Network cabling is the physical "highway system" that connects all the devices on your network. Just like roads carry cars, cables carry data between your computer, router, printer, and the internet. Understanding the different types of cables is the first step to building a reliable and fast network, whether at home, in an office, or in a data center.

What You Will Learn
In this room, you will learn the essential basics of network cables. We will cover the common types of cables you'll encounter, the connectors that plug into your devices, and the simple standards that tell you how to wire them correctly.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the three main types of network cables and their typical uses.
• Recognize common cable connectors like RJ45.
• Understand the basic difference between wiring standards (T568A vs T568B).
• List key considerations for installing cables safely and neatly.
• Choose the appropriate cable for a simple home or small office network.

Prerequisites

• None! This room is designed for absolute beginners. No prior networking knowledge is required.
• A curiosity about how things are connected is all you need.

Optional Video

This optional video covers the fundamental concepts of network cabling. It's helpful but not required to complete the room.

Think of network cables as different types of roads for your data. A dirt path, a city road, and a multi-lane highway can all get you from A to B, but they have different speeds, capacities, and uses. In this task, we'll look at the three main "roads" for data: Twisted Pair, Coaxial, and Fiber Optic cables.

Below is the Visual Demonstration of types of Cables

1. Twisted Pair Cable

This is the most common cable you will see. It's used for almost all Ethernet connections in homes and offices. Inside the plastic jacket, you will find pairs of thin copper wires twisted together. This twisting helps cancel out electrical interference from other cables or devices.

• Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP): The standard type. It's flexible, cheap, and works perfectly for most situations.
• Shielded Twisted Pair (STP): Has extra foil or braid around the wires to protect against heavy interference. Used in industrial settings.
• Common Use: Connecting computers to routers, routers to switches, and most office network devices.

2. Coaxial Cable

You might recognize this thick, round cable from older TV antennas or cable TV. It has a single copper core surrounded by insulation, a metal shield, and a plastic jacket. It's good at carrying signals over longer distances without as much loss as early twisted pair cables.

• Key Trait: The central core and the shield share the same axis (hence "co-axial").
• Common Use Today: Primarily used to connect your cable modem to the wall outlet for internet service. It's less common for direct device-to-device networking now.

3. Fiber Optic Cable

This is the high-tech "superhighway." Instead of electrical signals over copper, it uses pulses of light through incredibly thin strands of glass or plastic. This makes it immune to electrical interference and allows it to carry data over much longer distances at much higher speeds.

• Key Trait: Uses light (lasers or LEDs) to transmit data.
• Common Use: Long-distance internet backbone connections, connections between cities, high-speed links in data centers, and increasingly, direct fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) internet.

Cable Comparison at a Glance

Cable Type	Best For	Max Speed & Distance	Key Advantage	Key Limitation
Twisted Pair (UTP)	Home/Office Networks, Ethernet	Up to 10 Gbps / 100 meters	Low cost, flexible, easy to install	Susceptible to interference over long runs
Coaxial	Cable Internet (Modem to Wall)	High speeds / Longer than UTP	Good signal integrity over distance	Bulky, less flexible, outdated for LANs
Fiber Optic	Long Distance, High-Speed Backbones	100+ Gbps / Many kilometers	Extremely high speed, long distance, no interference	Higher cost, more fragile, complex termination

If the cable is the road, the connector is the on-ramp. For the twisted pair cables we use everyday, the connector is almost always an RJ45. It's the clear plastic clip you plug into your computer, router, or game console. It has 8 tiny metal pins inside that make contact with the 8 wires in your Ethernet cable.

Making the Connection: Wiring Standards

You can't just attach the wires in any order. They must follow a specific pattern, or pinout, so that the sending pins on one device connect to the correct receiving pins on the other. There are two main standards:

• T568A
• T568B

Both work perfectly, but you must use the same standard on both ends of a cable. Mixing them will create a crossover cable (used for specific, older connections), which won't work for standard device-to-router connections today.

Visual Demonstration: RJ45 Connector and Wiring Standards

T568A vs T568B: Which to Use?

Standard	Wire Order (Pins 1-8)	Common Use
T568A	White/Green, Green, White/Orange, Blue, White/Blue, Orange, White/Brown, Brown	Traditionally used in government and some legacy installations. Still perfectly valid.
T568B	White/Orange, Orange, White/Green, Blue, White/Blue, Green, White/Brown, Brown	The most common standard today for new commercial and residential installations.

The Simple Rule: For a standard straight-through cable (used to connect different types of devices like a computer to a router), use T568B on both ends. This is the safest choice for most DIY projects.

Other Connectors (Briefly)

• Coaxial (F-type): The threaded, single-pin connector used for cable TV and internet.
• Fiber Optic (LC, SC): Small, square or rectangular connectors that carefully align the tiny glass fibers. They snap or push-pull into place.

Congratulations! You've completed this room. Now, You've moved from knowing that a network cable is just a "wire" to understanding the different physical types, their connectors, and the standards that make them work together. This foundational knowledge is the first step in understanding any physical network.

What You Should Now Understand

You should now feel confident in:

1. Looking at a cable and having a good idea of what type it is and what it might be used for.
2. Understanding why one cable might be chosen over another for a simple task.
3. Knowing the basic "rules" for installing cables to keep them safe and working well.

Next Steps

Your learning journey doesn't have to stop here! To solidify your knowledge, you could:

• Look Around You: Identify the types of network cables connected to your own computer, game console, or router.
• Online Resources: Search for videos on how to crimp an RJ45 connector to see the process in action.
• Continue Learning: Explore other rooms on Cybrixen that build on this knowledge, such as those covering home networking, network devices (switches, routers), or wireless standards.

You have built a solid foundation in network cabling. Well done!