Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) 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.

Categories of Unshielded Twisted Pair

Type	Use
Category 1	Voice Only (Telephone Wire)
Category 2	Data to 4 Mbps (LocalTalk)
Category 3	Data to 10 Mbps (Ethernet)
Category 4	Data to 20 Mbps (16 Mbps Token Ring)
Category 5	Data to 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet)

Unshielded Twisted Pair Connector (RJ-45 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) 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.



Coaxial Cable & Connectors:

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.



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.



Ethernet Cable Summary:

Specifications	Cable Type	Maximum length
10BaseT	Unshielded Twisted Pair	100 meters
10Base2	Thin Coaxial	185 meters
10Base5	Thick Coaxial	500 meters
10BaseF	Fiber Optic	2000 meters
100BaseT	Unshielded Twisted Pair	100 meters
100BaseTX	Unshielded Twisted Pair	220 meters

Wireless LANs:

Wireless LANs use high frequency radio signals, infrared light beams,or lasers to communicate
between the workstations and the file server or hubs.Each workstation and file server on a
wireless network has some sort of transceiver/antenna to send and receive the data.
Information is relayed between transceivers as if they were physically connected. For longer
distance, wireless communications can also take place through cellular telephone technology,
microwave transmission,or by satellite.
Wireless LANs have several disadvantages. They are very expensive, provide poor security,
and are susceptible to interference from lights and electronic devices. They are also slower
than LANs using cabling.

Cisco Console (9pin) Cable