In principle, patch cables can be classified into performance classes depending on their category. But not all of them are suitable for all areas of application. Robustness, performance and reliability are fundamental features of high-quality patch cables.
In addition to the suitable cable type and the corresponding cable category, you should also consider the shielding, the cable length, reliability as well as the suitable plugs and contacts before purchasing. In principle, the cable length is limited to meters but increased damping will shorten the maximum length. The lower the damping, the higher the speed and the transmission quality. In addition, interference factors are largely eliminated by means of cable shielding.
Another alternative for single-shielded cables are FTP cables where the wire pairs are protected. Network cables are divided into patch cables, laying cables and crossover cables according to their type: while the patch cable commonly twisted-pair cables connects the computer to a hub, switch or router and forms the basis for building a network.
Crossover cables, in which two pairs of wires cross, can be used to connect two PCs without an intermediate router or switches. Thicker cables are used when it comes to building a long-term network infrastructure, where longer distances are needed with relatively little loss in quality. Once you have decided on the right cable type, you should keep an eye on the performance class, which is reflected in categories Cat 1 to 7.
Please note that higher category classes automatically cover the performance parameters of all underlying categories of network cables. Specific requirement criteria have been defined for each group. While Cat 1 to 4 hardly play a role today, the Cat 5, 6 and sometimes 7 cables are much more common. The cables of category 1 were originally designed for operating frequencies of maximum MHz and were suitable for voice transmission in telephony.
Cat 2 cables for operating frequencies of up to 1. For cables in categories 3 and 4 we are already talking about frequencies of 16 MHz and 20 MHz, but today these LAN cables can still be found in old installations — today they are replaced by Cat 5, 6 and 7 models.
Cat 5 cables are ideal for structured network cabling of computers and are suitable for Fast or Gigabit Ethernet. They enable a transfer rate of up to Mbps, the maximum transfer rate of the most common network devices in the home, such as Smart TV, NAS or network printers. However, the highest possible transmission speed decreases in proportion to the length of the cable. This is limited to meters.
The range of around 50m is increased by using switches in between. In addition, the requirements regarding the suppression of noise and other acoustic disturbances are increasing.
But what on earth is the difference between the patch cable and crossover cable? With regard to these two patch cable wiring schemes, there are two different connectivity forms. The TB wiring scheme is by far the most common, though many devices support the TA wiring scheme as well. If both ends of the patch cords are wired on the basis of one standard, it is a straight through connection.
Both the standards can be used for straight through cable. If not, it is a crossover connection. Some networking applications require an Ethernet crossover cable, which has a TA connector on one end and a TB connector on the other.
This type of cable is typically used for direct computer-to-computer connections. The following section will introduce the straight through cable or patch cable and crossover cable in details. Many networking professionals use the term patch cable to refer to any kind of straight through cable. So a patch cable is often called a straight through cable. In other words, patch cable does not change or swap along its way. Both ends use the same wiring standard: TA or TB.
So both side connector A and connector B of patch cable have wire arrangement with same patch cable colors as shown in the following picture. These patch cables are widely used for connecting the computer to the switches, hubs, or routers.
Crossover cable, as the name suggests, cross over or swap on its way when coming from one end to the other. Unlike patch cable, crossover cable uses two different wiring standards on both end: one end uses the TA wiring standard, and the other end uses the TB wiring standard. Both side connector A and connector B of crossover cable have wire arrangement with different color, and the wires that come out of the connector A should match the correct pin at the connector B.
As shown in the following wiring scheme, you can see that Pin 1 on connector A goes to Pin 3 on connector B, pin 2 to pin 6, pin 3 to pin 1 and pin 6 to pin 2, etc. The crossover cables are mainly used for connecting two routers, computers, or hubs. In brief, a crossover cable connects two devices of the same type to communicate together, like a PC to a PC, or a switch to a switch.
The patch cable connects two different devices to each other, like a PC and a switch. The following scenarios will explain the different applications.
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