Laboratory Report

Activity No. 1

Making and Testing the Network Cable

In partial fulfilment for the course

ECE 108.1 (Digital Communications Laboratory)

Submitted by
ABALOS, ALYSSA DANIELLE B.
ACHARON, JAZMINE A.
BARRAL, IRVEN CARL P.
CABIG, RHUNJIE D.

Submitted to
MS. JOHANNAH MAE D. ABESTANO
TEST QUESTIONS

1. What are the main types (categories) of the network cables?

Network cables are used to connect and transfer data and information between computers,
routers, switches and storage area networks. To put it simply, they are essentially the
carrier, or the media through which the data flows. There are three (3) major types of
network cables: The Coaxial cable, Twisted Pair cable and the Fiber Optic Cable.
Coaxial - A type of shielded and insulated copper cable used in computer networks and to
deliver TV services to end users
Twisted Pair - It is a type of cable made by intertwining two separate insulated wires
together and running them parallel to each other. It is widely used in different kinds
of data and voice infrastructures.
Fiber Optic - A network cable that contains strands of glass fibers inside an insulated
casing and is used for long-distance, high-performance data networking, and
telecommunications.
2. Which categories of the network cables are adopted by EIA/TIA standard?
EIA/TIA Wiring Standards are standards for commercial and telecommunications wiring
developed by the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) and Telecommunications Industry
Association (TIA). These consist of a group of standards covering different aspects of
premised cabling and other wiring practices. The EIA/TIA adopted the twisted-pair,
specifically the Unshielded Twisted Pair and came out with the following categories:
CAT 1 - for telephone networks
CAT 2 - telephone networks and communication between terminals and IBM mainframes
CAT 3 – telephone networks, ethernet networks with transmission speed of 10Mbit/sec,
token ring with transmission speed of 4Mbit/sec, 100Base-T4 Fast Ethernet and 100VG-
Any LAN
CAT 4 – token ring networks with transmission speed of 16Mbit/sec
CAT 5 – For 100Base-Tx Fast Ethernet, SONet, OC-3 and ATM Networks
CAT 5e – Gigabit Ethernet protocols (transmission speed of 1000 Mbit/sec)
3. What is UTP Cable? What are its advantages?
An Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable is a low-cost network cable built with a pair of
insulated conductors twisted together and covered with a plastic jacket for protection. It
has no additional foil, wrap, or shield which is why it is called unshielded. The advantages
of UTP are the following: (1) it is cheaper than other communication media, (2) easy to
install and repair, and (3) it provides good data transmission in short distance networks.
4. What types of devices are connected by a crossover cable?
A crossover cable is a network cable used to interconnect devices with the same
functionality. Specifically, these cables can be used to connect: computer to computer,
router to router, switch to switch, hub to hub, router to PC. The crossover cable uses two
different wiring standards— one end used the T568A, the other end uses the T568B.
5. Why is there no need to remove isolation from the twisted pair wires, when mounting
RJ45 on the cable?
There is no need to remove isolation since the copper splicing tabs on the connector will
pierce into each of the eight wires and a locking tab holds the plastic sleeve in place for a
tight compression fit.
6. What is a straight-through cable and what is it used for?
A straight-through cable, which is the most common type of ethernet cable, is a type of a
twisted pair cable used in Local Area Networks (LANs) to connect a computer to a network
hub such as a router. It is sometimes called a patch cable and is an alternative to wireless
connections where one or more computers access a router through a wireless signal.
Straight-through cables use one wiring standard for both ends— a T568A wiring standard
or a T568B wiring standard. These cables are primarily used for connecting unlike devices.
They can be used for the following cabling: switch to router, switch to PC or server, hub
to PC or server.