Net + / Chapter 4

1.3 Specify the characteristic (e.g., speed, length, topology, cable type, etc.) of the following:

802.3 (Ethernet) standards
10BASE-T
100BASE-TX
10BASE2
10BASE5
100BASE-FX
Gigabit Ethernet

Ethernet

Designation	Media Type	Max Cable Length	Max Transfer Speed	Connector	Topology
10BASE-T	Cat 3 or better Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)	100 meters	10MBps	RJ-45	Star
100BASE-TX	Cat 5 UTP	100 meters	100MBps	RJ-45	Star
10BASE2	Thin Coaxial (RG-58 A/U)	185 meters	10MBps	BNC	Bus
10BASE5	Coaxial	500 meters	10MBps	AUI/DIX	Bus
100BASE-FX	Fiber optic	412 meters (half duplex) or 2000 meters (full duplex)	100 MBps (half duplex) or 200 MBps (full duplex)	Fiber optic connector	Star (often setup only as point-to-point)

Gigabit Ethernet

Designation	Media Type	Max Cable Length	Max Transfer Speed	Connector	Topology
1000BASE-SX	Fiber optic	260 meters	1GBps	SC Fiber Optic connector	Star (either buffered distributor hub or point-to-point)
1000BASE-LX	Fiber optic	440 meters (multimode) or 5000 meters (singlemode)	1GBps	SC Fiber Optic connector	Star (either buffered distributor hub or point-to-point)
1000BASE-CX	Twinax (usually a specialty cable)	25 meters	1 GBps	DB-9 Fiber Optic connector	Star
1000BASE-T	Cat 5	100 meters	1GBps	RJ-45	Star

Ethernet Cable Types, Advantages and Disadvantages

Coaxial

High-capacity cable widely used in telephone and cable television systems. In networking, you’ll most commonly see it in thick Ethernet (thicknet or 10Base5), thin Ethernet (thinnet or 10BASE2), and ARCnet. Coaxial cables use BNC connectors. The heavy shielding offered by Coaxial Cable helps protect data. It also has a much higher bandwidth, so it can carry more data than twisted-pair cable, and offers longer maximum cable lengths than the more prevalent Cat 3 and Cat 5. However, coaxial cable is expensive and the connectors are harder to make.

Click here to view a picture of a coaxial cable, with T-connector and 50 Ohm terminator.

Twisted Pair

Bundled pairs of twisted, insulated copper wires that form the vast majority of the telephone lines and computer networks throughout the United States and elsewhere. Will reliably carry a signal a maximum of 100 meters before it encounters a repeater of some sort to prevent attenuation. Available in Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) and Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP). STP is a better choice than UTP in industrial settings where high-voltage machinery operates. UTP is very susceptible to electromagnetic interference and crosstalk. Designations include 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX and, in the case of Gigabit Ethernet, 1000BASE-T. There are two major categories:

CAT 3 – UTP or STP: can be used for voice or data. Offers speeds of up to 10Mbps. Good for cable segments to workstations or printers.
CAT 5 - UTP or STP: can be used for voice and/or data. Offers data speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Good as a backbone, also good for cable segments to workstations or printers. Historically high cost, but prices have been dropping.

Click here for a comparison of UTP and STP.