CHAPTER-2

NETWORK CABLES AND CONNECTIVITY

DEVICES
Connectivity Devices
Major Networking Devices
 Networking Devices
Modem
• Modem converts digital signals of computers into analog signals
that are transmitted through analog telephone lines and vice versa
at the receiving end.
– Binary data (0s and 1s) is generated by computers and analog signal is
carried by a wire
• Modem works as Modulator – Demodulator.
– A modulator when it converts digital data into analog signal
– A demodulator when it converts analog signal to digital data
 Networking Devices
Repeater
• A repeater is an electronic device that receives a weak or low-
level signal and retransmits it at a higher level, so that the signal
can cover longer distances without degradation.
– Length of the cable affects the quality of communication
• Repeater repeats the signal—clean and boost the signal
– When the signal becomes weak, they copy the signal bit by bit and
regenerate it at the original strength.
 Networking Devices
Hub
• Hubs are commonly used to connect segments (devices) of a LAN.
• Hubs don’t filter information, instead broadcast incoming packets
to all computers connected to it.
• A hub contains multiple ports,
– Support 8, 12 or 24 RJ-45 ports
• Two types
– Passive hub
– Active hub
• Used in star or ring topology.
 Networking Devices
Switch
• A switch filters and forwards data packets across a network
• Unlike a hub which simply replicates what it receives on one port
onto all the other ports, a switch keeps a record of the MAC
addresses of the devices attached to it.
• When the switch receives a data packet, it forwards the packet
directly to the recipient device by looking up the MAC address.
– Switch is intelligent and expensive than Hub
– Switch is a point to point communication device
– Hub is a broadcasting device
 Networking Devices
Bridge
• Connects two LANS having the same protocol – (e.g. Ethernet or
Token ring)
• Filters content by reading the MAC addresses of source and
destination.
– MAC to Segment number table
– Do not filter broadcast
– Data not destined for other network is prevented from passing
over the bridge
– Slower than repeater due to filtering
LAN A LAN B
 Networking Devices
Router
• Router is a specialized network device used to interconnect
different types of network that uses different protocol
• Router allows the users to connect several LAN and WAN
– A LAN to another LAN
– A WAN to another WAN
– A LAN to the Internet
 Networking Devices
Router
• Routers use the routing table to determine how to forward packets
– The list of routing tables provides directions to transfer the data to a
particular network destination – various paths to forward the data.
– A router analyzes a destination IP address of a given packet and
compares it with the routing table to decide the packet's next best
path
• A router shares information with other routers in networking.
• Wireless router – offers Wi-Fi connectivity to laptops, smartphones,
and other devices with Wi-Fi network capabilities
• Broadband routers / Broadband modem – provided by the internet
service provider (ISP).
Network Cables
 Network Cables - Introduction

• Message. The message is the information (data) to be communicated.

Popular forms of information include text, numbers, pictures, audio,
and video.
• Sender. The sender is the device that sends the data message. It can be
a computer, workstation, telephone handset, video camera, and so on.
• Receiver. The receiver is the device that receives the message. It can
be a computer, workstation, telephone handset, television, and so on.
• Transmission medium. The transmission medium is the physical path
by which a message travels from sender to receiver. Cable or Air
• Protocol. A protocol is a set of rules that govern data communications.
It represents an agreement between the communicating devices.
 Network Cables - Types
• Transmission media carry signals between computers
• Can be divided into two broad categories:
Cable-based/Guided media: the signal are guided along a solid medium
• Twisted-pair cable
– Consists of two conductors (normally copper), each with its own
plastic insulation, twisted together.
– Two types
• Unshielded Twisted-Pair cable (UTP)
• Shielded Twisted-Pair cable (STP)
• Coaxial cable:- uses copper wire to conduct the signals electronically
• Fiber-optic cable:- uses glass or plastic conductor and transmits the
signals as light
Wireless/Unguided media the signal propagates in the atmosphere and in
outer space
 Twisted-Pair Cable
• Use metallic (copper) conductors that accept and transport
signals in the form of electric current.
• Almost all modern LAN computer networks use this cable.
– This cable is also known as Ethernet cable.
• Consists of color-coded pairs of insulated copper wires each
about 1 mm thick
– Every two wires are twisted around each other
– Each pair is twisted with a different number of twists per inch to
eliminate interferences which will create noise.
• Crosstalk from adjacent pairs
• Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from other electrical devices
 Twisted-Pair Cable (Cont’d)
• One potential problem with twisted-pair cable is Crosstalk
• Crosstalk is defined as signals from one line interfering with signals
from another line.

• Usually there are four pairs.

– Each pair has one solid color and one stripped color wire.
• Wire pair #1: White-blue, Blue
• Wire pair #2: White-orange, Orange
• Wire pair #3: White-green, Green
• Wire pair #4: White-brown, Brown
 Twisted-Pair Cable (Cont’d)
• Two types of twisted-pair cable
1. Unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable, all pairs are wrapped in a
single plastic sheath.
– The most common twisted-pair cable for LANs.
2. Shielded twisted-pair (STP) cable, each pair is wrapped with an
additional metal shield, then all pairs are wrapped in a single outer
plastic sheath.
 Twisted-Pair Cable (Cont’d)
STP vs. UTP cables

• Both STP and UTP can transmit data at 10Mbps, 100Mbps, 1Gbps,
and 10Gbps.
• Since STP cable contains more materials, it is more expensive
than the UTP cable.
– however, the extra shielding can make the cables quite bulky.
• UTP is susceptible to crosstalk, radio and electrical frequency
interference.
– STP is more cross-talk, EMI, and attenuation resistant than the UTP
cable.
– STP is suitable for environments with electrical interference
• STP is often used on networks using Token Ring topology.
• Both cables use the same RJ-45 connectors.
• The maximum segment length for both cables is 100 meters
 Twisted-Pair Cable (Cont’d)
• The EIA (Electronic Industry Association) has established
standards of twisted-pair cable.
– Cat 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are outdated and not used in any modern LAN
network.
– Cat 7 is still a new technology and not commonly used.
– Cat 5e, 6, 6a are the commonly used twisted-pair cables.
 Twisted-Pair Cable (Cont’d)
Maximum
Category Description
supported speed
This cable contains only two pairs (4 wires). This cable was used
Cat 1 Up to 1Mbps
in the telephone network for voice transmission.
This cable and all further cables have a minimum of 8 wires (4
Cat 2 Up to 4Mbps pairs). This cable was used in the token-ring network.
Cat 3 Up to 10Mbps This is the first Ethernet cable that was used in LAN networks.
Cat 4 Up to 20Mbps This cable was used in advanced Token-ring networks.
Cat 5 Up to 100Mbps This cable was used in advanced (fast) LAN networks.
This cable is the minimum requirement for all modern LAN
Cat 5e Up to 1000Mbps
networks.
This cable uses a plastic core to prevent cross-talk between
Cat 6 Up to 10Gbps twisted-pair. It also uses a fire-resistant plastic sheath.
This cable reduces attenuation and cross-talk. This cable also
Cat 6a Up to 10Gbps potentially removes the length limit. This is the recommended
cable for all modern Ethernet LAN networks.
 Twisted-Pair Cable Connector
• The standard connector for twisted-pair cabling is an RJ-45
connector
– RJ stands for Registered Jack
– An 8-pin connection used for Ethernet network
– A plastic connecter that looks like ordinary phone jacks (RJ-11)
– The RJ-45 is a keyed connector, meaning the connector can be
inserted in only one way.
 Crimping Twisted-Pair Cable
• Two types of Ethernet network cable are straight through and
crossover cable.
– Straight through and Crossover cable have different wire
arrangement for serving different purposes.
– Cat 5, Cat 5e or Cat 6 UTP cable
– Made of 4 pair high performance cable that consists twisted pair
conductors that used for data transmission.
– Both end of cable is called RJ-45 connector

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 Crimping Twisted-Pair Cable (Cont’d)
Straight Through Cable
• Used to connect different type of devices and used most of the
time
1. Connect a computer to a switch/hub's normal port.
2. Connect a computer to a cable/DSL modem's LAN port.
3. Connect a router's WAN port to a cable/DSL modem's LAN port.
4. Connect a router's LAN port to a switch/hub's uplink port.
(normally used for expanding network)
5. Connect 2 switches/hubs with one of the switch/hub using an
uplink port and the other one using normal port.
• Uplink port special port that eliminates the need of crossover
cable

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 Crimping Twisted-Pair Cable (Cont’d)
Straight Through Cabling Standard
• Both side (side A and side B) of cable have wire
arrangement with same color.
• Clip is pointed away from you
Pin ID Side A Side B
1 White-Orange White-Orange
2 Orange Orange
3 White-Green White-Green
4 Blue Blue

5 White-Blue White-Blue
6 Green Green
7 White-Brown White-Brown
8 Brown Brown
 Crimping Twisted-Pair Cable (Cont’d)
Crossover cable
• Used to connect same type of devices without a switch or hub.
– Connect 2 computers directly
– Connect a router's LAN port to a switch/hub's normal port
(normally used for expanding network)
– Connect 2 switches/hubs by using normal port in both
switches/hubs

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 Crimping Twisted-Pair Cable (Cont’d)
Crossover Cabling Standard
• Crossover cables have different ends
• Both side (side A and side B) of cable have wire arrangement
with following different color
Pin ID Side A Side B

1 White Orange White Green

2 Orange Green
3 White Green White Orange

4 Blue Blue
5 White blue White Blue
6 Green Orange
7 White Brown White Brown

8 Brown Brown
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 Crimping Twisted-Pair Cable (Cont’d)
• Straight through cables have identical ends and are used for
connecting computers through a hub/switch
• Crossover cables have different ends and are used for
connecting devices directly with each other (e.g. PC to PC)
 Coaxial Cable
• Coaxial cable has a single copper conductor at its center.
• Coaxial cable can support greater cable lengths between network
devices than twisted pair cable.
• Although coaxial cabling is difficult to install, it is highly resistant to
signal interference.
– The braided metal shield helps to block any outside interference from
fluorescent lights, motors, and other computers.
– A plastic layer provides insulation between the center conductor and a
braided metal shield
Protective Braided outer
plastic covering conductor
Copper core

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Insulating material
 Coaxial Cable (Cont’d)
• The two types of coaxial cables
1. Thin coaxial cable is also referred to as thinnet
– 10Base2 refers to the specifications for thin coaxial cable carrying
Ethernet signals.
– The 2 refers to the approximate maximum segment length being 200
meters. In actual fact the maximum segment length is 185 meters
– Thin coaxial cable is popular in school networks, especially linear bus
networks
2. Thick coaxial cable is also referred to as thicknet
– Thick coaxial cable has an extra protective plastic cover that helps keep
moisture away from the center conductor
– This makes thick coaxial a great choice when running longer lengths in
a linear bus network
– One disadvantage of thick coaxial is that it does not bend easily and is
difficult to install
 Coaxial Cable (Cont’d)

2. Thick coaxial cable is also referred to as thicknet

– 10Base5 refers to the specifications for thick coaxial cable carrying
Ethernet signals.
– The 5 refers to the maximum segment length being 500 meters.
Thick coaxial cable has an extra protective plastic cover that helps
keep moisture away from the center conductor.

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 Coaxial Cable Connectors
• The most common type of connector used with coaxial cables is
the Bayonet Neill–Concelman (BNC) connector.
• Different types are available for BNC connectors, including a T-
connector, barrel connector, e.t.c. NIC

30 BNC T-Connector
 Fiber Optic Cable
• Fiber optic cabling consists of a center glass core surrounded by
several layers of protective materials.
– Outer insulating jacket is made of Teflon or PVC.
– Kevlar fiber helps to strengthen the cable and prevent
breakage.
– A plastic coating is used to cushion the fiber center.
– Center (core) is made of glass or plastic fibers.

Plastic coating
Core

31 Outer jacket (Sheath) Kevlar fiber

 Fiber Optic Cable (Cont’d)
• Transmits light rather than electronic signals eliminating the
problem of electrical interference.
• Used to connect networks between buildings, due to its immunity
to the effects of moisture and lighting.
• Has the ability to transmit signals over much longer distances
than coaxial and twisted-pair.
• Has the capability to carry information at vastly greater speeds.
• This capacity broadens communication possibilities to include
services such as video conferencing and interactive services.
• The cost of fiber optic cabling is a little bit higher; and, it is more
difficult to install and modify.
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 Fiber Optic Connector
• There are many connectors used with fiber optic cable such as an
ST and SC connector.
– The ST is barrel shaped, similar to a BNC connector.
– The SC has a squared face and is easier to connect in a
confined space.

ST connector SC connector

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