Fiber Optic Cable vs. Twisted Pair Cable vs. Coaxial Cable

 

fiber optic cable
fiber-cable

There are three main types of networking cables used in communication systems. These are fiber optic cable, twisted pair cable, and coaxial cable. Each differs from the otherin specifications, features, and applications.

Here’s what you need to know about them:

Coaxial Cable

Coax cable is the oldest of these network cables and works as a high-frequency transmission cable. Made up of a copper core with three coatings of insulation and shielding, its transmission is 80 times more than that of the twisted-pair cable.

A coaxial cable shielding prevents EMI interference and crosstalk from other cables, devices, lights, and motors. It also enables the coax cable to provide high-speed communication over large distances without significant signal loss.

Twisted-Pair Cable

As the name suggests, twisted-pair cables are two insulated copper wires twisted together. They are commonly used for telephone communications, Ethernet, and DSL lines.  

Twisted-pair cables prevent external interference and crosstalk from multi-pair cables. They come in two categories: shielded twisted-pair(STP) and unshielded twisted-pair (UTP).

The STP cables are layered with a braided protective foil around the twists to provide additional shielding and better resistance to external noise, interference, and crosstalk. The UTP consists of wires and insulators.

a person holding multiple fiber cables
fiber-cables

Fiber Optic Cable

Fiber optic cables are Ethernet cables withoptic fibers that are used to transmit data using light signals or pulses. They also have a tiny glass core that allows light pulses to carry data from one device to another. This mechanism gives them a more significant superiority over both other cable types.

Fiber optic cables transfer data at 69 percent of the speed of light, which is up to 26,000 times faster than a twisted cable. We have two types of fiber cables: single mode and multimode.

Single-mode fiber cables have a small glass tube that allows one light pulse to pass and travel simultaneously. Multimode fiber cables have a larger and wider glass tube that allows multiple pulses of light to carry a higher capacity of data simultaneously.

Shop from ISO-certified fiber optic products and solutions

Looking for high-quality fiber optics networking products? Head over to FiberMart, a globally recognized fiber-optic cables, network, and instrument supplier.

The company is ISO-certified and sells a full range of fiber products, including optical amplifiers, fiber optic adapters, fiber pigtails, fiber breakout cables, fiber quick connectors, and more.

Shop for your custom fiber solutions today.

 

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