As the most basic cable in network transmission, network cables are currently divided into optical cables, copper cables, and electric cables. For those who don’t know much about them, the difference between the three is always vague. The editor of Kelan Communications, an integrated wiring manufacturer, will introduce them to you separately.

Optical cables, copper cables, and electric cables

Introduction of optical cable, copper cable and electric cable:

1. Fiber optic cable

Optical fiber cable is a new generation of transmission medium. Compared with copper medium, optical fiber has greatly improved in terms of security, reliability and network performance. In addition, the bandwidth of optical fiber transmission greatly exceeds that of copper cables, and the maximum connection distance supported by it is more than two kilometers, which is an inevitable choice for building a large-scale network. Because fiber optic cable has the advantages of good anti-electromagnetic interference, strong confidentiality, fast speed, and large transmission capacity, its price is also relatively expensive, and it is rarely used in household occasions. At present, there are two different types of optical fibers that are more common, namely single-mode optical fiber and multi-mode optical fiber (the so-called “mode” refers to a beam of light entering the optical fiber at a certain angle). Multimode fiber is generally used for network connections in the same office building or in relatively close areas. On the other hand, single-mode fiber transmits data with higher quality and longer transmission distances, and is usually used to connect office buildings or networks that are more geographically dispersed. If fiber optic cable is used as the network transmission medium, additional optical transceivers and other equipment are required, so the cost investment is greater, and it is rarely used in general applications.

2. Twisted pair

Twisted pair is a kind of flexible communication cable, which contains pairs of insulated copper wires. It is characterized by low price, so it is widely used, such as our common telephone wires. According to the maximum transmission rate, twisted pair cables can be divided into Category 3, Category 5 and Category 5e. The speed of category 3 twisted pair is 10mb/s, category 5 can reach 100mb/s, and category 5e can reach more than 155mb/s, which can meet the needs of future multimedia data transmission, so it is recommended to use category 5 or even category 5e twisted pair stranded wire. Twisted pair can also be divided into shielded twisted pair (stp) and unshielded twisted pair (utp). Although the speed of stp twisted pair is low (only 4mb/s), its anti-interference is stronger than that of utp twisted pair, so the price is much more expensive. Now this kind of twisted pair is cheap for a few yuan per meter, and the expensive one may be More than ten yuan can buy one meter. In contrast, the price of UTP twisted pair is generally around one yuan per meter, which is relatively cheap. In addition, the popular names of commonly used 10m and 100m unshielded twisted pair cables are 10base-t and 100base-t, which are often seen in the market. The rj45 crystal head is used together with the twisted pair, which is used to make the joint between the twisted pair and the rj45 interface of the network card. Its quality is directly related to the stability of the entire network and cannot be ignored.

3. Coaxial cable

Coaxial cable is a type of transmission medium that many friends are familiar with. It is a cable with a central copper conductor wrapped by layers of insulating wires. Its biggest feature is its good anti-interference ability, stable data transmission, and cheap price. , So it was once widely used, such as closed-circuit television lines and so on. However, coaxial cables were widely used in the past, mainly because the network cost of the bus structure composed of coaxial cables is low, but the damage of a single cable may cause the entire network to be paralyzed, and maintenance is also difficult, which is its biggest disadvantage. Coaxial cables in Ethernet applications are mainly divided into thick coaxial cables (10base5) and thin coaxial cables (10base2). Thick coaxial cables are not used much now, and there are still some markets for thin coaxial cables. The general market price of thin coaxial cables is a few yuan per meter, which is not too expensive. In addition, the coaxial cable is used to connect with the bnc head, and the coaxial cables sold on the market are generally finished products that have been connected to the bnc head, and you can directly use them.

The differences between optical cables, copper cables, and electric cables are introduced here. The diversification of network cables and cables proves that their performances and uses are different. We need to select and purchase according to the specific needs of the project, so as to better ensure the network work. For product order, please email sales@hj-net.com