Cables

These types of are created when pairs of wires are twisted around each other to protect and cancel out interference from each other and outside sources. They are widely used as analog phone cables and in copper Ethernet cables.

UTP Cables

These types of cables are analog cables made of copper but specifically engineered with a metal shield intended to block signal interference. They are mostly used by cable TV companies to connect their customers to the company’s facilities.

Coaxial Cables

These types of cables use glass or plastic threads within cables to transfer data using light (lasers or LEDs) as opposed to traditional metal cables using electricity. They are useful for high bandwidth needs and transfer data digitally, making them more reliable and less susceptible to interference.

Fiber Cables

These types of cables are made up of one single glass or plastic fiber and can carry higher bandwidth for longer distances compared to multimode cables. They are typically used for longer distances and higher bandwidth applications.

Single-mode Fiber Cables

These types of cables are wider in diameter and allow for the transmission of light modes across the cable. They are effective over medium distances and are generally used within a LAN. They are less expensive than single-mode fiber.

Multimode Fiber Cables

These types of cables are used to connect two computing devices of the same type directly to each other. The transmit connector on one end of the wire is connected to the receive connector on the other. These cables are used less frequently today due to built-in capabilities in many standards.

Crossover Cables

These types of cables are used to connect a device to a wall outlet or networking panel. They are commonly used to wire servers in a rack to a switch or connect devices to a network. They are similar in appearance to crossover and UTP cables.

Patch Cables

Supports up to 10 Mbps (Megabits per second) for up to 100 meters and is commonly used for phone lines today.

Cat3

Supports 16 Mbps for up to 100 meters and is not commonly used today.

Cat4

Used in Ethernet LANs containing two twisted pairs allowing for up to 100 Mbps up to 100 meters between the device and the switch, hub, or router. This has been practically replaced by the Cat5e specification.

Cat5

Doubles the number of twisted pairs to four for up to 1 Gbps (Gigabits per second) over up to 100 meters.

Cat5e

Also used in Ethernet LANs and data centers. It is made up of four tightly woven twisted pairs (more twists per linear foot) and supports 1 Gbps for up to 100 meters or 10 Gbps for up to 55 meters.

Cat6

An improvement of the Cat6 standard, supporting the same standards and lengths (with the ability to run 10 Gbps over 100 meters maximum), but using a higher quality cable that is more resistant to interference. This is most commonly used in wired networks today. 

Cat6a