Network Cable
Network Cables are used to connect and transfer data information between computers, routers, switches and storage area networks. It is a medium that connects computer in a network. These cables are essentially the carrier or media through which data flows.
There are different types of communication cable, and the appropriate type to use will depend on the structure and topology of the overall architecture of the system.
Types of Network Cable:
Coaxial Cable
Engineers Lloyd Espenschied and Herman Affel created coaxial cable. In 1929 as more and more American households acquired telephones, the pressure was on to create a better cable to accommodate the increasing demand. That's why they created coaxial cable.
Benefits of Coaxial Cable:
• The cost of coaxial cable is less.
• The outer conductor in coaxial cable is used to improve attenuation and shield effectiveness.
• It is less susceptible to noise or interference (EMI or RFI) compare to twisted pair cable.
• It is easy to wire and easy to expand due to flexibility.
• It allows high transfer rates with coaxial cable having better.
Drawbacks of Coaxial Cable:
• It is bulky.
• It is expensive to install for longer distances due to its thickness and stiffness.
• As single cable is used for signal transmission across the entire network, in case of failure in one cable the entire network will be down.
• The security is a great concern as it is easy to tap the coaxial cable by breaking it and inserting T-joint (of BNC type) in between.
• It must be grounded to prevent interference.
A coaxial cable consists of two conductors laid concentrically along the same axis. One conducting wire is surrounded by a dielectric insulator, which is in turn surrounded by the other, outer conductor, producing an electrically shielded transmission circuit.
Fiber Optic Cable
Fiber optic cable, also called as optical fiber cable, is a type of Ethernet cable which consist of one or more optic fibers that are used to transmit data.
Kuen Kao is known as the "father of fiber optic communications" for his discovery in the 1960s of certain physical properties of glass, which laid the groundwork for high-speed data communication in the Information Age.
Benefits of Fiber Optic Cable:
• The fiber can carry large amount of data due to larger bandwidth capacity Data can be transmitted at very high speed usually 1.6 TB/sec in the field.
• It benefits for long run due to more benefits compare to earlier coaxial based systems.
• It has higher electrical resistance and gence can operate safely near to high voltage lines and equipments.
• The optical fiber transmission power is very less.
• It does not generate any spark. Due to this fact it finds applications in automobile industry also.
Drawbacks of Fiber Optic Cable:
• Cost: The initial installation cost is higher due to expensive optical transmitter and receiver.
• It is difficult to splice compare to wires usually at the starting and end joints.
• When the light comes in contact with imperfection during travel and optical power is higher, it leads to destruction of fiber cable.
• Fiber optic system can not carry electrical power which is often requirement at terminal equipments/ devices.
• Optical fiber is rather fragile and more vulnerable to damage compared to copper wires. You'd better not to twist or bend fiber optic cables.
A typical optical fiber comprises three main components: the core, which carries the light; the cladding, which surrounds the core with a lower refractive index and contains the light; and the coating, which protects the fragile fiber within. The core, which carries the light, is the smallest part of the optical fiber.
Twisted-Pair Cable
Twisted-pair cable is often used for telephone communications and most modern Ethernet network. This is one of the most common types of network cable will see today.
Twisted-pair cables have eight individual copper wires bundled together and covered with an insulating material. The copper wire is always color-coded with a plastic insulation and they are twisted in pairs for a total of four pairs. The bundled wires are covered with an outer jacket for additional insulation and protection and to make it easier to pull through conduits.
Two Main Types of Twisted-Pair Cable:
Unshielded Twisted-Pair - is the most common form of twisted pair wiring. A cable with wires that are twisted together to reduce noise and crosstalk.
UTP has each pair of wires twisted together. Those wires are then wrapped in tubing without any other protection.
Shielded Twisted-Pair - is a twisted pair cable confined in foil or mesh shield that guards the cable against electromagnetic interference.
STP has the individual pairs of wires wrapped in foil, which are then wrapped again of foil for double protection.
Mainly what are considered the disadvantages of the Shielded are the advantages of the unshielded. For most networks, whether they be home or in an office, unshielded should be fit for purpose. They cancel out interference by being twisted, just as the shielded but at a way more precise level.
Benefits of Twisted-Pair Cable:
• It's relatively easy to implement and terminate.
• It is the smallest amount expensive media of transmission for brief distances.
• If portion of a twisted pair cable is broken it doesn't effect the whole network.
• Less vulnerable to electrical interference caused by nearby equipment or wires.
• High-cost performance.
Drawbacks of Twisted-Pair Cable:
• It result signal distortion in a very effective manner.
• It supports 10 mbps up to a distance of 100 meters on a 10BASE-T which are considered to be low bandwidth.
• It provides poor security and is relatively easy to tap.
• As they a thin so can be easily breakable.
• Susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI).
Twisted-pair cabling was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1881.This represented an early implementation of twisting, with a twist rate of about four twists per kilometer, or six per mile. Such open-wire balanced lines with periodic transpositions still survive today in some rural areas.
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