AGuidetoCableTypesandConnectors
Connectors in networking are just as important as the types of cables that are used to set up computer servers, transfer important data and operate the computer networks that make businesses or homes run. Your home alone can have many types of connectors and cables. You need them for home phone services, cable television, internet routers and security cameras. This guide outlines network cable manufacturer types and the types of wiring connectorsusedfordata,videoandaudiocables.
TypesofCable
CoaxialCable
Coaxial Cable (or coax cable) is a popular choice for many applications; however, it is mainly used to transmit high-frequency signals. It is made up of a copper conductor with three layers of insulationandshieldingthatpreventcrosstalkfrommotors,lighting,andother sourcesofEMI.Manyofusarefamiliarwiththiscablebecauseitisusedfortelevisions.
TwistedPairCable
Twisted Pair Cable is often used for telephone communications and most modern Ethernet networks. It is a kind of wiring in which two conductors of a single circuit are twisted together. A pair of wires forms a circuit that can transmit data and the pairs are twisted togethertoprovideprotectionagainstcrosstalk,thenoisegeneratedbyadjacentpairs.
There are two types of twisted pair cable - unshielded twisted pair (UTP) and shielded twistedpair(STP).ThecommonlyusedUTPcoppercableisnowCat.6andCat.6A.TheSTP coppercablehasafoilwrappedoutsideoneachpairofwires.Thefourpairsofwiresthenare wrappedinanoverallmetallicbraidorfoil,usually150-ohmcable.
STP cable hasabettercapacityofresistingnoisethanUTPcable,evenifbothofthemcanbe usedin10GBASE-T
FiberOpticCable
Fiber Optic Cable is a type of Ethernetcablethatconsistsofoneormoreopticfibersthatare used to transmit data. Fiber optic cable transmitsdataaspulsesoflightgothroughtinytubes of glass. The transmission capacity of optical fiber cable is 26,000 times higher than that of twistedpaircable.
Fiber optic cable can be divided intosingle-modefiber(SMF)andmultimodefiber(MMF). Single-mode optical fiber has a smallcore,andonlyallowsonemodeoflighttopropagateat a time. While multimode fiber cable comes with a larger core and is designed to carry multiplelightraysormodesatthesametime.
The common single-mode fiber cable is OS2 cable, and multi-mode fiber cable is OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4, and OM5. And the transmission distanceofsingle-modefibercableisup toseveralkilometers,whilethemultimodefiberisupto550metersovera10Gnetwork.
EthernetCableTypes
Category cables started with Cat.1 back in 1979andthelatestoneisnowonCat.8.Themost popular Ethernet cables now installed are Cat.6 & Cat.6A, however some oldinfrastructures couldevenstillberunningonCat.3.
Cat.3 - is four twisted pairs with a total of 8 wires and has 3 twists per foot rated up to 16MHz. Popular in the 1980s and could push up to 10Mbps ethernet. This is limited to telecomequipmentandisnowobsolete.
Cat.4 - the only main difference from Cat.3 is that it is rated for 20MHz; this standard quicklybecameobsolete.
Cat.5 - is rated for100MHzandspeedsupto100Mbpsreliably,whileitcanhandlemore,up to1Gbps(currentstandard).
Cat.5e (enhanced) – this is a Cat.5 cable that is enhanced and capable of handling the disturbances on each pair that is typically caused by transmitting data across allfourtwisted pairssimultaneously.Thisisstillconsideredthebasestandard.
Cat.6 – this standard was established back in 2002 and is rated for 250MHz and at smaller ranges (up to 164 feet); Cat.6 can handle 10Gbps data rates, which is becoming more requestedintheenterpriseenvironmentsforbothhorizontalandverticalcabling.
Cat.6a – rated for 500MHz and while it stillonlysupportsupto10Gbps,itcanhandletwice thedistance(332feet)ofCat6.Cat6.acablescomeasSTPorUTP
Cat.7 – rated for 600MHz, it is alwaysshieldedbutalsousesanewconnectornamedGG45, which is replacing the RJ45 connector that has been the industry standard up to this point. While GG45 connectors are compatible with RJ45 sockets, these are harder to source. As a result, terminating cables with the GG45 connector is more difficult and costly Similar to Cat.6Acables,thiscablecanhandledataratesupto10Gbpsanddistancesupto332feet.
Cat.8 – rated for 2000MHz and cantransmitabout25to40Gbpsdataratesdependingonthe distance for up to 30 meters (about 100 feet). This category can use the standard RJ45 connectordependingonwhetheritisClassIorClassII.Cat.8cablesareshielded.
Connectors
Networking cables are connected todifferentdevicesandserversviacableconnectors.These connectors have different types based on their unique applications. In ethernet cable
networking, RJ45 connectors are the most commonly used. And in optic fiber network cabling systems, three types of connectors are most commonly used. Namely, straight tip (ST) connectors, subscriber connectors (SC), Lucent connectors (LC), and Multi-fiber push-on(MPO)connectors.
RJ45Connectors
RJ45 connectors (Registered Jack 45) are the most commonly used ethernet connectors. These connectors are an upgrade on the former RJ11 connectors, which were used for connecting telephone cables. The registered jack 45 are 8p8c type connectors – eight positions, eight contacts. The conductors of the ethernet cables are inserted individually into these positions and the contactsallowtheconnectortopasssignalstoacoupleroradevice.
For reliable connectivity and speed, high-quality RJ45 jack contacts are plated with gold which ensures that the contacts don't corrode over extended periods. The outer body of the connectorsismadefromhigh-qualityplasticwhichmakesthemalmostunbreakable.
The rule of thumb to identify these connectors is to count the contacts–whichareeightand setthemapartatapproximately1mm.TheRJ45connectorisutilizedtoconnectallcategories of ethernet cables. They are fast at transmitting signals, reliable, and rugged tolastextended periods.
StraightTip(ST)Connectors
The straight-tip connectors are one of the oldest fiber optic connectors. They support connections with both single and multi-mode fiber cables.OnanSTconnector,youwillfind a bayonet-style plug and socket. The bayonet-style plugandsocketarethekeytoidentifying anSTconnector
The primary job of this connector is to connect the cables without getting the optic fiber damaged. The optic fiber is extremely fragile, therefore protecting it is one of the main jobs oftheconnector.
SubscriberConnectors(SC)
This is yet another type of optic fiber cable connector The variety of optic fiber cable connectors is greater than ethernet cable connectorsduetotheobviousreason–morevariety ofcables.
Subscriber connectors can also be used with both multi-mode and single-mode fiber cables. The structure of the SC is made from a rigid plastic that is moulded into a square. On the inside, you will find a cylindrical ferrule that houses the fragile fiber It also features push-pull locking and unlocking capability which helps secure your fiber cable nicely with yourdevice,etc.
Furthermore, the structure of the SC isstandard-duplexanditisusedwidelyfordatatransfer andotheropticfiberapplications.
Lucent(LC)Connectors
The Lucent connectors are an upgrade on the SC connectors. For high-speed performance overopticfibercables,thesearethego-totypeofconnectors.
Both the structure andthebuiltqualityoftheLCarephenomenal.Size-wise,theyaresmaller than the SC and ST, and when it comes to performance, they are more efficient at transmittingsignalsandmorerigidandruggedforlong-termuse.
It is used for all sorts of networking applications. Such as telecommunications, high-speed datatransfer,cabletelevision,etc.
Multi-FiberPush-OnConnectors(MPO)
These are the finest optic fiber cable connectors that are utilised for high-speed data transmission and other high-performance applications. They are compatible with both mono-mode and multimode connections and their prime feature is that MPO connectors can connectmultiplefibersinasingleferrule.
An MPO is better than multiple SC and ST connectors due to its extreme compatibility feature, that is, you can terminate multiple fibersforhigh-densityindoorapplications.Itisto opticfibercablesthatanRJ45connectoristoethernetcables.
Source:https://www.dintek.com.tw/index.php/Articles/A-guide-to-wiring-standards-and.html
