Fast Reference: Cabling

The second in a series of fast references, "Cabling" will give you an at-a-glance knowledge of the major types of cables, their basic pros and cons, and the shorthand for each type.

Fast Reference: Cabling
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable
Shorthand: 100BaseT
Pro: Less expensive than Fiber Optics		Con: Vulnerable to radio and electrical frequencies
Category	Standard data rate	Usual application
CAT 1	No longer approved	No longer approved
CAT 2	No longer approved	No longer approved
CAT 3	16 Mbps	Used predominantely for POTS Voice
CAT 4	No longer approved	No longer approved
CAT 5	No longer approved	No longer approved
CAT 5E	1000 Mbps (10000 Mbps prototype)	100 Mbps TPDDI 155 Mbps ATM Gigabit Ethernet Offers better near-end crosstalk than CAT 5
CAT 6	250 MHz	Super-fast broadband applications Vendor recommended, minimum required and most popular cabling for new installs
CAT 6E	500 MHz	Required for 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-T)
CAT 7 (ISO Class F)	1 GHz per pair with Siemon connector	Full-motion video Teleradiology Required for 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-T) Government and manufacturing environments Shielded system
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cabling
Shorthand: 100BaseTX
Pro: Good for use when radio or electrical interference is possible		Con: The extra shielding makes it bulky
Coaxial Cabling
Shorthand: Thin coaxial is 10Base2; Thick coaxial is 10Base5
Pro: Good for TV/Video		Con: UTP/STP cable is cheaper, easier to install and offers higher speeds
Fiber Optic Cabling
Shorthand: 10BaseF
Most common is 50 micron laser
Pro: No problem with electrical interference, can transmit signal further than coaxial and twisted cable, and at faster speeds		Con: More expensive than twisted cable

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