Network Cabling
Bilal H. Rasheed MSc.(C.s)
Sep. 2023
Overview
Types of Communications Media
What cable types are available?
How do cables work?
How are cables used in networking?
How are connections made?
Types of Communications
Media
Four major types of communications media (cabling) are available for data
networking today:
unshielded twisted pair (UTP).
shielded or screened twisted pair (STP or ScTP).
Coaxial.
fiber optic (FO).
It is important to distinguish between backbone cables and horizontal
cables. Backbone cables connect network equipment such as servers,
switches, and routers even hubs and connect equipment rooms and
communication closets. Horizontal cables run from the communication
closets to the wall outlets. For new installations, multi strand fiber-optic
cable is essentially universal as backbone cable. For the horizontal, UTP
reigns supreme.
Twisted-Pair Cable
By far the most economical and widely installed
cabling today is twisted-pair wiring. twisted-pair
wiring less expensive than other media,
installation is also simpler, and the tools required
to install it are not as costly. Unshielded twisted
pair (UTP) and shielded twisted pair (STP) are the
two primary kind of twisted pair on the market
today. Screened twisted pair (ScTP) is a variant of
STP.
ScTP (Screened Twisted Pair) is similar with STP but each
twisted pair has no individual shield.
Picture: Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)
Picture: Screened Twisted Pair (ScTP)
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
Though it has been used for many years for
telephone systems, unshielded twisted pair
(UTP) for LANs first became common in the
late 1980s with the advent of Ethernet over
twisted-pair wiring . UTP is cost effective and
simple to install, and its bandwidth
capabilities are continually being improved.
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
Cable
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) is a set of three or four pairs of wires
with each wire in each pair twisted around the other to prevent
electromagnetic interference. UTP cabling uses RJ-45, RJ-11, RS-
232, and RS-449 connectors. The maximum length is 100 meters,
without using any kind of signal regeneration device, and a
maximum data transfer rate of 1000 Mbps for Gigabit Ethernet.
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)
Shielded twisted-pair (STP) cabling was first made
popular by IBM when it introduced Type classification for
data cabling. Though more expensive to purchase and
install than UTP, STP offers some distinct advantages.
STP cable is less susceptible (sensitive) to outside
External Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) than UTP
cabling because all cable pairs are well shielded.
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP), like UTP, also
has four pairs of wires with each wire in each
pair twisted together. However, the difference
is that STP is surrounded with a foil shield and
copper around the wires that allows more
protection from any external electromagnetic
interference. Because of the shielding, the
cable is physically larger, more difficult to
install and terminate, and more expensive than
UTP.
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)
Screened Twisted Pair (ScTP)
Screened twisted-pair (ScTP) cabling, a hybrid of STP
and UTP cable. ScTP cable surrounded by a foil shield
or wrapper. ScTP is also sometimes called foil twisted-
pair (FTP) cable because the foil shield surrounds all
four conductors. This foil shield is not as large as the
woven copper-braided jacket used by some STP cabling
systems, such as IBM Types 1 and 1A. ScTP cable is
essentially STP cabling that does not shield the
individual pairs; the shield may also be smaller than
some kinds of STP cabling.
Screened Twisted Pair (ScTP)
Coaxial Cable
Atone time, coaxial cable was the most
widely used cable type in the networking
business. It is still widely used for closed-
circuit TV and other video distribution.
However, it is falling by the wayside in the
data-networking area. Coaxial (or just coax)
cable is difficult to run and is generally more
expensive than twisted-pair cable.
Coaxial Cable
Coaxial cable is braided-grounded strands of
wire that can provide some shielding and
noise immunity; however, the installation and
the termination of the cable itself can be
costly. Coaxial cabling, which uses connectors
called BNC (Bayonet Nut Connector).in forms
of Ethernet, thicknet and thinnet, in the older
LAN technology, ARCnet, and cable TV
*Note: 10BASE5 (also known as thick Ethernet or thicknet)
was the first commercially-available replace of Ethernet
Bayonet Nut Connector(BNC)
Coaxial Cable
Fiber Optic
Fiber optic cabling carries signals, which have been
converted from electrical to optical (pulses of light) form.
It consists of the core, either an extremely thin cylinder of
glass or optical quality plastic, which is surrounded by a
second glass or plastic layer called the cladding. The
interface between the core and cladding can trap light
signals by a process called Total Internal Reflection
(TIR), resulting in the optical fiber acting as a light pipe.
Protective buffer and jackets materials are used to cover
the cladding layer. This type of cabling is less frequently
used because it is somewhat more expensive; however,
it is rapidly decreasing in both raw cost and installed
cost.
Fiber Optic
A dual fiber-optic cable
Common network cable types
Coaxial cable
Unshielded
twisted pair
Fiber optic
UTP characteristics
Unshielded
Twisted (why?) pairs of insulated conductors
Covered by
insulating sheath
UTP categories
Category 1 Voice only (Telephone)
Category 2 Data to 4 Mbps (Localtalk)
Category 3 Data to 10Mbps (Ethernet)
Category 4 Data to 20Mbps (Token ring)
Category 5 Data to 100Mbps (Fast Ethernet)
Category 5e Data to 1000Mbps (Gigabit Ethernet)
Category 6 Data to 2500Mbps (Gigabit Ethernet)
Cat5e cable
1000Mbps data capacity
For runs of up to 90 meters
Solid core cable ideal for structural
installations (PVC or Plenum)
Stranded cable ideal for patch cables
Terminated with RJ-45 connectors
RJ45 connector
RJ45 connector
Making connections - Tools
Cat5e cable
RJ45 connectors
Cable stripper
Scissors
Crimping tool
Making connections - Steps
1. Strip cable end
2. Untwist wire ends
3. Arrange wires
4. Trim wires to size
5. Attach connector
6. Check
7. Crimp
8. Test
Step 1 – Strip cable end
Strip 1 – 1½” of insulating sheath
Avoid cutting into conductor insulation
Step 2 – Untwist wire ends
Sort wires by insulation colors
Step 3 – Arrange wires
TIA/EIA 568A: GW-G OW-Bl BlW-O BrW-Br
TIA/EIA 568B: OW-O GW-Bl BlW-G BrW-Br
TIA/EIA 568
TIA/EIA-568 is a set of telecommunications standards from the
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), an offshoot of the
Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). The standards address
commercial building cabling for telecommunications products and
services.
Perhaps the best known features of TIA/EIA-568 are the pin/pair
assignments for eight-conductor balanced twisted pair cabling.
These assignments are named T568A and T568B.
Step 4 – Trim wires to size
Trim all wires evenly
Leave about ½” of wires exposed
Step 5 – Attach connector
Maintain wire order,
left-to-right, with RJ45
tab facing downward
Step 6 - Check
Do all wires extend to end?
Is sheath well inside connector?
Step 7 - Crimp
Squeeze firmly to crimp connecter
onto cable end .
Step 8 – Test
Does the cable work?
Learning Objectives
Listcommon cable types used in networking
Describe how UTP cables are made
Explain how UTP cables are used in Ethernet
networks
Demonstrate the ability to make a working
patch cable
Name the two wiring standards used for
wired Ethernet networks and their uses
Let’s go to work!
Thanks For Listening