Best Network Cabling for Internet and How to Set up the Connection

Ethernet cable categories have technical and physical differences with each other. They look similar from outside characteristics, and any of them will plug in to an Ethernet port. But they differ in case of internal features. The differences between different cable types are very complicated and it also affects network standards. So what’s the difference and how the best selection is to be done is a very important decision to be made. Ethernet cables are divided in to certain categories which make it easier to decide which type of cabling is to be used in specific applications.

Basic types of cables:

          The common network cable types are Co-axial cables, Twisted-pair cables and Fibre Optic cables. The selection of network type will decide the speed of network, type of NIC’s installed and the capability of the network to meet the future requirements. Twisted pair cables are the most widely used and widely available network cable which is easy to install. But they are susceptible to interference and can cover only a limited area. They are the least expensive cables which can cover an area up to 100m and provides speed from 10mbps to 1000mbps. Co-axial cables on the other hand are less susceptible to interference and affordable cables which can cover up to 185m (Thin net) – 500m (Thick net). But it has less bandwidth and any damage to the cable can bring down the entire network. The third category is the most expensive type of cable called the fibre optic cables which can cover 10km and farther and can provide a bandwidth of 100mbps to 100gbps. It provides very high security than other types of cables and is less susceptible to interference. It also has a higher data rate than coaxial and twisted-pair cables.

UTP cable is a medium that consists of pairs of wires often installed using a registered jack 45 (RJ 45) connector. UTP was considered to be slower in transmitting data than the other mediums. But now UTP is considered as the fastest copper based transmission medium. There are over a dozen types of UTP network cables available, but the fact is that only three types of network cables are commonly used by home and small business users in their network installs. They are Category 3 (CAT3), Category 5 (CAT5), and Category 6 (CAT5) network cables.         
  
CAT 3:
Used in 10BASE-T networks and can transmit data at speeds up to 10mbps. It’s primarily used in telephone wire installation in home and offices. Nowadays CAT 3 cables are not much used but it can be used for other purposes like alarm system installs etc. CAT 3 cables may have 2, 3, or 4 pairs of wires inside it. CAT 3 cables are cheaper than other cable types as they use much less copper.

CAT 5:

It’s the most widely deployed network cable today. CAT 5 cables are not widely used nowadays as it was replaced by CAT 5E (CAT 5 Enhanced). It can transmit data at up to 100mbps speed and can be used for phone line use, 10BASE-T networks or 100BASE-T networks.



CAT 5E: 
Category 5 Enhanced cabling is an improvement of the CAT 5 cabling. It’s faster than CAT 5 cabling and can be used in networks running at speeds up to 1000mbps to support gigabit speeds with less cross-talk and interference.





CAT 6: 

It’s the widely used network cabling in both residential and business platforms. CAT6 is currently the fastest standard for UTP and is designed specifically for 1000BASE-T gigabit Ethernet. CAT6 is even faster than and has less interference but it’s not necessary to replace CAT 5E and upgrade to CAT 6. New network installations or buying a new cable can chose CAT 6 cables as it’s an improvement over its predecessor. 

Choosing the cable type

          If the current network speed is capable of meeting the requirements then there is no need to upgrade everything. Along with upgrading cables the old hardware parts are also to be replaced in order to get gigabit speeds. To attain gigabit speeds gigabit compatible hardware’s like routers and network cards are required. Modern PCs, routers or cards are already having these fast speeds, but older hardware parts can slow down the network. Also cables running more than 100 meters may also notice a decrease in the network speed.

Making Connections

          Tools required for setting up a connection are: cable type, RJ45 connectors, cable strippers, scissors, crimping tool. Steps in making a network connection: 

• Strip the end of cable to about 1 – 1 ½  inches without cutting the conductor insulation. 
• Untwist wire ends and sort wires by insulation colours.
• Arrange wires according to the wiring standards.

TIA/EIA 568A: GW-G  OW-Bl  BlW-O  BrW-Br

     TIA/EIA 568B: OW-O  GW-Bl  BlW-G  BrW-Br

• Trim all wires evenly to the correct size. Leave about ½ of wires exposed.
• Attach the RJ-45 connector. Maintain the wire order from left to right with RJ-45 tab facing downwards.
• Check whether all the wires extend to end and the sheath is well inside the connector.
• Using the crimp tool squeeze firmly to crimp the connector on to cable end.
• Test whether the cabling works correctly.

Choosing a right cable for your internet connection can ease the connection procedure as well as network connectivity.