Though we may be living in the Wireless Age (as well as the Netflix Age), network cabling isn’t going anywhere too soon. As new technologies emerge and are introduced into our brave new technocracy, physical cabling is being utilized all the more. Despite all its recent advancements, wireless still can’t transfer data at a speed and quality that matches wired networks. As cabling contractors in Middlesex County, NJ and other parts, we’ve seen and implemented all types of network cabling. Here are three that come to our mind:
Copper Coaxial
If you’ve ever peered behind your television before, you probably know what a coaxial cable is. Patented back in the 19th century—1880 to be exact—coaxial is still going strong as the de facto form of cabling for 10 Mbps ethernet connections. In the technological heyday of the 80s and 90s (20th century), networks boasted two types of coaxial cables: thicknet and thinnet. These cables were rather rigid, being shielded by layers of insulation. Installing coaxial cable, and exclusively coaxial, was not fun for anyone involved.
The Twisty Cables
During the 80s and 90s, twisted pair cables entered the fray. With their arrival also came a 10 Mbps ethernet called Category 3, or Cat3. Before long, Cat3 was followed by Cat5 (which may be running between the ethernet ports of your computer and router at this moment). Cat5e then made its debut, boosting ethernet connections up to 10 Gbps. Including as many as four pairs of wires all twisted together, Cat cabling was mostly a means of minimizing electromagnetic interference.
Fiber Optical
On the day that fiber optics were invented, cabling contractors in and around Monmouth County, NJ could be heard rejoicing in rapture. Unlike older, stiffer wiring, fiber optics are woven full with strands of glass. Being made of glass, they are extremely malleable and flexible, able to be bent and fed over vast distances. In terms of types, there are single mode cables for 100BaseBX and multimode cables for 100BaseSX. You tend to see single mode being used by internet providers because of its higher bandwidth. Usually, smaller local networks will opt for multimode, being the more economical of the two.
No matter what your cabling needs are, we’ll be happy to accommodate you! Give us a call today for more information.