Common Media

Coaxial Cable

• Description: An older type of cable featuring a central core surrounded by an insulator, then a metal shielding, then an outer sheath.
• Resistance to Noise: High
• Distance to carry signal: greater than twisted-pair
• Cost: greater than twisted-pair
• Types:RG-6, RG-8, RG-58, RG-59
• Connectors:F-type and BNC

Twisted-Pair

• Description: Color-coded pairs of insulated copper wire.
• Resistance to Noise: More twists increases resistance, but also increases distance and thus attenuation. Shielding helps as well.
• Distance to carry signal: Typically up to 100 meters a segment with speeds up to 10 Gbps and a maximum of 1024 nodes
• Cost: Varies based on type of cable used
• Types:STP and UTP, Cat 3, Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6, Cat 6a, Cat 7
• Connectors:RJ-45

Fiber-Optic Cable

• Description: Contains one or more glass fibers surrounded by a layer of cladding, then a plastic buffer, then Kevlar strands, and finally a plastic sheath
• Resistance to Noise: Very high, especially for EMI.
• Distance to carry signal: Varies based on type used but can be 40miles. Throughput can reach 100 Gigabits.
• Cost: High
• Types:SMF, MMF, etc
• Connectors:At least 10 different types of connectors

Serial Cable

• Description: Can be used for direct connection
• Resistance to Noise: Varies with type of cable
• Distance to carry signal: varies
• Cost: Usually low
• Types:RS-232 is a common standard
• Connectors:RJ-45, DB-9, DB-25 are common