Cables and Connectors

CABLES AND CONNECTORS
 
Network cables and connectors
The main reason why we set up a network is for easy transfer of digital information from one
computing device to another. We can set up a network in two forms: either wireless or wired.
For wired network, we make use of some cables that are linked together by connectors to
facilitate communication. Also for wireless, infrared, or radio-frequency transmitter are used to
enhance communication but they are usually low speed compared to wired networks.
 
Cables
A cable is the medium through which information transverses from one network device to
another. There are several types of cable which are commonly used with Local Area Networks
(LANs).
1. Twisted Pair: It is a type of wiring in which two conductors are twisted together for
the purposes of cancelling out electromagnetic interference (EMI) form external
sources. Twisted pair is the ordinary copper wire that connects home and many
business computers to the telephone company. To reduce crosstalk or
electromagnetic induction between pairs of wire, two insulator copper wires are
twisted around each other.
2. Coaxial Cable: It is an electrical cable with an inner conductor surrounded by a
flexible, tubular insulating layer and a tubular component parts. A plastic layer
provides insulation between the centre conductor and a braided metal shield. The
metal shield helps to block any outside interference.
  
Although, coaxial cabling is difficult to insta ll, it is highly resistance to signal interference. In
addition, it can support greater cable lengths between network devices than twisted pair cable.
It exists in two types: thin and thick coaxial cables.
1. Fibre Optic: It is long, thin strands of very pure glass about the diameter of a human
hair. They are arranged in bundles called optical cables and used to transmit light
signals over long distances. It has the ability to transmit signals over much longer
distances than coaxial and twisted pair. It also has capability to carry information at
vast greater speeds. Fibre optic cables are being employed in our modern day GSM,
telephone system, cable TV system or internet.
2. Telephone Cable: telephone wires were used in those days to connect computers
together on a network. The modem is usually installed with the computers to the
converter (modulate) signal at a source computer to analogue signal in other to
transmit it on the telephone wires. At the receiving computer end, the analogue
signal is converted back (demodulate) to digital signal. Telephone wires are usually
paired copper wires and are normally packed together in a thick black cable.
 
Connectors
A registered jack (RJ) is a standardized physical network interface-both jack construction and
wiring pattern-for connecting telecommunications or data equipment to a service provided by a
local exchange carrier of or long distance carrier. The standard designs for these connectors
and their wiring are named as RJ-11, RJ-45 etc.
1. RJ-45: The standard connector for unshielded twisted pair cabling is a RJ-45
connector. RJ45 connectors are most commonly seen with Ethernet cables and
networks.

RJ45 connectors feature eight pins to which the wire strands of a cable interface
electrically. Standard RJ-45 pinouts define the arrangement of the individual wires
needed when attaching connectors to a cable.
1. RJ11: it standard dictates a 2 wire connection, whereas RJ14 uses a 4-wire
configuration, and RJ-25 uses six wires. Plugs and jacks of these type are often called
modular connectors, which originally distinguished them from older telephone
connectors which were very bulky or wired directed to the wall and therefore not
accommodating of modular systems.

 
1. T-Connectors: it is mostly used with coaxial cables such as RG-58 A/U cable mainly
used with the 10Base-2 Ethernet system. It is a type of electric connector that joins a
conductor to anther conductor at right angles to it. It has a T-shape.

 
Sub-topic 2:             Computer cables and connectors.
Computer cables form the connections between computer systems and their peripheral
devices.  They are physical implementations of interface standards for transmitting data
between computers and peripherals such as keyboards, display devices, mass storage units, and
printers.  
1. Power cables: it is an assembly of two or more electrical conductors, usually held
together with an overall sheath. The assembly is used for the transmission of
electronic power. Power cables may be installed as permanent wiring within
buildings, buried on the ground, run overhead or exposed.
2.
3.
4.
1. Data cables – Data cables comprises all cables needed for the input of data into the
computer and the output of data from the computer system. They connect the input
and output devices of a computer.

Printer cable: it refers to the cable that carries data between a computer and a
printer. There are different types of cables depending on your printer e.g. parallel,
firewire, USb and so on.

  

2.
3.
4.
Universal Serial Bus (USB): You can use USB cables to connect most new devices to
your computer including flash memory sticks, portable media players, internet
modems and digital cameras.

Computer accessories like mice, keyboards, webcams, portable hard-drives,
microphones, printers, scanners and speakers can also be connected to the
computer through USB ports. Additionally, USB cables are also used for charging a
variety of gadgets including mobile phones or for transferring data from one
computer to another.

    
5.

Monitor cable: it is used to connect the monitor (VDU) to the CPU. Attached at both end of the
cable is a connector which could be either pin (male plug) of holes (female plug).

  

6.

Serial cable: it is used to transfer information between two devices using serial communication.
A serial communication is the process of sending data ine bit at a time sequentially, over a
communication channel or computer bus. Serial communication is used for all long-haul
communication and most computer networks where the cost of cables and synchronization
difficulties made parallel communication impractical.

7.

 

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