The by-products of the advancing technology have certainly created a lot of confusion among the consumers. If we consider the networking cables, the types of network cables employed in any network infrastructure are one of the most important aspects of networking, and it has become increasingly critical with the introduction of newer technologies.
If we go through the history of the data communication cables, you will find the roots from where it all started.
History
We tend to think of digital communication as a new idea, if we go back in time, like in 1844, Samuel Morse sent a message 37 miles from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, using his new invention, the telegraph. This may seem a far cry from today's computer networks, but the principles remain the same.
Morse code is a type of binary system that uses dots and dashes in different sequences to represent letters and numbers. Modern data networks use ones and zeros to achieve the same result. The big difference is, while the telegraph operators of the mid-19th century could perhaps transmit four or five dots and dashes per second, computers now communicate at speeds of up to 10 Gbps or, to put it another way, 10,000,000,000 separate ones and zeros every second.
Although the telegraph and the teletypewriter were the forerunners of data communications, it has only been in the last 35 years that things have really started to speed up. This was borne out of the necessity for computers to communicate at ever-increasing speeds, which has driven the development of faster and faster networking equipment. In the process, higher-specification cables and connecting hardware were required.
Let us shed some light on the most popular data communication cable:
Unshielded twisted pair (UTP)
UTP cable is used not only for networking but also for the traditional telephone (UTP-CAT1). There are six different types of UTP categories and, depending on what you want to achieve, you would need the appropriate type of network cable. UTP-CAT5e is the most popular UTP cable; it replaced the old coaxial cable that was unable to keep up with the constantly growing need for faster and more reliable networks.
Characteristics of UTP categories
The characteristics of UTP are very good and make it easy to work with, install, expand and troubleshoot.
So, let's have a quick look at each of the UTP categories available today:
These categories specify the type of copper wire -- most telephone and network wire is copper and jacks.
CAT1 is typically used for telephone wire. This type of wire is not capable of supporting computer network traffic and is not twisted. CAT1 is also used by telco companies providing Integrated Services Digital Network and public switched telephone network services. In such cases, the wiring between the customer's site and the telco's network is performed using CAT1-type cable.
CAT2, CAT3, CAT4, CAT5/5e, CAT6, and CAT7 are network wire specifications. These types of wires can support computer network and telephone traffic. CAT2 is used mostly for token ring networks and supports speeds up to 4 Mbps. For higher network speeds,100 Mbps or higher, CAT5e must be used. For the almost-extinct 10 Mbps speed requirements, CAT3 will suffice.
CAT3, CAT4 and CAT5 cables are four pairs of twisted copper wires; CAT5 has more twists per inch than CAT3. Therefore, CAT5 can run at higher speeds and greater lengths. The twist effect of each pair of the cables ensures any interference presented or picked up on one cable is canceled by the cable's partner that twists around the initial cable. CAT3 and CAT4 are both used for token ring networks, where CAT3 can provide support of a maximum 10 Mbps, while CAT4 pushed the limit up to 16 Mbps. Both categories have a limit of 100 meters.
CAT6 wire was originally designed to support Gigabit Ethernet, although there are standards that will allow gigabit transmission over the CAT5e wire. It is similar to the CAT5e wire but contains a physical separator between the four pairs to further reduce electromagnetic interference. CAT6 is able to support speeds of 1 Gbps for lengths of up to 100 meters, and 10 Gbps is also supported for lengths of up to 55 meters.
CAT7 is a newer copper cable specification designed to support speeds of 10 Gbps at lengths of up to 100 meters. To achieve this, the cable features four individually shielded pairs, plus an additional cable shield to protect the signals from crosstalk and electromagnetic interference.
Briefly, we visited the major data communication cables in use. Do go through Lapp, one of the leading cable manufacturers in India, to get the right cable for your application.
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