NETWORK CABLES AND CONNECTORS

CABLES
Network cable is used to connect and transfer data between computers
and a network. It is a medium through which information is transferred
from one network device to another.
There are different types of network cables and the appropriate types to
use will depend on the structure and topology of your network.
TYPES OF NETWORK CABLES
1. Twisted pair cable
2. Coaxial cable
3. Optical fiber cable
4. Telephone cable

TWISTED PAIR CABLE: The twisted pair cable was invented by

Alexander Graham Bell in 1881. It is a type of communication in which
two conductors of a single circuit are twisted together for the purpose
of cancelling out electromagnetic interference (EMI) and improving
electromagnetic compatibility. It can be used in low voltage cable for
applications such as audio, computers, alarm, security and network
Ethernet cables.
There are two types of twisted pair cables: the unshielded twisted pair
(UTP) and the shielded twisted pair (STP). A shielded twisted pair
cable will prevent electromagnetic interference.
COAXIAL CABLE: Coaxial cable or coax was invented by an English
engineer and mathematician called Oliver Heaviside in 1880. It is an
electrical cable with an inner conductor surrounded insulating layer
and conducting shield. It is used in most homes for connecting TV
antennas to TV sets. It is also used in Ethernet bus network.
 Fiber Optic Cable: The first fiber optics cable was invented by
Narinder Singh Kapany. It is a technology that uses glass or plastic
threads (fibers) to transmit data. It uses light rather than electricity to
transmit data and this causes very little loss of (signal)strength.
 Some of its advantages includes:
 It has greater bandwidth than metal cable. This means they can
carry more data.
 They are much thinner and lighter than metal cable.
 Data can be transmitted digitally rather than analogically
 It is used by most telephone companies.
The main disadvantages of the fiber optic cable are: they are expensive
to install, they are more fragile than metal wire and are difficult to
splice.
Telephone cable: It is a physical path that uses electrically conducive
materials such as copper wiring to transmit electromagnetic waves and
carry information from point to point. A physical path to transmit
electromagnetic waves and carry information from point to point. It uses
RJ11 as its standard connector.
 CLASS ACTIVITY
The teacher Evaluates thus:

1. Define Network Cables.

2. List the types of Network Cables.
3. Identify each of the following cables and discuss their purpose.
(a)

(b)
(c)

(d)