Know fundamental differences between fiber optic cable, twisted pair cable, and coaxial cable

2023-10-19 10:00:00 / 0

The communication systems are advancing day by day due to emerging global trends. So, to cope with the needs of the customers' various types of communication cables are available in the market. Each variety of cable is appropriate for its applications. They all are featured well to perform well. Then why is there a distinction among them? Which features create differences? To answer these questions, let's have a detailed discussion on networking and communication cables.

What is a twisted pair cable?

One Of the most common cables used for Ethernet networking and telephone communications is the twisted pair cable. It is designed so that a single circuit is created by twisting two conductors together. Thus, in twisted pair cables, each circuit for data transmission consists of two wires. The twisting of each circuit's or pair's conductors provides better protection against crosstalk and noise generating because of data transmission across adjacent pairs.

Types of twisted pair cable

Shielded and Unshielded twisted pair cables are the two available types of twisted-pair cables. Following are the most commonly used unshielded copper cables;

• Cat5
• Cat5e
• Cat6
• Cat6a
• Cat7

Each pair of copper conductors or wires comes wrapped in a foil in shielded twisted pair cables. Moreover, all four pairs are wrapped together in a metallic foil. Understandably, shielded twisted pair cables offer better noise rejection than unshielded ones. However, both types of twisted pair cables are eligible for deployment in 10GBASE-T networks.

What is the coaxial cable?

A coaxial cable is the best option to adopt for the transmission of high-frequency signals. In coaxial cables, a round copper conductor enclosed in layers of insulation and shields ensures efficient transmission of signals. The shielded construction of the coaxial cable makes it a viable solution for achieving communication between two distantly located devices. The anti-crosstalk properties of coaxial cables make them less prone to crosstalk from lights, motors, and other electrical equipment.

Types of coaxial cable:

There are many different types of coaxial cables, but the most commonly used variants are:

RG6: Contain thick insulation and provides good shielding. This type is most appropriate for satellite TV and digital video.

RG59: This type is best for short-distance applications like television transmission. It is a primary type of coaxial cable because of less shielding and relatively thinner structure.

Fiber optical cable – Basics

Optical fiber cable or fiber optic cable consists of one of the multiple strands of optic fiber, which allows the transmission of data in the form of light. The optical fiber cable's signal transmission capacity is 26000 times greater than twisted-pair wire. There are two common types of optical fiber cables;

• Single-mode fiber ·
• Multimode fiber

Single-mode fiber allows only one mode of light to pass through it. The most used type of single-mode fiber is OS2 which supports data transmission over several kilometers.

Multimode optical fiber cables allow multiple modes or rays of light to propagate instantaneously as it features a larger core. The commonly used MMF are OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4, and OM5.

Comparison of fiber optic cable, twisted pair cable, and coaxial cable

Along with constructional and design differences, these cables also vary according to their performance and other parameters.

In terms of Cost

Optical fiber cables offer better performance and higher capacity, and that's why these cables cost more than copper cables. However, it is essential to know that optical fiber cable can be a cheaper choice in most cases. When we opt to go with copper cables, we need additional protection against electromagnetic waves, which incurs extra cost. But that's not the case with optical fiber because of its inherent immunity to noise and electromagnetic interference. Thus, fiber-based LAN will surely be an economical choice for new installations, such as for constructing an enterprise network or building a data center.

In terms of installation

Optical fiber provides more reliability and flexibility, but some drawbacks are also associated with it. As discussed earlier, thin strands of glass are used for data transmission in optical fiber cables. Thus, these cables are fragile and can only be twisted to a certain degree. The installation and maintenance of optical fiber cables are much more channeling than copper-based networking cables. The twisted pair is an obvious winner in installation and care when it comes to coaxial and twisted pair cables. Though coaxial cable has a more extended reach, the thick dielectric insulator layer incorporated in this cable type makes installation and maintenance relatively tricky.

In terms of installation

What about distance, bandwidth, and speed?

Coaxial cables and twisted pair cables are copper-based cables; both can transmit data and telephone signals in electrical pulses. In comparison, optical fiber cables can also handle a similar type of data. However, optical fiber cables can offer much faster speed and higher bandwidth the copper-based networking cables.

Final thoughts:

There is a surge in demand for optical fiber cable in today's scenario. However, choosing fiber optic cables, coaxial cables, or twisted pair cables still heavily depends on the intended applications.

Finally, no doubt that there are many differences between coaxial cables, optic cables, and twisted pair cables, but still, they all have advantages that make them useful in many situations. In addition to these, various factors such as cost, performance, reach, ease of installation and maintenance, future expansion plans, scalability, availability of hardware, etc., can help you end up with the most appropriate choice.

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