techniques for
transmission, they are susceptible to interference from lights and electronic devices.
 Inconsistent connections - How many times have you hears "Wait a minute, I just lost my
connection?" Because of the interference caused by electrical devices and/or items
blocking the path of transmission, wireless connections are not nearly as stable as those
through a dedicated cable.
 Speed - The transmission speed of wireless networks is improving; however, faster
options (such as gigabit Ethernet) are available via cables. If you are only using wireless
for internet access, the actual internet connection for your home or school is generally
slower than the wireless network devices, so that connection is the bottleneck. If you are
also moving large amounts of data around a private network, a cabled connection will
enable that work to proceed much faster.