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The Internet plays a pivotal role in our daily lives, from work to entertainment and from shopping to paying utility bills. Ever wondered how the world is literally connected with the World Wide Web, both in spirit and physical sense. The physical connection is achieved through a UTP cable, also known as Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable. This twisted pair of cabling offers a steady network tailor-made for data transfer and telephony. A standard UTP cable consists of a 100-ohm copper cable made with 2 – 1800 unshielded twisted pairs shielded by an outer jacket. As they have no metallic shield, the cable diameter is reduced but cannot avoid electrical interference. The twisting in these cables boosts immunity to EMI and electrical noise. In the mantle of an unshielded twisted pair cable, there are 8 separate wires twisted in 4 pairs. A connector is placed at the end of these cables, usually known as RJ45 plugs. Source Workings of a UTP CableInside a shield twisted pair cable, there are 4 twisted pairs of copper wires surrounded by a protective plastic cover. The greater the number of pairs corresponds to more bandwidth. The two individual copper cables in a single pair are twisted around each other, and later other pairs of such wires are twisted together. It is done to minimize cross talk and electromagnetic interference as they can reduce network performance in the long run. Each twisted pair of cabling in the UTP cable is color-coded for easy identification. In North America, each wire in a twisted pair is identified by one of 5 colors: blue, orange, green, brown, or slate (gray). Then this copper wire is paired with a different wire from the other color group made up of white, red, black, yellow, or violet. Usually, one copper wire in a twisted pair is solid-colored, and the second one is striped with the color of its mate. Ex: A solid blue colored copper cable is paired with a white and blue striped copper cable. It will make it easy to identify and match them. Alexander Graham Bell invented this twisted pair of cabling in 1881. Source Functions of a UTP CableThe main functions of a UTP cable are listed below:
Different Categories of UTP cable
UTP Cable Specifications & Performance
Solid Conductor UTP Cable and Stranded Conductor UTP CableSolid Conductor UTP CableSource As the name suggests, Solid Conductor unshielded twisted pair cables have a single, solid conducting copper cable as the conductor. They are physically stronger and much easier to work with. Solid Conductor twisted pair cabling have lower susceptibility and DC resistance to higher frequency effects due to their larger diameters. These properties enable these UTP cables to support longer distance transmission runs and higher data rates when compared to stranded type UTP cables. Stranded Conductor UTP CableSource Stranded Conductor UTP Cables are usually preferred as patch cables in work areas and telecommunication rooms. In addition, they have commonly used twisted pair cabling in most network connections. When you look at the cross-section of a Stranded Conductor UTP Cable, you will find that each individual copper conductor is made up of a bunch of smaller size wire strands. These are arranged in such a way that several wires, usually in the range of 6-18, surround a single wire at the center of the bundle. The outer wires are arranged around a single wire through the process of stranding. They together form a single copper conductor with a diameter similar to a solid conductor UTP cable. Applications of a UTP CableThe different applications of UTP cables are,
FAQWhy is the UTP cable is Unshielded?The advantages of not shielding UTP cable. They are,
How to connect a UTP cable?
Source What is the difference between UTP & STP Cable?
Which UTP cable is most commonly used?Stranded Conductor UTP Cable is the most commonly used unshielded twisted pair cable in most network connections. The advantages it offers are,
What is UTP cable commonly used for?UTP cables are commonly used as telephone wired and ethernet cables in telephone connections and LAN (Local Area Networks). It is used to transfer audio signals and electronic data. These are also used in horizontal and backbone cabling subsystems. Why is UTP popular in LAN technology?The main reasons UTP cables are popular in LAN technology are,
How does UTP cable transmit data?The data sent over an unshielded twisted pair cable is converted into binary code consisting of 0s and 1s. The device that transmits data will send the current along the cable at two different voltages, 0 and 5 volts. On the other hand, the device receiving the data will interpret these voltages as binary codes and then reconvert them to the original format. How many twists per inch is Cat6?While CAT 5E cables have 1.5 to 2 twists per cm, CAT6 cables are wound more tightly with 2 or more twists per cm. To reduce crosstalk, the twist rates are varied in most UTP cables. Which category cat of UTP cabling is the fastest?Currently, CAT 6 cables are the fastest among all the UTP cable types used in Gigabit (1000Mbps) & 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections and 500 MHZ frequency range. Difference b/w shielded twisted pair cable and unshielded twisted pair cable?
What connector is used for twisted pair cable?The standard connector configuration used for unshielded twisted pair cable is the RJ-45 connector. RJ is an acronym for Registered Jack which means that the connector follows standards set by telephone companies. Source |