Which Ethernet Cables Suits Your Home the Best

Which Ethernet Cables Suits Your Home
the Best
A key component in any wired home network is - wires! More precisely, cables.
When it comes to home, Twisted-pair Ethernet cable is the most common type
of home network wiring used today. Twisted-pair Ethernet cables are useful to
connect:
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DSL routers or modems to hubs or switches
DSL routers or modems to wireless access points
DSL routers or modems to computers
Computers to hubs or switches
Other devices (like network printers) to computers, switches, or hubs
What is the difference between a wire and a cable? A wire is a single conductor
that can be solid or stranded. Two or more insulated wires grouped in a sleeve
or jacket form a cable. While purchasing network cables, you will probably need
Cat5e cables or Cat6 cables, UTP straight-through Ethernet cable with RJ
(registered jack)45 connectors.
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Types of Ethernet Cables and Connectors
1. Twisted Pairs and RJ-45 Connectors
Twisted-pair Ethernet cables include eight copper insulated wires in a plastic
sleeve. Out of which, two wires are twisted together in a pair for a total of four
pairs. Then these four pairs are twisted together to form the cable. The twists
and pairs affect specific performance characteristics of the cable like crosstalk,
electromagnetic interference (EMI), and attenuation.
Crosstalk takes place when an electrical signal transmitted over one wire
negatively affects the electrical signal transmitted over another wire.
Attenuation is when there is a gradual loss of intensity of an electrical signal as it
travels through the wire. EMI is a noise or unwanted electrical signals generated
between the wires by the various electrical signals transmitted.
A clear plastic jack, an RJ-45 connector, is present on both the ends of the
twisted-pair Ethernet cable. An RJ-45 connector looks very similar to a telephone
jack (which is known as an RJ-11 connector).
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2. Twisted-pair Ethernet cable with RJ-45 Connectors
It has common names - Ethernet, UTP cable, or Cat5. Ethernet is a signaling and
wiring standard covering many cabling technologies; Cat5 is one of the several
available categories, and UTP is one of the possible types.
Categories of Twisted-Pair Ethernet Cables
There are various categories of twisted-pair cabling, but only three are
commonly useful for Ethernet networks:
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Cat5 Cables
Supports speed up to 100 Mbps at 100 MHz, with a maximum cable length of
328 feet.
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Cat 5e Cables
Supports speeds up to or 1 Gbps at 100 MHz, with a maximum cable length of
328 feet.
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Cat6 Cables
Supports speeds up to 1 Gbps at 250 MHz, with a maximum cable length of 295
feet (90 meters).
Unshielded Versus Shielded Cables
Twisted-pair Ethernet cabling can also be unshielded (standard) or shielded (not
so common). The unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling can be useful in both
large enterprise networks as well as small home networks. It is relatively
inexpensive and more flexible than shielded twisted-pair (STP) cabling.
STP cabling is expensive and less pliable than UTP cabling. It is useful in
industrial environments and other noisy environments prone to high
electromagnetic interference (EMI). The individual pair of wires in STP cables are
wrapped in foil or another metal shielding. And the outer metal shielding may
also cover the entire group of twisted pairs.
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3. Straight-Through Versus Crossover Cables
In most cases, you will use straight-through twisted-pair Ethernet cables to
connect the devices on your network. Sometimes, crossover cables are
necessary to connect two computers together directly (if one of them has a
network adapter that is more than a few years old), to connect very cheap (or
old) network switches that do not have an uplink port, or to connect some types
of specialized network devices.
The difference between a straight-through and crossover cable is subtle but
essential. Two of the four pairs in a crossover cable are attached to the RJ-45
connector in a different order than in a straight-through cable, such that the
transmitting and receiving wires are reversed.
Length and Color of Networking Cables
When choosing cables for your network, you need to consider length and color:
● Length: Twisted-pair Ethernet cable comes in standard lengths - 3, 5, 7,
and 10 feet. Longer lengths than these are available, and you can also
have custom cable lengths made. How can you find out which length of
cables you require? You need to measure the distance between your
different network devices and your network switch or router. Do not
forget to include enough length to run cables along the walls, under rugs,
as necessary.
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Color: Twisted-pair Ethernet cable comes in all varieties of colors. Blue is
possibly the most common, but you can also consider white, gray, or any
other color that does not clash with your walls and carpet. And you might
want to stick with a single color for all the cables on your network. This
decision is purely based on your individual tastes and preferences.
Conclusion
I hope this article helped you to decide which ethernet cables are perfect for
your home. Make sure it fulfills your requirements and purposes. The length
and the speed are the primary factors to take into consideration while choosing
the ethernet cables for your home.
Source:
https://www.sooperarticles.com/communications-articles/broadband-internet-a
rticles/ethernet-cables-suits-your-home-best-1823143.html
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