Information on computer cables from Net World Directory

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Net World Directory: Computer cables

The following are some of the types of cables used in Networking

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable
Coaxial Cable
Fiber Optic Cable

Twisted pair cable has two variations. It may be shielded or unshielded. Unshielded twisted pair other wise known, as UTP is the most commonly used for networks. The quality of UTP may vary and you may telephone-grade wire to extremely high-speed cable. The cable contains four pairs of wires inside the jacket. Each of these pair is twisted with a different number of twists per inch to help eliminate interference from adjacent pairs and other electrical devices.

Categories of Unshielded Twisted Pair

Category 1 Voice Only (Telephone Wire)
Category 2 Data to 4 Mbps (LocalTalk)
Category 3 Data to 10 Mbps (Ethernet)
Category 4 Data to 20 Mbps (16 Mbps Token Ring)
Category 5 Data to 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet)

Straight through / CAT 5 / patch cable:

Computer cables comes in all shapes and sizes

The standard type of cable used to connect networks together is called a straight through cable. It's also referred to by several other names, such as CAT 5 cable, network cable or patch cable, but they all refer to the same type of cable.

10BaseT does not have a distinct maximum cable length 100 to 150 metres is the generally accepted limit, but high grade low loss cable can extend this. This maximum length is the distance each computer can be from its hub, not the total cable length in the system, so a single $200 17-port hub makes it easy to cable up a good-sized office.
Cables are not always needed for networking; network can be wirelesss. Wireless LANs use high frequency radio signals, infrared light beams, or lasers to communicate between the workstations and the file server or hubs. Each workstation and file server on a wireless network has some sort of transceiver/antenna to send and receive the data. Information is relayed between transceivers as if they were physically connected. For longer distance, wireless communications can also take place through cellular telephone technology, microwave transmission, or by satellite.