Cabling

Question 1

How do computers communicate with each other at the physical layer?

Answer 1

cables

Question 2

connect different devices to each other, allowing data to be transmitted over them.

Answer 2

Cables

Question 3

Network cable categories used today:

Answer 3

copper, fiber optic

Question 4

the most common material of networking cable

Answer 4

copper. Made of many pairs of copper wires inside a plastic insulator.

Question 5

computers communicate in:

Answer 5

binary.

Question 6

How does a sending device communicate binary data across copper wires?

Answer 6

It changes the voltage between two ranges. The system at the receiving end interprets these voltage changes as binary, which can be translated into different forms of data.

Question 7

What are the most common forms of copper twisted-pair cables in networking?

Answer 7

Cat5, Cat5e, and Cat6 cables.

Question 8

What is the most modern twisted pair copper cable standard?

Answer 8

cat8

Question 9

what does cat stand for?

Answer 9

category

Question 10

What are differences in characteristics between different categories of copper cables?

Answer 10

Number of twists in the pair of copper wires that result in different usable lengths and transfer rates. They visually look very similar, from the outside and inside. Differences in how the twisted pairs are arranged inside the cables can drastically alter how fast data can be sent across them and how resistant these signals are to outside interference.

Question 11

Why have cat5e replaced older cat5 cables?

Answer 11

their internals reduce crosstalk

Question 12

Describe cat3 cable appearance

Answer 12

Left: green and white, middle yellow and white, right blue and white.

Question 13

Describe cat5 cabling appearance

Answer 13

left to right:
yellow white, green white, blue white, burgundy white

Question 14

describe cat5e appearance

Answer 14

left to right:
black white, black white, dark grey light grey, dark grey light grey

Well, the only way to really tell is to look at the cable jacket. inside, these are twisted more tightly than Cat5.
Has stranded and solid cabling.

Question 15

stranded cabling:

Answer 15

several thin strands of copper wiring, giving it a flexible property that allows it to function when bent out of shape. Lower performance.

Question 16

solid cabling

Answer 16

rigid copper wiring that can only be bent so much before it begins to break. Offers greater performance across larger distances in comparison to stranded cabling.

Question 17

describe cat 6 cabling

Answer 17

thicker copper wires, have a star filler, also known as a cross filler, splines, separator, crossweb, which is a plastic insert. It protects the conductors from external factors. Made from materials like aramid or fiberglass.

Question 18

cat 6a physical appearance

Answer 18

thicker sheath, tighter wind than 6.

Question 19

cat 7 physical appearance

Answer 19

double shielded twisted pairs, individually.

Question 20

Cat8 physical appearance

Answer 20

individually shielded pairs, same coloration as other cabling.

Question 21

Crosstalk

Answer 21

when an electrical pulse on one wire is accidentally detected on another wire. The receiving end then can’t understand the data, and a network error occurs.

Question 22

Do cat 6 have a longer or shorter maximum distance than cat5e when used at higher speeds?

Answer 22

shorter, due to their internal arrangement.

Question 23

Fiber cables

Answer 23

contain individual optical fibers, which are tiny tubes made of glass about the width of a human hair.

Question 24

How do fiber optic cables communicate data?

Answer 24

pulses of light

Question 25

What sort of cabling is good for environments with a lot of electromagnetic interference from outside sources?

Answer 25

Fiber optic cabling, because interference can impact data being sent across copper wires.

Question 26

Which is generally faster, fiber or copper?

Answer 26

fiber

Question 27

which cabling is more expensive and fragile, fiber or copper?

Answer 27

fiber

Question 28

Which kind of cable can transport data over longer distances without suffering potential data loss, fiber or copper?

Answer 28

fiber

Question 29

where am I more likely to run into fiber cables?

Answer 29

computer data centers, though this is probably changing as networking standards are updating and infrastructure for fiber optic is becoming more widespread in residential areas.