Network Cables & Connectors Flashcards
Two sources of Electrical Interference
electromagnetic interference (EMI) and attenuation
Class A 100 kHz Low speed cable used for older voice telephone installations. Not for use in data networks.
Cat 1
Class B 1 MHz Used in older data networks like ARCnet and early Token Ring.
Cat 2
Class C 16 MHz Used in early Ethernet; unsuitable for faster networks, but still used for voice telephone cables.
Cat 3
Not standard 20 MHz Used by early Ethernet and some Token Ring networks, but was never common.
Cat 4
Class D 100MHz Widely used for Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet networks, also used for telephone and video. Superseded by Cat5e.
Cat 5
Class D 100 MHz Category 5 Enhanced. Same overall properties as Cat5, but higher testing standards.
Cat 5e
Class E 250 MHz Stronger crosstalk specifications than Cat 5e. Popular for new Gigabit Ethernet installations, and short distance 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks. Frequently shielded for additional EMI protection; if so, the shielding needs a grounded connection.
Cat 6
Class EA 500 MHz Augmented Category 6. Shielded, and allows full distance 10 Gigabit Ethernet operation.
Cat 6a
Class F 600 MHz Similar to Cat6A, but screened and shielded for higher noise resistance.
Cat 7
Class FA 1000 MHz Augmented Category 7. Maybe suitable for emerging 40 Gigabit Ethernet.
Cat 7a
The first popular twisted-pair Ethernet standard, used in the early 1990s. Operates at 10 Mbps, using two wire pairs on a Cat3 or higher cable. Typically joined with hubs because switches were still expensive, but are compatible with modern switched networks too.
10BASE-T
A 100 Mbps standard, also known as Fast Ethernet. It still uses two wire pairs, but requires Cat5 or higher cable. While they’re somewhat out of date, Fast Ethernet switches and other devices are still available and widely used in small networks
100BASE-TX
Also known as Gigabit Ethernet, since it operates at 1000Mbps. It uses all four wire pairs of a Cat5 or higher cable. It’s the dominant standard for modern LANs
1000BASE-T
As the name implies, 10 Gigabit Ethernet operates at 10 Gbps, using all four pairs of Cat6a cable. Over shorter distances, it can work over ordinary Cat6 as well. 10 Gigabit devices are still considerably more expensive than Gigabit devices, so are still limited to high demand applications and network backbones where performance is essential.
10GBASE-T
Which tool measures signal reflection along a cable to find break and estimate their locations?
Time-domain Reflectometer
0.64 mm 6.1 mm 75 ohms Common for baseband video and older cable television systems. Not reliable for broadband network connections.
RG-59
1 mm 6.86 mm 75 ohms Standard for newer digital cable, satellite, and cable modem connections. Essentially a higher grade RG-59.
RG-6
1.63 mm 10.5 mm 75 ohms Used for the same purposes as RG-6, but usually only for long distance drops and underground cables.
RG-11
2.17 mm 10.3 mm 50 ohms Used by 10BASE5 “Thicknet” Ethernet, the first Ethernet standard. Now obsolete.
RG-8
0.81 mm 5.0 mm 50 ohms Used by 10BASE2 “Thinnet” Ethernet, a cheaper but more limited alternative to Thicknet. Also obsolete.
RG-58
A miniature quick connect/disconnect radio frequency connector used for coaxial cable
BNC connector
Used for baseband video and older cable television systems
RG-59
Used for newer digital cable, satellite, and cable modem connections
RG-6