Network Cable Standards and Fiber Optics

Flashcards covering the technical specifications, speeds, frequencies, and distance limitations of various network cables and fiber optics.

Cat5e

A cable type that supports up to $1\,Gbps$ ($1000\,Mbps$) at $100\,MHz$, suitable for basic home/office use.

Cat6

A cable type supporting up to $1\,Gbps$ for up to $100\,m$ or $10\,Gbps$ for up to $55\,m$ at $250\,MHz$.

Cat6a

A cable type that supports up to $10\,Gbps$ ($10,000\,Mbps$) at $500\,MHz$ over $100\,meters$, ideal for future-proofing.

Cat7/7a

Cabling that supports up to $10$-$40\,Gbps$ at $600$-$1000\,MHz$ and is mostly used in data centers.

Cat8

A cable type supporting up to $25$-$40\,Gbps$ at $2000\,MHz$ over a distance of $30\,meters$.

Single-Mode Fiber (SMF)

A fiber optic type with a small core that supports high speeds of $100+\,Gbps$ over long distances up to $100\,km$ or more.

Multi-Mode Fiber (MMF)

A type of fiber used for shorter distances, usually less than $550\,m$, at a lower cost and often for LANs.

MoCA

A technology that can reach speeds up to $2.5\,Gbps$ using coaxial infrastructure.

Traditional Cable

Networking cable infrastructure that operates at a speed of $10\,Mbps$.

2000 MHz

The specific frequency at which Cat8 cabling operates to achieve speeds up to $25$-$40\,Gbps$.