1.4 Connectivity

Question 1

What does UTP stand for and what is it

Answer 1

Copper wire connection - Unshielded twisted pair
Pairs of insulated wires that are twisted together
Reduced loss of signal by twisting

Question 2

What does STP stand for and what is it

Answer 2

Copper wire connections - shielded twisted pair
Pairs of insulated wires are twisted together
Each pair is shielded as well as the cable
Less signal list than UTP because of shielding
More expensive

Question 3

What is coaxial

Answer 3

Copper wire connections
Solid copper core surrounded by insulation, copper shielding and plastic sheath
Early computer networks used this (bandwidth 10mbs) widely used for TV wires but no longer sufficient

Question 4

What is Bluetooth

Answer 4

Allows connections between 2 devices to share data
10m range

Question 5

What do Wireless technologies use

Answer 5

Radio waves - signal degrades as distance increases

Question 6

Benefits of optical fibre

Answer 6

Uses light to transmit data
Very high bandwidth
Run over much longer distances without reduction in signal
Not prone to electrical interference
Expensive

Question 7

How does optical fibre work

Answer 7

Light is launched at one end if the glass thread core. Light is reflected internally down the fibre until it reaches the other end. Light sensitive electronics pick up the signal