Skip to main content

CAT cables

 

CAT cables

Theres many types of CAT cables, and they are commonly used for Ethernet and other networking purposes.

 

Types

Theres 5 main types of CAT cables:

·         CAT5e (Category 5e): This is an enhanced version of the CAT5 cable, offering improved performance and support for higher data transfer rates. It is suitable for most home and small business networking needs.

·         CAT6 (Category 6): CAT6 cables provide even higher data transfer rates and reduced crosstalk compared to CAT5e. They are commonly used in professional installations and are suitable for gigabit Ethernet and some 10-gigabit applications.

·         CAT6a (Category 6a): The "a" stands for "augmented." CAT6a cables are an enhanced version of CAT6, offering even higher data transfer rates and better performance, especially in terms of crosstalk and signal quality. They are suitable for 10-gigabit Ethernet and beyond.

·         CAT7 (Category 7): CAT7 cables are designed to support even higher data transfer rates and offer better shielding to minimize interference. They are suitable for 10-gigabit Ethernet and beyond.

·         CAT8 (Category 8): CAT8 cables are the latest standard in the CAT cable series, designed to support extremely high data transfer rates. They are suitable for 25Gbps and 40Gbps Ethernet applications.

These cables are commonly used for wiring Ethernet networks in homes, offices, and data centres. The higher the category number, the better the cable typically performs in terms of data transfer rates and interference resistance. When choosing a CAT cable, it's important to consider the specific requirements of your network and devices.

category

shielding

Max transmission speed (at 100meters)

Max bandwidth

Cat 3

Unshielded

10 mbps

16 MHz

Cat 5

Unshielded

10/100 mbps

100 MHz

Cat 5e

Unshielded

1000 mbps/1 gbps

100 MHz

Cat 6

Shielded or Unshielded

1000 mbps/1 gbps

>250 MHz

Cat 6a

shielded

10000 mbps/10 gbps

500 MHz

Cat 7

shielded

10000 mbps/10 gbps

600 MHz

Cat 8

shielded

25 gbps or 40 gbps*

2000 MHz


Shielding

Earlier network cables were unshielded, but later ones were shielded to improve the performance. For example an unshielded twisted pair, UTP, cable may be satisfactory for a short run between a computer and router, but a foil shielded cable, FTP, is best longer runs or where the cable passes through areas of high electrical noise.

There are different methods that can be used for shielding Ethernet cables. The most common is to place a shield around each twisted pair. This provides shielding for the cable externally, but also reduces crosstalk between the internal twisted pairs as well. Manufacturers can further enhance the performance by placing shielding around all the wires in the cable just under the cable sheath. There are different codes used to indicate the differs types of shielding:

·         U/UTP - Unshielded cable, unshielded twisted pairs

·         F/UTP - Foil shielded cable, unshielded twisted pairs

·         U/FTP - Unshielded cable, foil shielded twisted pairs

·         S/FTP - braided shielded cable, foil shielded twisted pairs

Where: TP = twisted pair, U = unshielded, F = foil shielded, S = braided shielding

 

Lengths

Its often necessary to use long ethernet cables, but there are limits to the distance in which the data can be reliably carried. As the longer the cable the more additional noise will be picked up which eventually makes the data get distorted by the cable.

specification

Cable type

Maximum length

10BaseT

Unshielded twisted pair

100 meters

10Base2

Thin coaxil cable

180 meters

10Base5

Thick coaxil cable

500 meters

10BaseF

Fibre optic cable

2000 meters

100BaseT

Unshielded twisted pair

100 meters

100BaseTX

Unshielded twisted pair

220 meters

 

Crosstalk in networks

This is a signal transmission issue that disrupts the data communication between interconnected computers. This reduces the data transfer speed and signal strength in WLAN-connected computers (wireless local area network). Crosstalk can lead to errors, data loss, and more chances for encryption. This can lead to a temporary shutdown in industries due to the loss of critical data. The 2 main reasons for this are adjacent channel interference and co-channel interference.

Some of the causes of interference and crosstalk in computer networks are:

·         The physical landscape of the location of the computer network.

·         The presence of devices that operate at 2.4GHz, which is the frequency mostly used by WLAN computer networks.

·         Consumer electronics, such as wireless headsets, microwave ovens, or cordless phones, are in the vicinity of computer networks. The physical distance of these devices from computers influences the crosstalk in the network.

·         Other wireless networks that can interfere with the Wi-Fi that is utilized by WLAN.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Types of network adapters in virtual box

  Types of network adapters in VirtualBox In VirtualBox there’s multiple types of network adapters that can be used to configure virtual machines for different networking needs. Down below will give you a brief overview of each type. NAT (network address translation) The VM is placed behind a VirtualBox-managed router. This allows the VM to access the external network via the networks host’s IP, but the VM itself remains invisible to the outside. Its most suitable for simple internet access with minimal configuration NAT network This is like NAT, but it allows multiple VM’s to communicate with each other in the same NAT network all while sharing the host’s internet connection. Its commonly used when you want to simulate a small, isolated network of VM’s that can also access the internet. Bridged adapter This VM is connected directly to the physical network as if it is a separate device, it also receives its own IP address from the same network as the host. This is ide...
Post a Comment
Read more

API's

  API's Types of API's REST API - Representational State Transfer is a commonly used API category that isn’t dependent on a specific protocol. It’s considered a relatively user-friendly API to work with and many developers are experienced in this technology. It’s an architecture style of communicating interfaces. SOAP API - Simple Object Access Protocol is an API that connects different platforms together through HTTP and XML. Its relatively older than other API implementations, but it provides more security as it follows strict protocols. It’s a protocol for communication between applications. ASP.NET API - Specific form of REST API developed around .NET technology. REST vs SOAP Both have some similarities for instance they both support SSL/TLS for secure and encrypted communications, also they both use HTTP to exchange information. When deciding which API to use you must take in many factors into consideration like, security, ACID compliance, and overall application design. F...
Post a Comment
Read more
  Designing a SOHO network with DHCP Network requirements for the office Sales department – 4 computers Finance department – 3 computers Networking devices requirement: ·          1 router ·          2 switches (one for each department) ·          1 DHCP server Documentation I started by setting up the network topology and used the automatic connecting cable to connect all the devices together. Then I configured the server with IPv4 address and a subnet mask. to do this you have to press on the server and then go to desktop. Then I filled in all the parameters as seen below. Then I had to configure the DHCP server. To do this I clicked on the server > services > DHCP. Then I turned on the serves and configured the server as seen in this screenshot. For the next step I configured the router with the IPv4 address and subnet mask. To a...
Post a Comment
Read more