ST.

XAVIER’S COLLEGE
MAITIGHAR, KATHMANDU

Advanced Internetworking (AIW)

Lab Report 1: Network Cabling

Submitted by
Nischal Shakya
019BIM027

Submitted to
Er. Sanjay K. Yadav
Lecturer
Department of Computer Science
St. Xavier’s College
Objectives:

 To configure the basic components of networking

 To learn how to create Ethernet cable.
 To get familiar with the build of internet cable.
 To learn how components of an Ethernet cable such as RJ-45, clamper and cable
tester work.

Components Used:

 Cables (twisted pair cables, Category 6 cable)

 Lan tester
 Clamper
 Switches
Theory

Network Cable
An Ethernet cable is a very popular type of network cable which is used for wired networks (a
network type which connects devices to the Internet or other networks using cables).
They are used to connect devices located on local area networks (LANs), such as routers, PCs and
switches.
One of the most common wired networks use cables which are connected via Ethernet ports on
network routers and computers or other devices.
The cable that is used for the transmission and distribution of electrical power is known as the
electrical power cable. It is used for the transmission of high voltages in places where overhead
lines are impractical to use.

Cables are classified into 3 types depending upon their purpose as follows:

1. Twisted pair
Twisted pair cables consist of color-coded pairs of insulated copper wires, one wire carries the
signal, and the other is used for ground reference. Every two wires are twisted around each
other to form pairs that are encased in a plastic sheath each wire with a diameter of 0.4 mm to
0.8 mm.
The number of pairs varies depending on the cable type. More twists per foot in a pair of
wires, less the cross talk.
The two types of twisted pair are as follows:
a) Shielded twisted pair (STP)
As the name implies, shielded twisted pair cable adds a conductive layer (typically a metal
foil or a mesh) surrounding either each pair or entire cable.

Figure: Shielded Twisted pair

Advantages
 Easy installation.
 It has a higher capacity as compared to UTP cable.
 It is shielded that provides a higher data transmission rate.
Disadvantages
 Cables are bigger in diameter more expensive compared to UTP or coaxial cable.
Applications
 Used as instrumentation cable in industrial applications.
 Used in harsh cold and hot environments.
 Research applications.
b) Unshielded twisted pair (UTP)
Unshielded twisted pair cable uses no additional shielding like mesh or aluminum foil
which adds bulk are used.

Figure: Unshielded Twisted Pair

Purpose
 Untwisted pair cable is used for voice, low speed, and high-speed data and audio
support systems.
Advantages
 It is cheap compared to coaxial or optic fiber cable.
 Used in computer networking such as Ethernet for short to medium distances.
Disadvantages
 This cable can be used for shorter distances because of the signal attenuation.
Applications
 Used in LAN.
There are different types of unshielded twisted pair cable, all support different bandwidths.

Figure: Categories of UTP

Category 1: This is not recognized by the TIA/EIA.Is used for a telephone line that has a
low-speed data rate.

Category 2: This is not recognized by the TIA/EIA. It was the form of wiring that was
used for 4Mbit/s token ring networks.

Category 3: This cable is defined in TIA/EIA-568-B. It is used for data networks

employing frequencies up to 16 MHz. It was popular for use with 10 Mbps Ethernet
networks (100Base-T), but has now been superseded by Cat-5 cable.

Category 4: This cable is not recognised by the TIA/EIA. However, it can be used for
networks carrying frequencies up to 20 MHz. It was often used on 16Mbps token ring
networks.

Category 5: This is not recognised by the TIA/EIA. This is the network cable that is
widely used for 100Base-T and 1000Base-T networks as it provides performance to allow
data at 100 Mbps and slightly more (125 MHz for 1000Base-T) Ethernet. The Cat 5 cable
superseded the Cat 3 version and for a number of years it became the standard for Ethernet
cabling. Cat 5 cable is now obsolete and therefore it is not recommended for new
installations.

Category-5e: This form of cable is recognised by the TIA/EIA and is defined in TIA/EIA-
568, being last revised in 2001. It has a slightly higher frequency specification that Cat-5
cable as the performance extends up to 125 Mbps.Cat-5e can be used for 100Base-T and
1000Base-t (Gigabit Ethernet).

Category 6 cable (CAT-6): This type of cable is known as the sixth generation of the
twisted pair Ethernet cabling, and consists of four pairs of copper wires, as with the CAT
5e category.
Cat6, however, makes full use of all four pairs of copper wiring, and can achieve speeds of
up to 1 Gbps (gigabit per second) and boasts twice the speed of CAT 5e cables.
This type of cable also supports Gigabit Ethernet due to its high performance, with an
enhanced type available (CAT 6a) that can achieve speeds of up to 10 Gbps.
2. Coaxial cables
Coaxial cables are also called coax (short form). Coaxial cable is a type of cable with multiple
layers. Coaxial cables have an inner conductor is called the core, which carries the radio
frequency signal. The core wire may be a single solid conductor or multi strands of twisted
cable. It is surrounded by a dielectric insulator.

Coaxial cables are categorized based on the type of signal transmission. One is Baseband and
the other is Broadband cable.

Figure: Coaxial Cable

Baseband cable: It is a 50 ohms resistance cable that is capable of digital transmission. Used
in short distances for optimum performance.

Broadband cable: It is a 75 ohms resistance cable used for analog data transmission. It is
used up to 100 km.

Advantages

 Coaxial cable is useful for both analog and digital data transmission.
 It has a higher bandwidth, so it supports a mixed range of services.
 Relatively less expensive compare to fiber optic cable.

Disadvantages

 The number of node connections is limited.

 Prone to damage due to lightning strikes.

Applications

 Broadband internet, high-speed computer data buses, cable TV, Ethernet.

3. Optic Fiber Cable

It also is known as fiber optic cable consists of strands of one or more fibers inside the casing
and its assembly is similar to electrical cable.
Optical fiber has three parts
Core
It is the inner layer is called the core, with refractive index n1. Light is guided in this part. The
core will have a higher refractive index than cladding.
Cladding
which surrounds the core, with refractive index n2. Whose refractive index is less than the
core? The purpose of cladding is to keep the light reflections in core instead of being
reflections.
Casing
Which is an outer layer for protecting the cable from damages.
There are two types of optical fibers, glass, and plastic. Plastic fiber is used for short
communication. Optical fiber transfers data at the speed of light in the glass.

Figure: Optic Fibre Cable

Advantages
 Extremely high bandwidth and speed.
 Impervious to electromagnetic interference.
 Several kilometers of optical fiber cable can be made cheaper than the equivalent
length of copper cable.
 Optical fibers usually have a longer life cycle for more than 100 years.
 The loss of signal in fiber optic cable is very less than that in copper wire.
 The smaller size and lightweight than a comparable copper wire cable.
 Less weight can be bundled together.
 Optical fiber is thinner and can be drawn to smaller diameters than copper wire.
Disadvantages
 More unsafe than damage compared to copper wires.
 Should not twist or bend fiber optic cables too tightly. Follow specification for cable
bend radius.
Applications
 Used in Telephone signals, internet communication, cable television
RJ45

A registered jack (RJ) is a standardized physical network interface for connecting

telecommunications or data equipment.
 An 8-pin/8-position plug or jack is commonly used to connect computers onto
Ethernet-based local area networks (LAN).
 Two wiring schemes–T568A and T568B–are used to terminate the twisted-pair
cable onto the connector interface.

Pin Configuration in RJ45

Types of Ethernet Cables

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1. Straight-Through Cable
A straight through cable is a type of twisted pair cable that is used in local area
networks to connect a computer to a network hub such as a router. This type of cable is
also sometimes called a patch cable and is an alternative to wireless connections where
one or more computers access a router through a wireless signal.

This cable type has identical wiring on both ends. This type of cable is used to connect
the following devices:
 Switch to router
 Switch to PC or server
 Hub to PC or server

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2. Crossover Cable
A crossover Ethernet cable is a type of Ethernet cable used to connect computing
devices together directly. Unlike straight through cable, the RJ45 crossover cable uses
two different wiring standards: one end uses the T568A wiring standard, and the other
end uses the T568B wiring standard. The internal wiring of Ethernet crossover cables
reverses the transmit and receive signals.

Use crossover cables for the following cabling:

 Switch to switch
 Switch to hub
 Hub to hub
 Router to router
 Router Ethernet port to PC NIC
 PC to PC

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Conclusion:
We learned how to construct an Ethernet cable using Cat-6 cable, RJ45 and clampers. We
also tested the cables using a tester. We learnt about the built and connection types of
cables using an unshielded twisted pair.