标签： network cables

Fiber Optic Cable VS. Twisted Pair Cable VS. Coaxial Cable: Which Network Cable to Use?

When you are about to install phone or network wiring, it’s inevitable to face up to the question—Which network cable should I choose? There are three main network cables: Fiber optic cables, twisted pair cables and coaxial cables. Do you know the difference among them? This article will shed light on the characteristics of the three cables and the differences you should know about them.

What Is Fiber Optic Cable?

Fiber optic cable, also known as optical fiber cable, is made up of a varying number of thin strands of optically pure glass fibers, from a few to several hundred. There are two types of fiber optic cables that are commonly used: Single mode fiber (SMF) and multimode fiber (MMF).

With a smaller diametral core, SMF provides a higher bandwidth than MMF. The small core and single light-wave result in less signal attenuation and higher transmission speed and allow data to travel farther. SMF cables are typically used in universities, colleges, CATV companies and so on. While MMF cables are typically used for relatively short distance, data and audio or video applications in LANs. On the one hand, fiber optic cables have a much greater bandwidth and longer transmission distances with low power loss. On the other hand, fiber optic cables have some drawbacks. They are more expensive to install and difficult to splice than the other two cables.

What Is Twisted Pair Cable?

Twisted pair cable is a type of copper cable made by putting two separate insulated wires together in a twisted pattern and running them parallel to each other. Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7 and Cat8 are the most commonly used types of twisted pair cables in the market now. As the least expensive type of LAN cable, it’s commonly used in almost every home, VoIP telephony and small or middle enterprise LANs. Compared to other form of cable, it’s not only the cheapest but easy to handle and install. However, it’s limited in distance, bandwidth and data transmission speed. Depending on whether there is a foil or mesh shield outside the cables, twisted pair cables are divided into two types: Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) and shielded twisted pair (STP).

As the name suggests, UTP cable means there is no shield and the wires just twist together while STP cable is enclosed in a metal shield. Compared to STP cables, UTP cables are less difficult to install as cables are smaller, lighter and more flexible. What’s more, UTP cables are cheaper to purchase than STP cables. Of the two twisted pair cables, UTP cable is the most commonly used for Ethernet connections. However, it’s better to choose STP if it’s in areas of high electromagnetic or radio interference. Though UTP cables reduce some EMI, STP cables work more efficiently to block interference. Therefore, STP cables are the better choice for high-speed networks.

What Is Coaxial Cable?

Coaxial cable, or coax is a type of heavy electrical cable that has an inner copper core surrounded by a tubular insulating layer, outside of which is a tubular conducting shield. Coaxial cable is insusceptible to electromagnetic interference and provides a higher bandwidth compared with twisted pair cable, but it have some disadvantages. For example, it’s bulky, expensive to install for longer distance and must be grounded to prevent interference. It is commonly used to deliver TV signals and to connect computers in a network by cable operators, telephone companies, and internet providers around the world. Depending on the diameter, coaxial cables can be divided into thinnet cable and thicknet cable.

Thinnet coaxial cable is connected using special connectors and requires to be terminated at each other. Thicknet coaxial cable is similar in construction to thinnet, however, there is an additional layer of aluminium insulation. Thicknet cable is expensive and difficult to work with but able to expand distances of up to 500 meters while thinnet coaxial cable is much thinner and flexible and it can span distances of up to 185 meters.

Which Network Cable to Use?

All of these three network cables are useful in certain areas and all of them hold their distinct advantages as well as disadvantages. Which is the best to choose depends on several factors, such as speed, bandwidth, cost, etc.

Bandwidth & distance

Both twisted pair cable and coaxial cable’s transmission of signals take place in the electrical form, only fiber optic cable transmit signals in an optical form, which makes fiber optic cable carries data at a much faster speed and wider bandwidth than the other cables. What’s more, coaxial cable should be used for short distance because signal losses are higher in it with longer distance than the other two. By contrast, the distance fiber optic cable carries data can be up to 500m as the farthest.

Cost

Generally, the installation of fiber optic cable is high because there are other optical components involved in the installation, especially optical transceivers while twisted pair cable is the most cost-effective one of the three choices. The cost of coaxial cable is higher than twisted pair cable. However, the price of the cables varies from supplier to supplier.

Installation

Professional equipment and skills are needed when installing fiber optic cable, therefore making it difficult for users. Furthermore, fiber optic cable requires extra care and effort once installed. Compared with optical fiber, coaxial cable enjoys the advantage of more convenient installment. In comparison between coaxial cable and twisted pair cable, twisted pair cables are much faster to install.

Application

Coaxial cable is used in cable TV connections, digital audio and also used by telephone companies. While twisted pair cable, the oldest and cheapest type of cable, remains in use throughout by telecommunications companies. As fiber has higher and faster data transfer than other types, it is usually used for professional networks such as data centers, enterprise network, commercial fields, medical treatment and even military field.

Conclusion

In sum, it’s inappropriate to judge which type is the best to use without considering application before selecting the cables. Hope you’re able to figure out the differences between these three cable types and find the type that’s just right for your current network setup. To get more information about types of cables, visit our website www.fs.com and contact us if you have any questions.

Introduction to Fiber Optic Cables

Currently, fiber optic cables are one of the most important and popular basic components in a wide variety of applications, such as computer networking, cable television, internet and so on. But have you ever wanted to learn what fiber optic cables are and how they work? Or do you wonder what advantages they have compared to conventional cables? If you are curious about answers to these questions, read on. In this article, you’ll learn a bit more about fiber optic cables.

What Fiber Optic Cables Are

 

Fiber optic cables, also known as optical fiber cables, are made up of a varying number of thin strands of optically pure glass fibers, from a few to several hundred. These fibers are arranged in bundles and surrounded by another glass layer.They are protected by a buffer and a jacket-the cable’s outer covering. Each cable is thinner than a human hair and it can carry much information over long distance at a very high speed by transmitting light signals through the thin cable.

At the very first, fiber optic cables are used for communication, and then they are used to network construction. Until now, fiber optic cables are applied in many other areas, such as medical treatment and commercial fields.

Types of Fiber Optic Cables

There are two primary types of fiber optic cables: single mode fiber (SMF) and multimode fiber (MMF).

 

The differences between the two fibers lay in their transmission medium and the ways of travelling. SMF generates light with the use of extremely thin glass strands and a laser while MMF uses LEDs. SMF is to go straight down the middle of the fiber while MMF is to bounce down the fiber at a shallow angle. The single mode fiber optic cable contains a thin core about 8μm to 10μm in diameter while multimode fiber has a core diameter about 50μm to 65μm, which means light beams can travel through the core in different modes. SMF offers a more direct route and allows the signal to travel longer. Therefore, the single mode fiber is used for long distance while the multimode fiber is used for relatively short distance. Generally, MMF is cheaper to make and install than SMF.

How Fiber Optic Cables Work

 

To understand how fiber optic cables work, imagine you are shinning a flashlight down a long, dark and straight hallway. The light will make it to the other end. But what if the hallway isn’t straight? How can the light go to the other end? Just imagine there are mirrors in the hallway, the light can reflect and bounce to the other end. The glass fiber core is where light travels, and cladding is an outer material that surrounds the core and reflects light back into the core. Due to the denser glass layers, the light signal travels about 30% slower than the speed of light. Therefore, in order to boost the signal, repeaters are sometimes required to convert optical signal to electrical signal, then process the electrical signal and retransmit the optical signal.

Advantages of Fiber Optic Cables

Compared with conventional copper cables, fiber optic cables show their unique advantages:

  • Greater bandwidth—Copper cables have very limited bandwidth from 10Gbps to 40Gbps because they are originally designed for voice transmission only. Fiber cables rate at 10 Gbps or 40 Gbps, even 200Gbps and 400Gdps are standard.
  • Faster speed—The core of fiber optic cables can transmit data by carrying light, making fiber optic cables carry signals at speeds that are nearly 31% slower than the speed of light, which are much faster than copper cables.
  • Longer distance—As the signal is carried through the cables, the signal in copper wire degrades faster than in optical fiber, suggesting that fiber optic cables can carry signals much farther than copper cables of the same bandwidth.
  • Less Power—As signals in fiber optic cables degrades slower than in copper cables, lower-power transmitters are required instead of high-voltage electrical transmitters.
  • Better Reliability—Typically, fiber is independent of the equipment and the termination points, which indicates that it is less influenced by other factors. In contrast, copper is easily influenced by weather conditions, utility time, etc. What’s more, fiber is less susceptible to electromagnetic interference than copper.
  • Thinner and Sturdier—Optical fibers can be drawn to smaller diameters than copper cables. Typically, copper cables can sustain about 25 pounds of pressure while fiber can sustain about 100-200 pounds of pressure, meaning fiber is less prone to breakage.

Conclusion

In sum, with its relatively low cost and less power, increased bandwidth, fast speed and long transmission distance, high reliability and quality, fiber has taken the place of copper in most aspects of network transmission. If you are looking for fiber optic cables and other communication hardware, FS.COM is absolutely your preferred choice. For more information, click here to find professional guidance.