Cable Properties

The reason we use so many different types of cables in a network is that each type has its own set of properties that specifically make it the best to use for a particular area or purpose. Different types vary in transmission speeds, distance, duplex, noise immunity, and frequency, and I’ll cover each of these next.

Transmission Speeds

Based on the type of cable or fiber you choose and the network that it’s installed in, network administrators can control the speed of a network to meet the network’s traffic demands. Admins usually permit, or would like to have, transmission speeds of up to 10 Gbps or higher on the core areas of their networks that connect various network segments. In the distribution and access areas, where users connect to switches, it’s typically 100 Mbps per connection, but transmission speeds are creeping up because the traffic demand is getting higher.

Distance

Deciding factors used in choosing what cable type to use...