Network Cable

There are many devices connected to each other. How are these devices connected? We connect using a cable, and then we transfer data. However, there are a lot of different types of cables here.

Cooper cable

Cooper cable consists of several wire pairs, and it transmits and receives binary data using the difference in voltage. There are several types of this Cooper, such as Cat5, Cat5e, and Cat6, and each type has its own differences.

Cooper Difference

Differences in transfer rate and usable length occur due to differences in physical characterstic.

how twisted

Depending on how the twisted pair is laid out, the transfer rate will vary. It also depends on how resistant it is to external interference. Currently, the trend is changing from Cat5 to Cat5e and cat6.

crosstalk

Crosstalk is when electrical pulses found on one wire affect other wires when there are multiple wires. This cross talk happens less on Cat5e than on Cat5. Due to crosstalk, the receiving end cannot understand the data causing the network error. A solution exists to detect and retransmit missing data in a higher level protocol, but it takes too long.

Cat5e reduces the retransmission rate because cross talk occurs less. This means that, on average, you will be sending more data. In the order of Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, the higher the number, the better. However, the length of the cable is longer as the number is smaller.

Fiber Cable

This cable is made of glass the thickness of a human head. Transmits light. Cooper cable expresses 0,1 as voltage difference, but fiber cable expresses 0,1 as light pulse. Fiber is used where there is a lot of electromagnetic interference. Cross talk occurs with Cooper, but not normally with fiber cables.

Fiber vs Cooper in performance perspective

Fiber is faster than cooper in speed, and the transmission distance can also transmit longer distances than cooper without relatively data loss. However, fiber is more expensive and more brittle than Cooper.