Mr C Johnston ICT Teacher BTEC IT Unit 05 - Lesson 06 Network Cables and Connectors

Session Objectives Know types of cable used to transmit data and the correct connector type for each, Understand how fibre optical and wireless transmission methods work.

Common Cables 1 4 sets of twisted pairs with an outer case, Twisted pairs reduce electrical interference, Cheap, easy to work with as its flexible fast with data speeds up to 1000mb/s (Cat5e, Cat6, Cat7) Still prone to electrical interference which causes data to do missing. RJ-45Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) OverviewConnectorCable Type 4 sets of twisted pairs, covered with a layer of metal foil and an outer case, Twisted pairs reduce electrical interference, Foil layer further reduces electrical interference making it more reliable than UTP, Slightly nearer and less popular as UTP Cheap, easy to work with as its flexible fast with data speeds up to 1000mb/s (Cat5e, Cat6, Cat7) Still prone to electrical interference which causes data to do missing. RJ-45Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)

Common Cables 2 Solid copper cable covered in an insulating plastic case. The case is then covered with a copper mesh which is all encased with another plastic sleeve, Very little interference, Less flexible then UTP as thicker, Frequently used from road to box for cable broadband, Available in different thicknesses but thinner cables have shorter cable runs. BNC (Bayonet Neill- Concelman) Coaxial cable OverviewConnectorCable Type Telephone cables also use twisted pairs with a smaller RJ- 11 connector on – typically there are only 2 sets of pairs.

Fibre Optics Uses pulses of light rather than electrical signals to transmit the data – therefore is immune to electrical interference, The light is pulsed down hollow glass or plastic tubes – main advantage is distance and speed - 14 Tera bits per second over a single 160 km long optical fiber is the current record. ( Hollow glass or plastic tube which light is pulsed down, Has a protective cover to protect the light from interference and is immune to electrical interference, Glass can carry longer than plastic, Can travel long distances and is fast Expensive over short distances but very economical over long SC (subscriber connector) or ST (straight tip) Fibre Optic Cable OverviewConnectorCable Type

Wireless Transmission Wireless networks uses radio signals to transmit data, so no wiring is required, Wireless Access Points are cabled to the main network and broadcast / receive data via radio waves at a particular frequency, A wireless network card required in each client to receive / send the radio signal Radio waves are subject to interference from signals that just hang around in the air, and it can be slow and unreliable. It is possible that signals can be received outside the area they are intended for, causing some problems with security, Typical speeds 11 Mb/s to 54 Mb/s n up to 600Mb/s,

RJ-45 Wiring Diagram

Topic Exercise Have a go at creating your own STP / UTP cable. use the wiring diagram to help and test with the cable tester. Take some evidence of this for P6. Have a go at creating your own coax cable. Take some evidence of this for P6. Add a section to your presentation which describes different cables and connectors.