DIF F ERENC E B ETW EEN UTP STP CO AXIAL AND F IBER

O P TIC CABL E
UTP, STP, Coaxial and fiber optic Cable are the three most commonly used cable in a computer network.
Before discussing the differences between all these cables. Let’s, understand its features, physical
characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.
UTP and STP are the two types of Twisted Pair Cable. It is also known as 10BaseT where, 10 stands for 10
Mbps, the data transmission speed of cable. Base stands for the baseband signal and T stands for twisted pair
cable.

UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable)

UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable) is a pair of unshielded wires wound around each other. This is the
cheapest form of cables available for networking purposes. It is mostly used in Local Area Network
(LAN) environments. The installation cost of the cable is very cheap as it is easy to install.

Characteristics of UTP Cable

 Characteristics Description

Maximum cable length 100 meters

Bandwidth 100 Mbps

Connector type RJ-45

Cost Cheapest form of cable

Interference protection Very poor protection from EMI and RFI

Signal transmission mode Baseband

Resistance 50 ohms

STP (Shielded Twisted Pair Cable)

STP Cable or Shielded Twisted Pair Cable is a pair of wires wound around each other and each pair is
placed inside a protective foil wrap to protect it from crosstalk. It is cheaper than fiber optic cables but more
expensive than UTP. Shielded Twisted Pair Cable provides better protection from crosstalk and other
interference as compared to Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable.
 Characteristics of STP Cable
Characteristics Description

Maximum cable length 100 meters

bandwidth 100 Mbps

Connector type RJ-45

Cost Costlier than UTP but cheaper than fiber

optic cable

Interference protection Better protection from crosstalk and

external interference

Signal transmission mode Baseband

Resistance 50 ohms

 
Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable is a type of copper cable specially built with a metal shield.
It is primarily used by cable TV companies to connect their satellite antenna and provide facilities to the
customer’s homes and businesses. Coaxial cables have concentric layers of electrical conductors and
insulating material. This construction prevents the signal from crosstalk.
Fiber Optic Cable

Fiber optic cables are mainly used in environments that are highly susceptible to noise and other interferences.
Since these cables carry light signals, they are not prone to any interference problems. These cables are highly
secure as they do not emit any external signals.
Fiber optic cables are available in different sizes with varying core and cladding diameters. But the most
commonly used fiber optic cable is the 62.5/125 micrometer. The diameter of the core is 62.5 micrometer and
that of the cladding is 125 micrometer.

Characteristics of Fiber Optic Cable

Characteristics Description

Maximum cable segment length 2 k.m. -100 k.m.

Bandwidth 100 Mbps – 1 Gbps

Connector type ST, SC, SMA, MIC

Cost Most expensive of all types of cable

Interference protection Best amongst all types of cables

Difference between UTP STP Coaxial and Fiber
Optic Cable
Characteristics UTP STP Coaxial Cables Fiber
Optic
Cables

Bandwidth 10 Mbps – 100 10 Mbps – 100 10 Mbps 100 Mbps

Mbps Mbps -1 Gbps

Maximum cable 100 meters 100 meters 200 – 500 meters 2 k.m. –
segment 100 k.m.

Interference  rating Poor Better than UTP Better than Very

Twisted Pair Cable good as
compared
to any
other
cable

Installation cost Cheap Costly than UTP Costlier than Costliest

twisted pair wires to install

Bend radius 360 degrees / feet 360 degrees / feet 360 degrees / feet 30
or 30 degrees / feet degrees /
feet

Security Low Low Low High