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Chapter4:Cabling
WhatisNetworkCabling?
Cableisthemediumthroughwhichinformationusuallymovesfromonenetworkdevicetoanother.Thereare
severaltypesofcablewhicharecommonlyusedwithLANs.Insomecases,anetworkwillutilizeonlyonetype
ofcable,othernetworkswilluseavarietyofcabletypes.Thetypeofcablechosenforanetworkisrelatedtothe
network'stopology,protocol,andsize.Understandingthecharacteristicsofdifferenttypesofcableandhow
theyrelatetootheraspectsofanetworkisnecessaryforthedevelopmentofasuccessfulnetwork.

Thefollowingsectionsdiscussthetypesofcablesusedinnetworksandotherrelatedtopics.

UnshieldedTwistedPair(UTP)Cable
ShieldedTwistedPair(STP)Cable
CoaxialCable
FiberOpticCable
CableInstallationGuides
WirelessLANs
UnshieldedTwistedPair(UTP)Cable

Twistedpaircablingcomesintwovarieties:shieldedandunshielded.Unshieldedtwistedpair(UTP)isthemost
popularandisgenerallythebestoptionforschoolnetworks(Seefig.1).

Fig.1.Unshieldedtwistedpair

ThequalityofUTPmayvaryfromtelephonegradewiretoextremelyhighspeedcable.Thecablehasfourpairs
ofwiresinsidethejacket.Eachpairistwistedwithadifferentnumberoftwistsperinchtohelpeliminate
interferencefromadjacentpairsandotherelectricaldevices.Thetighterthetwisting,thehigherthesupported
transmissionrateandthegreaterthecostperfoot.TheEIA/TIA(ElectronicIndustry
Association/TelecommunicationIndustryAssociation)hasestablishedstandardsofUTPandratedsixcategories
ofwire(additionalcategoriesareemerging).

CategoriesofUnshieldedTwistedPair

Category Speed Use

1 1Mbps VoiceOnly(TelephoneWire)
2 4Mbps LocalTalk&Telephone(Rarelyused)
3 16Mbps 10BaseTEthernet
4 20Mbps TokenRing(Rarelyused)
5 100Mbps(2pair) 100BaseTEthernet
1000Mbps(4pair) GigabitEthernet
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1000Mbps(4pair) GigabitEthernet
5e 1,000Mbps GigabitEthernet
6 10,000Mbps GigabitEthernet

UnshieldedTwistedPairConnector

ThestandardconnectorforunshieldedtwistedpaircablingisanRJ45connector.Thisisaplasticconnectorthat
lookslikealargetelephonestyleconnector(Seefig.2).AslotallowstheRJ45tobeinsertedonlyoneway.RJ
standsforRegisteredJack,implyingthattheconnectorfollowsastandardborrowedfromthetelephoneindustry.
Thisstandarddesignateswhichwiregoeswitheachpininsidetheconnector.

Fig.2.RJ45connector

ShieldedTwistedPair(STP)Cable
AlthoughUTPcableistheleastexpensivecable,itmaybesusceptibletoradioandelectricalfrequency
interference(itshouldnotbetooclosetoelectricmotors,fluorescentlights,etc.).Ifyoumustplacecablein
environmentswithlotsofpotentialinterference,orifyoumustplacecableinextremelysensitiveenvironments
thatmaybesusceptibletotheelectricalcurrentintheUTP,shieldedtwistedpairmaybethesolution.Shielded
cablescanalsohelptoextendthemaximumdistanceofthecables.

Shieldedtwistedpaircableisavailableinthreedifferentconfigurations:

1.Eachpairofwiresisindividuallyshieldedwithfoil.
2.Thereisafoilorbraidshieldinsidethejacketcoveringallwires(asagroup).
3.Thereisashieldaroundeachindividualpair,aswellasaroundtheentiregroupofwires(referredtoas
doubleshieldtwistedpair).

CoaxialCable
Coaxialcablinghasasinglecopperconductoratitscenter.Aplasticlayerprovidesinsulationbetweenthe
centerconductorandabraidedmetalshield(Seefig.3).Themetalshieldhelpstoblockanyoutsideinterference
fromfluorescentlights,motors,andothercomputers.

Fig.3.Coaxialcable

Althoughcoaxialcablingisdifficulttoinstall,itishighlyresistanttosignalinterference.Inaddition,itcan
supportgreatercablelengthsbetweennetworkdevicesthantwistedpaircable.Thetwotypesofcoaxialcabling
arethickcoaxialandthincoaxial.
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Thincoaxialcableisalsoreferredtoasthinnet.10Base2referstothespecificationsforthincoaxialcable
carryingEthernetsignals.The2referstotheapproximatemaximumsegmentlengthbeing200meters.Inactual
factthemaximumsegmentlengthis185meters.Thincoaxialcablehasbeenpopularinschoolnetworks,
especiallylinearbusnetworks.

Thickcoaxialcableisalsoreferredtoasthicknet.10Base5referstothespecificationsforthickcoaxialcable
carryingEthernetsignals.The5referstothemaximumsegmentlengthbeing500meters.Thickcoaxialcable
hasanextraprotectiveplasticcoverthathelpskeepmoistureawayfromthecenterconductor.Thismakesthick
coaxialagreatchoicewhenrunninglongerlengthsinalinearbusnetwork.Onedisadvantageofthickcoaxialis
thatitdoesnotbendeasilyandisdifficulttoinstall.

CoaxialCableConnectors
ThemostcommontypeofconnectorusedwithcoaxialcablesistheBayoneNeillConcelman(BNC)connector
(Seefig.4).DifferenttypesofadaptersareavailableforBNCconnectors,includingaTconnector,barrel
connector,andterminator.Connectorsonthecablearetheweakestpointsinanynetwork.Tohelpavoid
problemswithyournetwork,alwaysusetheBNCconnectorsthatcrimp,ratherscrew,ontothecable.

Fig.4.BNCconnector

FiberOpticCable
Fiberopticcablingconsistsofacenterglasscoresurroundedbyseverallayersofprotectivematerials(Seefig.
5).Ittransmitslightratherthanelectronicsignalseliminatingtheproblemofelectricalinterference.Thismakes
itidealforcertainenvironmentsthatcontainalargeamountofelectricalinterference.Ithasalsomadeitthe
standardforconnectingnetworksbetweenbuildings,duetoitsimmunitytotheeffectsofmoistureandlighting.

Fiberopticcablehastheabilitytotransmitsignalsovermuchlongerdistancesthancoaxialandtwistedpair.It
alsohasthecapabilitytocarryinformationatvastlygreaterspeeds.Thiscapacitybroadenscommunication
possibilitiestoincludeservicessuchasvideoconferencingandinteractiveservices.Thecostoffiberoptic
cablingiscomparabletocoppercablinghowever,itismoredifficulttoinstallandmodify.10BaseFreferstothe
specificationsforfiberopticcablecarryingEthernetsignals.

Thecentercoreoffibercablesismadefromglassorplasticfibers(seefig5).Aplasticcoatingthencushions
thefibercenter,andkevlarfibershelptostrengthenthecablesandpreventbreakage.Theouterinsulatingjacket
madeofteflonorPVC.

Fig.5.Fiberopticcable

Therearetwocommontypesoffibercablessinglemodeandmultimode.Multimodecablehasalarger
diameterhowever,bothcablesprovidehighbandwidthathighspeeds.Singlemodecanprovidemoredistance,
butitismoreexpensive.

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Specification CableType
10BaseT UnshieldedTwistedPair
10Base2 ThinCoaxial
10Base5 ThickCoaxial
100BaseT UnshieldedTwistedPair
100BaseFX FiberOptic
100BaseBX SinglemodeFiber
100BaseSX MultimodeFiber
1000BaseT UnshieldedTwistedPair
1000BaseFX FiberOptic
1000BaseBX SinglemodeFiber
1000BaseSX MultimodeFiber

InstallingCableSomeGuidelines
Whenrunningcable,itisbesttofollowafewsimplerules:

Alwaysusemorecablethanyouneed.Leaveplentyofslack.
Testeverypartofanetworkasyouinstallit.Evenifitisbrandnew,itmayhaveproblemsthatwillbe
difficulttoisolatelater.
Stayatleast3feetawayfromfluorescentlightboxesandothersourcesofelectricalinterference.
Ifitisnecessarytoruncableacrossthefloor,coverthecablewithcableprotectors.
Labelbothendsofeachcable.
Usecableties(nottape)tokeepcablesinthesamelocationtogether.

WirelessLANs

Moreandmorenetworksareoperatingwithoutcables,inthewirelessmode.WirelessLANsusehighfrequency
radiosignals,infraredlightbeams,orlaserstocommunicatebetweentheworkstations,servers,orhubs.Each
workstationandfileserveronawirelessnetworkhassomesortoftransceiver/antennatosendandreceivethe
data.Informationisrelayedbetweentransceiversasiftheywerephysicallyconnected.Forlongerdistance,
wirelesscommunicationscanalsotakeplacethroughcellulartelephonetechnology,microwavetransmission,or
bysatellite.

Wirelessnetworksaregreatforallowinglaptopcomputers,portabledevices,orremotecomputerstoconnectto
theLAN.Wirelessnetworksarealsobeneficialinolderbuildingswhereitmaybedifficultorimpossibleto
installcables.

Thetwomostcommontypesofinfraredcommunicationsusedinschoolsarelineofsightandscattered
broadcast.Lineofsightcommunicationmeansthattheremustbeanunblockeddirectlinebetweenthe
workstationandthetransceiver.Ifapersonwalkswithinthelineofsightwhilethereisatransmission,the
informationwouldneedtobesentagain.Thiskindofobstructioncanslowdownthewirelessnetwork.
Scatteredinfraredcommunicationisabroadcastofinfraredtransmissionssentoutinmultipledirectionsthat
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bouncesoffwallsandceilingsuntiliteventuallyhitsthereceiver.Networkingcommunicationswithlaserare
virtuallythesameaslineofsightinfrarednetworks.

Wirelessstandardsandspeeds
TheWiFiAllianceisaglobal,nonprofitorganizationthathelpstoensurestandardsandinteroperabilityfor
wirelessnetworks,andwirelessnetworksareoftenreferredtoasWiFi(WirelessFidelity).TheoriginalWiFi
standard(IEEE802.11)wasadoptedin1997.Sincethenmanyvariationshaveemerged(andwillcontinueto
emerge).WiFinetworksusetheEthernetprotocol.

Standard MaxSpeed TypicalRange

802.11a 54Mbps 150feet
802.11b 11Mbps 300feet
802.11g 54Mbps 300feet
802.11n 100Mbps 300+feet

WirelessSecurity

Wirelessnetworksaremuchmoresusceptibletounauthorizedusethancablednetworks.Wirelessnetwork
devicesuseradiowavestocommunicatewitheachother.Thegreatestvulnerabilitytothenetworkisthatrogue
machinescan"evesdrop"ontheradiowavecommunications.Unencryptedinformationtransmittedcanbe
monitoredbyathirdparty,which,withtherighttools(freetodownload),couldquicklygainaccesstoyour
entirenetwork,stealvaluablepasswordstolocalserversandonlineservices,alterordestroydata,and/oraccess
personalandconfidentialinformationstoredinyournetworkservers.Tominimizethepossibilityofthis,all
modernaccesspointsanddeviceshaveconfigurationoptionstoencrypttransmissions.Theseencryption
methodologiesarestillevolving,asarethetoolsusedbymalicioushackers,soalwaysusethestrongest
encryptionavailableinyouraccesspointandconnectingdevices.

ANOTEONENCRYPTION:AsofthiswritingWEP(WiredEquivalentPrivacy)encryptioncanbeeasily
hackedwithreadilyavailablefreetoolswhichcirculatetheinternet.WPAandWPA2(WiFiProtectedAccess
versions1and2)aremuchbetteratprotectinginformation,butusingweakpasswordsorpassphraseswhen
enablingtheseencryptionsmayallowthemtobeeasilyhacked.IfyournetworkisrunningWEP,youmustbe
verycarefulaboutyouruseofsensitivepasswordsorotherdata.

Threebasictechniquesareusedtoprotectnetworksfromunauthorizedwirelessuse.Useanyandallofthese
techniqueswhensettingupyourwirelessaccesspoints:

Encryption.
Enablethestrongestencryptionsupportedbythedevicesyouwillbeconnectingtothenetwork.Use
strongpasswords(strongpasswordsaregenerallydefinedaspasswordscontainingsymbols,numbers,and
mixedcaseletters,atleast14characterslong).
Isolation.
Useawirelessrouterthatplacesallwirelessconnectionsonasubnetindependentoftheprimaryprivate
network.Thisprotectsyourprivatenetworkdatafrompassthroughinternettraffic.
HiddenSSID.
EveryaccesspointhasaServiceSetIDentifier(SSID)thatbydefaultisbroadcasttoclientdevicessothat
theaccesspointcanbefound.Bydisablingthisfeature,standardclientconnectionsoftwarewon'tbeable
to"see"theaccesspoint.However,theevesdroppingprogramsdiscussedpreviouslycaneasilyfindthese
accesspoints,sothisalonedoeslittlemorethankeeptheaccesspointnameoutofsightforcasual
wirelessusers.

Advantagesofwirelessnetworks:
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MobilityWithalaptopcomputerormobiledevice,accesscanbeavailablethroughoutaschool,atthe
mall,onanairplane,etc.MoreandmorebusinessesarealsoofferingfreeWiFiaccess("Hotspots").
FastsetupIfyourcomputerhasawirelessadapter,locatingawirelessnetworkcanbeassimpleas
clicking"ConnecttoaNetwork"insomecases,youwillconnectautomaticallytonetworkswithin
range.
CostSettingupawirelessnetworkcanbemuchmorecosteffectivethanbuyingandinstallingcables.
ExpandabilityAddingnewcomputerstoawirelessnetworkisaseasyasturningthecomputeron(as
longasyoudonotexceedthemaximumnumberofdevices).

Disadvantagesofwirelessnetworks:
SecurityBecareful.Bevigilant.Protectyoursensitivedatawithbackups,isolatedprivatenetworks,
strongencryptionandpasswords,andmonitornetworkaccesstraffictoandfromyourwirelessnetwork.
InterferenceBecausewirelessnetworksuseradiosignalsandsimilartechniquesfortransmission,they
aresusceptibletointerferencefromlightsandelectronicdevices.
InconsistentconnectionsHowmanytimeshaveyouhears"Waitaminute,Ijustlostmyconnection?"
Becauseoftheinterferencecausedbyelectricaldevicesand/oritemsblockingthepathoftransmission,
wirelessconnectionsarenotnearlyasstableasthosethroughadedicatedcable.
SpeedThetransmissionspeedofwirelessnetworksisimprovinghowever,fasteroptions(suchas
gigabitEthernet)areavailableviacables.Ifyouareonlyusingwirelessforinternetaccess,theactual
internetconnectionforyourhomeorschoolisgenerallyslowerthanthewirelessnetworkdevices,sothat
connectionisthebottleneck.Ifyouarealsomovinglargeamountsofdataaroundaprivatenetwork,a
cabledconnectionwillenablethatworktoproceedmuchfaster.

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Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Glossary

FloridaCenterforInstructionalTechnology

CollegeofEducation,

UniversityofSouthFlorida,

4202E.FowlerAve.,EDU162

Tampa,Florida33620

813.974.1640

Dr.RoyWinkelman,Director

ThispublicationwasproducedunderagrantfromtheFloridaDepartmentofEducation.

Theinformationcontainedinthisdocumentisbasedoninformationavailableatthetimeofpublicationandis
subjecttochange.Althougheveryreasonableefforthasbeenmadetoincludeaccurateinformation,theFlorida
CenterforInstructionalTechnologymakesnowarrantyofclaimsastotheaccuracy,completeness,orfitnessfor
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