Cables and Connectors

Network Cables

Network Cables are mediums through which information usually moves from one network to another.

Types of Network Cables

Network cables include the following types:
a. Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cables
b. Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cables
c. Coaxial Cables
d. Fibre Optics
e. Telephone

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable

UTP is a popular type of cable that consists of two unshielded wires twisted around each other. Due to its low cost, UTP cabling is used extensively for local-area networks (LANs) and telephone connections. UTP cabling does not offer as high bandwidth or as good protection from interference as coaxial or fibre optic cables, but it is less expensive and easier to work with.

Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cables

Shielded twisted pair is suitable for environments with electrical interferences; however, the extra shielding can make the cables quite bulky.

Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cabling has a single copper conductor at its centre. A plastic layer provides insulation between the centre conductor and the braided metal shield. The metal shield helps block any outside interference from fluorescent lights, motors and other computers.
There are two types of coaxial cabling:
a. Thin coaxial cables (Thin net)
b. Thick coaxial cables (thick net)

Fiber Optic Cable

Fiber Optic cable consists of a centre glass core surrounded by several layers of protective materials. It transmits light rather than an electronic signal eliminating the problem of electrical interference.

Telephone Cable

Telephone systems use low-voltage electrical wires to convey signals to phones, modems and fax machines.

Network Connectors

An electrical connector is a conductive device for joining electrical circuits together.
Types of Network Connectors
1. Registered Jacks
2. Coaxial connectors
3. T-connectors

Register Jacks

The naming convention for Register jacks is RJ-xx, where xx is a two-digit number. The two digits indicate the type of interface and the area of its application.
Examples of Register Jack Connectors
a. RJ 45 connector
This is a plastic connector that looks like a large telephone-style connector. A slot allows the RJ 45 to be inserted only one way.
b. RJ 11 connector
The RJ 11 is the most common phone jack that is in use today. RJ 11 connectors are used to terminate phone lines and are typically deployed with single-line POTS (plain Old Telephone Service) telephone jacks.

Coaxial Cables Connector

The most common type of connector used with coaxial cable is the Bayone-Neill-Concelman (BNC) connector.

T-connector

T-connectors are connectors for connecting three cables. It is usually in the shape of a capital T.

Computer Cables

Computer cables include the following:
1. Power cable
2. Data cable
3. Printer cable
4. Monitor cable
5. Serial cable
6. Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable

Power Cable

A power cable or main cable is a cord that temporarily connects electrical appliances like the computer to the distribution circuits of an electrical power source via a wall socket or extension cord.

Data Cable

Data cables are used to transmit information between the system bus and peripheral devices.

Printer cable

Printer cable is used to connect a parallel printer to the parallel port on a PC. A parallel port is a type of interface found on computers for connecting various peripheral devices.

Monitor cable

A monitor cable or a VGA (Video Graphics Array) cable is a cable used to transmit video signals

Serial cable

A serial cable is a cable used to transfer information between two devices using a serial communication protocol.

Universal Serial Bus Cable

This cable is used for connecting peripheral devices to a computer.

Computer Connectors

There are generally two types of connectors namely:
Male Connectors
Female Connectors
The gender of a connector is easy to determine. A male connector has one or more protrusions that couple with a female receptacle. Good examples of male connectors are power plugs and coaxial cables.
Virtually all of the receptacles (USB, RCA, and Ethernet connectors) on a computer are female.
The male has “pins” which stick out, while the female has holes or receptacles contacts. Note:
A Radio Corporation of America (RCA) connector is a type of electrical connector that is used to carry audio/video (A/V) signals.