HOW NETWORK CABLES WORK?

Background

Network cables is plays an important role in today’s communication as it acts

as a medium for the data or signal to be transfers from a source to its
destination. There are different types of network cable, and the appropriate
type to use will depend on the structure and topology of your network. Most
of today’s communication depends on network cables. However, in the near
future, cabling will probably be something old and outdated. This is because
the implementation of wireless communication in which today’s technology
is focusing on this type of communication.

The most commonly used types of network cable are the unshielded twisted
pair, coaxial and fiber optic.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
SCOPE
INTRODUCTION
TYPES OF NETWORK CABLE
UTP Cables

UTP stands for Unshielded Twisted Pair. It consists of different numbers of copper
wire that have been twisted into matching pair. UTP cabling is used widely for
telecommunications and computer networks. UTP cabling does not offer as high
bandwidth or as good protection from interference as coaxial or fiber optic cables,
but it is less expensive and easier to work with. It comes in many different types
and sizes.

TYPES

UTP comes in different types called Categories (CAT) ranging from cat1 to cat6.

Table 1.0 shows the all the types of UTP cable and its data rate and the usage of
every categories.

UTP cable can be divided into two types of specific wiring convention namely 1)
straight-through and 2) crossed over. Each of this wiring convention depends on
different situation.

UTP cable can transmit voice or data signals. Therefore it can be used in many
different applications. In transmitting voice, it can be implement in telephone
system and audio or even video. UTP cable is the most widely use wired medium
within the field of computer networking.
HOW IT WORKS

It sends data to the network and receives data sent from other computers on the
network. Computers linked by Ethernet send data along the wire in small chunks
called packets. In addition to the data itself, each packet carries a destination
address and your computer's "home" address.
Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable, or coax, is another common type of network cable. It has a

copper conductor in its center and a plastic coating serves as an insulator
between the center conductor and a metal shield. The cable is then covered
with a coating. The coating may be think or thick — the thicker coating which
less pliable provides extra protection.
HOW IT WORKS

The signal a coaxial cable carries is transferred simultaneously through the

central wire as well as the separated metal jacketing. This is done because
both conductors generate a magnetic field, as any electrically charged wire
does. However, when two opposite charged magnetic fields, as the ones
generated by the two conductors are, come into contact with one another,
the fields cancel one another out. This allows the cables to be placed near
other sensitive electronic equipment and other metal objects without the
danger of the cables acting like magnets. It also prevents outside magnetic
fields from altering the signal the cables carry.

Coaxial cables are a type of cable that is used by cable TV and that is common for data
communications.

Taking a a round cross-section of the cable, one would find a single center solid wire symmetrically
surrounded by a braided or foil conductor. Between the center wire and foil is a insulating dialectric. This
dialectric has a large affect on the fundamental characteristics of the cable. In this lab, we show the how
the permittivity and permeability of the dialectric contributes to the cable's inductance and capacitance.
Also, these values affect how quickly electrical data is travels through the wire.

Data is transmitted through the center

wire, while the outer braided layer
serves as a line to ground. Both of
these conductors are parallel and
share the same axis. This is why the
wire is called coaxial!
Just like all electrical components,
coaxial cables have a characteristic
impedance. This impedance depends
on the dialectric material and the
radii of each conducting material As
shown in this lab, the impedance
affects how the cable interacts with
other electrical components.

In this lab we used a RG-580/U coaxial cable. This is just one of many types of cables that are
used today to transmit data. The dialectric of the RG-580/U was made of polyethylene. The
radius of our cable's inner copper wire was .42mm and there was 2.208mm of polyethylene
between the inner wire and outer mesh conductors.

Fiber Optic Cable

Fiber optic network cables are used for networks that span large distances.
As a result, this type of cabling has several layers of protective coating. It
also transmits light as opposed to electrical signals like other cables. This
makes it an ideal cable for network environments that are exposed to large
amounts of electrical interference. It also transmits information at high
speeds and is therefore used in large network environments like those used
by big businesses.

TYPES OF FIBER OPTICS

Optical fibers carry light signals down them in what are called modes. That sounds technical but
it just means different ways of traveling: a mode is simply the path that a light beam follows
down the fiber. One mode is to go straight down the middle of the fiber. Another is to bounce
down the fiber at a shallow angle. Other modes involve bouncing down the fiber at other angles,
more or less steep.

The simplest type of optical fiber is called single-mode. It has a very thin core about 5-10
microns (millionths of a meter) in diameter. In a single-mode fiber, all signals travel straight
down the middle without bouncing off the edges (red line in diagram). Cable TV, Internet, and
telephone signals are generally carried by single-mode fibers, wrapped together into a huge
bundle. Cables like this can send information over 100 km (60 miles).

Another type of fiber-optic cable is called multi-mode. Each optical fiber in a multi-mode cable
is about 10 times bigger than one in a single-mode cable. This means light beams can travel
through the core by following a variety of different paths (purple, green, and blue lines)—in
other words, in multiple different modes. Multi-mode cables can send information only over
relatively short distances and are used (among other things) to link computer networks together.

HOW IT WORKS
CONCLUSION
References

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-network-cable.htm

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/tutorial/Fiber-cable-
Cabling-tips-for-network-professionals-lesson-6

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/tutorial/Network-cable-
history-and-fundamentals-Cabling-tips-for-network-professionals-
lesson-1

http://www.phy.davidson.edu/stuhome/phstewart/IL/speed/cableinfo.
html

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/fiberoptics.html