Network Connection types

Everything you need to know about network connectors for the CompTIA A+ exam

Cat 5

100 Mbps up to 100 m

Cat 5e

1 Gbps up to 100 m

Cat 6

1 Gbps up to 100 m or 10 Gbps up to 55 m

Cat 6A

10 Gbps up too 100 m

PVC (non-plenum cable)

Most flammable ethernet cable but cost effiecint

Plenum-rated cable

Fire-resistant ethernet cable designed for airways, conduits, and areas sprinklers cannot reach.

Riser-rated cable

A fire rating that designates the proper cabling to use for vertical runs between floors of a building.

What is fiber-optic cable?

A cable that transmits data at close to the speed of light along glass or plastic fibers.

What type of light source does multimode fiber-optic cable use?

LEDs

What type of light source does single-mode fiber-optic cable use?

Lasers

Unshielded Twisted Pair cable (UTP)

Most commonly used ethernet cable used today

Shielded Twisted Pair cable (STP)

ethernet cable that provides extra protection against interference.

RJ-11

A phone line connection or port found on modems, telephones, and house phone outlets.

RJ-45

A port that looks like a large phone jack and is used to connect to a wired network adapter or other hardware device

Coaxial cable

Insulated copper wire; used to carry high-speed data traffic and television signals.

F-type connectors

Connectors used in coaxial cables for cable television and cable modem connections.