The advantages and disadvantages of coaxial cable, twisted pair and optical cable
Network cables are used in communication systems around the world. Using the correct cable will ensure the best performance of the network. Therefore, whether the correct cable is selected according to the requirements of the system will play a crucial role in whether the installed communication system can play an ideal use effect.
Each type of cable has different uses and has specific advantages. If the wrong cable is installed, it will not reach the ideal performance level of the system. When choosing the right cable for the network to achieve the best performance, there are many factors to consider, including:
Environmental factors, distance, bandwidth, transmission, capacity
Starting from these five aspects, this article briefly summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the three most commonly used cables, coaxial cable, twisted pair, and optical cable.
Coaxial cable
Its widespread use in countless homes has made coaxial cables a familiar sight for many people. It has been in use since the early 20th century, and cable operators, telephone companies, and Internet providers still use it to transmit data, video, and voice communications. It is known for reliable and accurate transmission.
The coaxial cable has an inner conductor surrounded by an insulating layer with a conductive shielding layer around it. For some applications, even the jacket of the cable may be insulated. The center conductor carries electrical signals. The shielding design of the cable allows rapid data transmission through the copper core without interference from environmental factors.
Coaxial cable assemblies are easy to install and very durable. Because the coaxial cable has the best performance in a short distance, it is very suitable for home installation and average capacity data transmission network. When using a coaxial cable over a long distance, signal loss is a disadvantage, and signal leakage easily occurs at the entrance or exit, that is, at the contact point between the male connector and the female connector. Leakage can cause distortion, and the signal can be blurred or snow. During periods of high usage, speed fluctuations in broadband networks also occur during data transmission.
Advantage:
Very durable
Best performance in short distances
Disadvantage:
Long distance signal loss
Signal leakage at the exit
Speed fluctuation under heavy use
Twisted pair
As the name implies, a twisted pair cable literally means to wind two or more separate insulated wires together and make them parallel to each other. Twisted pair has the characteristics of eliminating interference. Therefore, because the cable reduces the impact of electromagnetic interference on electronic signals, it is suitable for short-distance data and voice infrastructure. Compared with coaxial cable, it is also more flexible and easy to install.
Two types of twisted pair cables are used: shielded and unshielded. Shielded twisted pair (STP) has a thin wire mesh surrounding the wire to protect the transmission. Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) does not. The latter is the more common of the two types, used in Ethernet installations, and often used in residential and enterprise applications. Shielded cables are used in telephone networks and network and data communications to reduce external interference and crosstalk, and are designed to help ground. Of these two types of cables, UTP cables are cheaper than STP cables and have lower maintenance requirements because they do not rely on external shielding. Although UTP can transmit data as fast as STP cables, they are more susceptible to noise than STP cables.
Twisted pair cable is the most cost-effective choice for coaxial cables and optical fibers, but the bandwidth is also lower and the attenuation is higher, that is, the farther the distance, the lower the performance. They are also prone to wear and must be maintained regularly. It is best to use twisted pair cables wherever there is no strong electromagnetic interference.
Advantage:
High cost performance
Reliable and easy to install
Best performance in short distances
Disadvantage:
Low durability (must be maintained regularly)
Susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI)
Higher attenuation
Optic fibre cable
Fiber optic cables differ from coaxial cables and twisted pair cables in several ways. First, its core is fiber rather than copper. Even more impressive is that data is transmitted through light rather than electrical or electronic signals. Transmission can be transmitted with faster pulses over longer distances-26,000 times faster than twisted pair. The optical fiber is insulated in a protective plastic outer layer or a plastic coating in the pipe. Optical fibers are also flexible and can be bundled into cables, which makes them very advantageous for long-distance communication because the attenuation of light propagating through optical fibers is small compared to copper cables.
The optical fiber is connected by single mode or multimode. The former allows only one mode of light to pass through the core at a time, resulting in higher bandwidth. The effect of this is to reduce the number of light reflections, thereby reducing attenuation and allowing data to be transmitted more quickly. Single mode connections are used for CATV networks and telecommunications in universities, colleges and other educational institutions.
The diameter of the core of the multimode connection is large, and it can transmit multiple modes of light at the same time.
The amount of light reflection passing through the core increases as the propagation increases, allowing more data to pass through. However, this does result in high dispersion, which means that the lower the bandwidth and the greater the attenuation, the worse the signal quality and the lower the signal quality. Multimode connections are ideal for LANs, security systems, and other fiber optic networks, and can be used for high-speed communications over short distances.
Fiber optic cabling is the most expensive of these three types of cabling. The optical fiber is fragile and easily cut or damaged during installation or construction. This also means that it is not as flexible as copper. If it is bent or twisted too much or the angle is wrong, it will break. Finally, data transmission over longer distances requires components such as EDFA to amplify the optical signal to add it to the network, further increasing costs. Despite these shortcomings, if within your budget, fiber optic cabling will be more efficient and have higher transmission capacity.
Advantage:
Can be bundled together
Resistance to EMI
Performs well over long distances
Disadvantage:
More expensive
Difficult to install
Each type of cable has different uses and has specific advantages. If the wrong cable is installed, it will not reach the ideal performance level of the system. When choosing the right cable for the network to achieve the best performance, there are many factors to consider, including:
Environmental factors, distance, bandwidth, transmission, capacity
Starting from these five aspects, this article briefly summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the three most commonly used cables, coaxial cable, twisted pair, and optical cable.
Coaxial cable
The coaxial cable has an inner conductor surrounded by an insulating layer with a conductive shielding layer around it. For some applications, even the jacket of the cable may be insulated. The center conductor carries electrical signals. The shielding design of the cable allows rapid data transmission through the copper core without interference from environmental factors.
Coaxial cable assemblies are easy to install and very durable. Because the coaxial cable has the best performance in a short distance, it is very suitable for home installation and average capacity data transmission network. When using a coaxial cable over a long distance, signal loss is a disadvantage, and signal leakage easily occurs at the entrance or exit, that is, at the contact point between the male connector and the female connector. Leakage can cause distortion, and the signal can be blurred or snow. During periods of high usage, speed fluctuations in broadband networks also occur during data transmission.
Advantage:
Very durable
Best performance in short distances
Disadvantage:
Long distance signal loss
Signal leakage at the exit
Speed fluctuation under heavy use
Twisted pair
Two types of twisted pair cables are used: shielded and unshielded. Shielded twisted pair (STP) has a thin wire mesh surrounding the wire to protect the transmission. Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) does not. The latter is the more common of the two types, used in Ethernet installations, and often used in residential and enterprise applications. Shielded cables are used in telephone networks and network and data communications to reduce external interference and crosstalk, and are designed to help ground. Of these two types of cables, UTP cables are cheaper than STP cables and have lower maintenance requirements because they do not rely on external shielding. Although UTP can transmit data as fast as STP cables, they are more susceptible to noise than STP cables.
Twisted pair cable is the most cost-effective choice for coaxial cables and optical fibers, but the bandwidth is also lower and the attenuation is higher, that is, the farther the distance, the lower the performance. They are also prone to wear and must be maintained regularly. It is best to use twisted pair cables wherever there is no strong electromagnetic interference.
Advantage:
High cost performance
Reliable and easy to install
Best performance in short distances
Disadvantage:
Low durability (must be maintained regularly)
Susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI)
Higher attenuation
Optic fibre cable
The optical fiber is connected by single mode or multimode. The former allows only one mode of light to pass through the core at a time, resulting in higher bandwidth. The effect of this is to reduce the number of light reflections, thereby reducing attenuation and allowing data to be transmitted more quickly. Single mode connections are used for CATV networks and telecommunications in universities, colleges and other educational institutions.
The diameter of the core of the multimode connection is large, and it can transmit multiple modes of light at the same time.
The amount of light reflection passing through the core increases as the propagation increases, allowing more data to pass through. However, this does result in high dispersion, which means that the lower the bandwidth and the greater the attenuation, the worse the signal quality and the lower the signal quality. Multimode connections are ideal for LANs, security systems, and other fiber optic networks, and can be used for high-speed communications over short distances.
Fiber optic cabling is the most expensive of these three types of cabling. The optical fiber is fragile and easily cut or damaged during installation or construction. This also means that it is not as flexible as copper. If it is bent or twisted too much or the angle is wrong, it will break. Finally, data transmission over longer distances requires components such as EDFA to amplify the optical signal to add it to the network, further increasing costs. Despite these shortcomings, if within your budget, fiber optic cabling will be more efficient and have higher transmission capacity.
Advantage:
Can be bundled together
Resistance to EMI
Performs well over long distances
Disadvantage:
More expensive
Difficult to install
Easily cut or damaged
The above information will be compiled by Konnra Connector Engineering Department for you.
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