What is a Twisted-Pair Cable? List of Twisted Pair Cables

What is a Twisted-Pair Cable? List of Twisted Pair Cables

The media transmission has main two types guided and unguided. So, these fall under the category of guided media. It was founded by Alexander Graham Bell in 1881. Twisted pair cables with two conductors are usually constructed of copper and each conductor has a nonconduction layer. The two conductors are warped jointly, thus offering the name two Twisted Pair Cable.

twisted pair cable

One of the conductors is used to take the signal and the other is used as a ground contact or earthing only. The receiver uses the signal difference between these two conductors.

Noise or crosstalk on two compatible conductors is high but this is greatly reduced on twisted pair cables due to the twisted feature. Also, In the first twist, one conductor is close to the sound source and the other is far from the source. But in the subsequent twist, the distortion occurs and the resulting sound is very small.

So, the balance in signal quality is maintained and the receiver receives very little. or no noise. Moreover, the quality of the signal on two twisted cables depends largely on the coil value per unit length of cable.

Types of Twisted–Pair Cables

  1. Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable (UTP)
  2. shielded Twisted Pair Cable (STP)

Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable (UTP)

These are pairs of two stranded copper cords that are woven together without any other inserts or shields and that is why they are called two unprotected twisted cables. They reduce external disturbances due to the presence of insulation. Unprotected twisted wires are arranged in pairs so that we can add new connections whenever needed.

UTP

DSL or telephone wires in our homes have one additional pair on them. When UTP is organized by pairs, each pair is coded with a different colour code as defined by the 25-colour code developed by AT&T Corporation. The Electronic Industries Association divides UTP into 7 categories based on other standards. Categories are based on cable quality where 1 is the lowest quality and 7 is the highest quality. Each cable in the section is used separately as needed.

Advantages

  • These cables are compact so, it is very easy to install and are portable.
  • They are comparatively cheap than the other types like the Shielded Twisted Pair Cables (STP).
  • They are good for short-distance transmission for both voice and data.

Disadvantages

  • here the connections are not secure.
  • Also, its installing range must be small with limited bandwidth.

Shielded Twisted Pair Cable (STP)

So, these types of cables have additional insulation or protective cover over the conductors in the form of a copper braid cover. Secondly., this cover provides power to the entire cable structure. It also reduces noise and signals interference in the cable.

STP

The protection ensures that the attracted signal can be returned to the source through the ground and only rotates the shield without touching the main transmitting signal. STP cables also have the same colour code as UTP cables as different colour pairing is required for analogue and digital transmission. These cables are expensive and difficult to install.

Advantages

  • They are usually used for long-distance communication and transmission and are installed Outside and underground.
  • the shield prevents external electromagnetic noise from entering the cable.
  • They have higher bandwidth compared to UTP.

Disadvantages

  • These cables are very expensive.
  • They require a lot of care which makes the cost higher.
  • These can only be installed Outside and underground.
  • Also, the segment length is the same as UTP for these cables.

Categories of Twisted–Pair Cables

twisted pair cableexplanation
Category 1 Operated for telecommunications. So, not ready to transfer data.
Category 2Able to transfer data at speeds of up to 4 megabits per second (Mbps).
Category 3These are for the 10BASE-T networks. It can transfer data at speeds of up to 10 Mbps.
Category 4It has applications in Ring networks. It can transfer data at speeds of up to 16 Mbps.
Category 5In these, we can transfer data at speeds of up to 100 Mbps.
Category 5eOperated on networks running at speeds of up to 1000 Mbps (almost 1 gigabit per second [Gbps]).
Category 6Commonly, a CAT 6 cable consists of four pairs of American Wire Gauge (AWG) copper made wires. The Phase 6 cable is currently the fastest UTP standard.
Category 6eit is used in 10 Gigabit Ethernet with max. the data rate of 10 Gbit/s with the distance of 100 m
Category 7Is operated for 10 Gigabit Ethernet applications with max. the data rate of 10 Gbit/s. Also keeps transmission with POTS/CATV/1000BASE-TS applications at one time over a single cable. Such cable defines only F/FTP and S/FTP constructions. So, CAT 7 is not recognized in TIA/EIA

Applications of Twisted pair cable

  • Excessive twisted cables are used in telephone lines to transmit data and voice channels.
  • DSL lines use these cables.
  • the Local Area Networks (LAN) also use twisted cables.
  • They can be used for both analog and digital transmission.
  • Moreover, RJ-45 and RJ 11 is the most common application for twisted strings.

were all about twisted pair cable.

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