A discussion about the Types of cables Used in Networking is an important one, especially if you are planning to take the Cisco exams. You need to really understand the following three types of cables:
- Straight through cable
- Crossover cable
- Rollover cable
The cat5E which is short for Category 5 Enhanced unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable can handle speed up to a gigabit with the distance of up to 100 meters. (Types of cables Used in Networking)
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Straight-through cable is a Types of cables for Networking
A straight-through cable is a type of UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) cable that is used in LAN Networks to connect the networking devices like Computers, Hubs, Switches, Routers, etc. Straight through cable is also known as the patch cable and is an alternative to wireless connections where one or more computers access a router through a wireless signal. It is very important to know about Types of cables Used in Networking for network engineer. One way to identify the specific use of a straight-through cable is to compare it to a slightly different kind of cable called a crossover cable. On a straight-through cable, the wired pins match, while in a crossover cable the pins are typically reversed. A crossover cable is often used to connect two of the same kinds of devices.
Straight-through cable and crossover cable designs use many of the same standards and conventions. For example, a cat5e or Category 5e cable structure can be used for both. These cables are also subject to various other technical standards that provide consistency for these kinds of hardware connectors. Typically, a straight-through cable will terminate in a registered jack connector that looks somewhat like the common jacks on traditional telephone cables. Specific models of RJ connectors are used for these cable designs.
Straight-Through refers to cables that have the pin assignments on each end of the cable. In other words Pin 1 connector A goes to Pin 1 on connector B, Pin 2 to Pin 2, etc. Straight-Through wired cables are most commonly used to connect a host to the client. When we talk about cat5e patch cables, the Straight-Through wired cat5e patch cable is used to connect computers, printers and other network client devices to the router switch or hub (the host device in this instance)
The straight through cable is used to connect the following devices. These are:
- Host to Switch or Hub.
- Router to Switch or Hub
In the straight-through cable 4 wires are used to connect Ethernet devices. It is relatively simple to create this type.
- Notice: Only pins 1, 2, 3, and 6 are used. To make a connection just connect pin1 of connector A to Pin 1 of the connector of B, Pin 2 of Connector A to pin 2 of connector B, pin 3 of connector A to pin 3 of connector B and pin 6 of connector A to pin 6 of connector B and you will be up and networking in no time
Crossover Cable
A crossover cable is a type of cable installation that is used for the interconnection of two similar devices. It is enabled by reversing the transmission and receiving pins at both ends so that output from one computer becomes the input to the other, and vice versa.
A crossover cable is generally implemented on a twisted pair cable that consists of four pairs of cables. For crossover cable to work, both ends should follow the same wiring format.
The reversing or swapping of cables varies, depending on the different network environments and devices in use. For example, in a 100BaseTX network, the second and third pair must be swapped at each end to create a crossover cable. A crossover cable is also used to create mesh networks that work without an intermediate network device, such as a hub or switch.
Examples of crossover cables are null modem cables, rollover cables, and loopbacks.
The crossover cable can be used to connect the following devices:
- Host to Host
- Hub to Hub
- Switch to Switch
- Router to Router
- Hub to Switch
- Router direct to Host
Crossover wired cables (commonly called crossover cables) are very much like Straight-Through cables with the exception that TX and RX lines are crossed (they are at opposite positions on either end of the cable. Using the 568-B standard as an example below you will see that Pin 1 on connector A goes to Pin 3 on connector B. Pin 2 on connector A goes to Pin 6 on connector B etc. It is very important to know about Types of cables Used in Networking for network engineer. Crossover cables are most commonly used to connect two hosts directly. Examples would be connecting a computer directly to another computer, connecting a switch directly to another switch, or connecting a router to a router.
Note: While in the past when connecting two host devices directly a crossover cable was required. Nowadays most devices have auto-sensing technology that detects the cable and device and crosses pairs when needed.
Rollover Cable
Rollover cable (also known as a Yost cable or a Console cable) is a type of null-modem cable that is often used to connect a computer terminal to a router’s console port. This cable is typically flat (and has a light blue color) to help distinguish it from other types of network cabling. It gets the name rollover because the pinouts on one end are reversed from the other as if the wire had been rolled over and you were viewing it from the other side.
Rollover wired cables most commonly called rollover cables, have opposite Pin assignments on each end of the cable or in other words it is “rolled over”. Pin 1 of connector A would be connected to Pin 8 of connector B. Pin 2 of connector A would be connected to Pin 7 of connector B and so on. Rollover cables, sometimes referred to as Yost cables are most commonly used to connect to a devices console port to make programming changes to the device. Unlike crossover and straight-wired cables, rollover cables are not intended to carry data but instead create an interface with the device. It is very important to know about Types of cables Used in Networking for network engineer.
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