Computer Communication and Networks Lab Manual CSC339

Lab 1: Ethernet Cabling

Objective
This lab exercise is designed to give students hands on experience of building
CAT-5 UTP Ethernet patch cables.

Resources Required

• CAT 5 Cable - bulk Category 5, 5e or 6 cable

• RJ45 Ends
• Crimper for RJ45
• Wire Cutters - to cut and strip the cable if necessary
• Wire Stripper
• Cable Tester

Introduction

Network media is the actual path over which an electrical signal travels as it
moves from one component to another. There are different types of network cables
such as twisted-pair cable, coaxial cable, and fiber optic cable. This section, however,
describes only twisted pair and coaxial cables.

Twisted Pair Cable

Twisted-pair cable is a type of cabling that is used for telephone

communications and most modern Ethernet networks. A pair of wires forms a circuit
that can transmit data. The pairs are twisted to provide protection against crosstalk,
the noise generated by adjacent pairs. When electrical current flows through a wire, it
creates a small, circular magnetic field around the wire. When two wires in an
electrical circuit are placed close together, their magnetic fields are the exact opposite
of each other. Thus, the two magnetic fields cancel each other out. They also cancel
out any outside magnetic fields. Twisting the wires can enhance this cancellation
effect. Using cancellation together with twisting the wires, cable designers can
effectively provide self-shielding for wire pairs within the network media.
Two basic types of twisted-pair cable exist: unshielded twisted pair (UTP) and
shielded twisted pair (STP). The following sections discuss UTP and STP cable in
more detail.

UTP Cable

UTP cable is a medium that is composed of pairs of wires (see Figure 1-1). UTP
cable is used in a variety of networks. Each of the eight individual copper wires in UTP
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cable is covered by an insulating material. In addition, the wires in each pair are
twisted around each other.

Figure 1-1 Unshielded Twisted-Pair Cable

UTP cable relies solely on the cancellation effect produced by the twisted wire
pairs to limit signal degradation caused by electromagnetic interference (EMI) and
radio frequency interference (RFI). To further reduce crosstalk between the pairs in
UTP cable, the number of twists in the wire pairs varies. UTP cable must follow precise
specifications governing how many twists or braids are permitted per meter (3.28 feet)
of cable.
UTP cable often is installed using a Registered Jack 45 (RJ-45) connector (see
Figure 1-2). The RJ-45 is an eight-wire connector used commonly to connect
computers onto a local-area network (LAN), especially Ethernets.

Figure 1-2 RJ-45 Connectors

When used as a networking medium, UTP cable has four pairs of either 22- or 24-
gauge copper wire. UTP used as a networking medium has an impedance of 100
ohms; this differentiates it from other types of twisted-pair wiring such as that
used for telephone wiring, which has impedance of 600 ohms.
UTP cable offers many advantages. Because UTP has an external diameter of
approximately 0.43 cm (0.17 inches), its small size can be advantageous during
installation. Because it has such a small external diameter, UTP does not fill up wiring
ducts as rapidly as other types of cable. This can be an extremely important factor to
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consider, particularly when installing a network in an older building. UTP cable is

easy to install and is less expensive than other types of networking media. In fact,
UTP costs less per meter than any other type of LAN cabling. And because UTP can
be used with most
of the major networking architectures, it continues to grow in popularity.
Disadvantages also are involved in using twisted-pair cabling, however. UTP
cable is more prone to electrical noise and interference than other types of
networking media, and the distance between signal boosts is shorter for UTP than it
is for coaxial and fiber-optic cables.
Although UTP was once considered to be slower at transmitting data than
other types of cable, this is no longer true. In fact, UTP is considered the fastest
copper-based medium today.

The following summarizes the features of UTP cable:

• Speed and throughput—10 to 1000 Mbps
• Average cost per node—Least expensive
• Media and connector size—Small
• Maximum cable length—100 m (short)

Commonly used types of UTP cabling are as follows:

Category 1—Used for telephone communications. Not suitable for transmitting data.
Category 2—Capable of transmitting data at speeds up to 4 megabits per second (Mbps).
Category 3—Used in 10BASE-T networks. Can transmit data at speeds up to 10 Mbps.
Category 4—Used in Token Ring networks. Can transmit data at speeds up to 16 Mbps.
Category 5—Can transmit data at speeds up to 100 Mbps.
Category 5e—Used in networks running at speeds up to 1000 Mbps (1 gigabit
per second [Gbps]).
Category 6—Typically, Category 6 cable consists of four pairs of 24 American Wire
Gauge (AWG) copper wires. Category 6 cable is currently the fastest standard for UTP.

Shielded Twisted-Pair Cable

Shielded twisted-pair (STP) cable combines the techniques of shielding,

cancellation, and wire twisting. Each pair of wires is wrapped in a metallic foil (see
Figure 1-3). The four pairs of wires then are wrapped in an overall metallic braid or
foil, usually 150-ohm cable. As specified for use in Ethernet network installations,
STP reduces electrical noise both within the cable (pair-to-pair coupling, or
crosstalk) and from outside the cable (EMI and RFI). STP usually is installed with STP
data connector, which is created especially for the STP cable. However, STP cabling
also can use the same RJ connectors that UTP uses.

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Figure 1-3 Shielded Twisted-Pair Cable

Although STP prevents interference better than UTP, it is more expensive and
difficult to install. In addition, the metallic shielding must be grounded at both ends. If
it is improperly grounded, the shield acts like an antenna and picks up unwanted
signals. Because of its cost and difficulty with termination, STP is rarely used in
Ethernet networks. STP is primarily used in Europe.

The following summarizes the features of STP cable:

• Speed and throughput—10 to 100 Mbps
• Average cost per node—Moderately expensive
• Media and connector size—Medium to large
• Maximum cable length—100 m (short)

When comparing UTP and STP, keep the following points in mind:
• The speed of both types of cable is usually satisfactory for local-
area distances.
• These are the least-expensive media for data communication. UTP is
less expensive than STP.
• Because most buildings are already wired with UTP, many
transmission standards are adapted to use it, to avoid costly rewiring
with an alternative cable type.

Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable consists of a hollow outer cylindrical conductor that

surrounds a single inner wire made of two conducting elements. One of these
elements, located in the center of the cable, is a copper conductor. Surrounding
the copper conductor is a layer of flexible insulation. Over this insulating material
is a woven copper braid or metallic foil that acts both as the second wire in the
circuit and as a shield for the

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inner conductor. This second layer, or shield, can help reduce the amount of
outside interference. Covering this shield is the cable jacket.

Figure 1-4 Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable supports 10 to 100 Mbps and is relatively inexpensive,

although it is more costly than UTP on a per-unit length. However, coaxial cable can
be cheaper for a physical bus topology because less cable will be needed. Coaxial
cable can be cabled over longer distances than twisted-pair cable. For example,
Ethernet can run approximately 100 meters (328 feet) using twisted-pair cabling.
Using coaxial cable increases this distance to 500m (1640.4 feet).
For LANs, coaxial cable offers several advantages. It can be run with fewer
boosts from repeaters for longer distances between network nodes than either
STP or UTP cable. Repeaters regenerate the signals in a network so that they can
cover greater distances. Coaxial cable is less expensive than fiber-optic cable, and
the technology is well known; it has been used for many years for all types of data
communication.
When working with cable, you need to consider its size. As the thickness, or
diameter, of the cable increases, so does the difficulty in working with it. Many
times cable must be pulled through existing conduits and troughs that are limited
in size. Coaxial cable comes in a variety of sizes. The largest diameter (1 centimeter
[cm]) was specified for use as Ethernet backbone cable because historically it had
greater transmission length and noise-rejection characteristics. This type of coaxial
cable is frequently referred to as Thicknet. As its nickname suggests, Thicknet cable
can be too rigid to install easily in some situations because of its thickness. The
general rule is that the more difficult the network medium is to install, the more
expensive it is to install. Coaxial cable is more expensive to install than twisted-pair
cable. Thicknet cable is almost never used except for special-purpose installations.
A connection device known as a vampire tap was used to connect network
devices to Thicknet. The vampire tap then was connected to the computers via a
more flexible cable called the attachment unit interface (AUI). Although this 15-pin
cable was still thick and tricky to terminate, it was much easier to work with than
Thicknet.
In the past, coaxial cable with an outside diameter of only 0.35 cm

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(sometimes referred to as Thinnet) was used in Ethernet networks. Thinnet was

especially useful for cable installations that required the cable to make many twists
and turns. Because it was easier to install, it was also cheaper to install. Thus, it was
sometimes referred to as Cheapernet. However, because the outer copper or
metallic braid in coaxial cable comprises half the electrical circuit, special care had to
be taken to ensure that it was properly grounded. Grounding was done by ensuring
that a solid electrical connection existed at both ends of the cable. Frequently,
however, installers failed to properly ground the cable. As a result, poor shield
connection was one of the biggest sources of connection problems in the installation
of coaxial cable. Connection problems resulted in electrical noise, which interfered
with signal transmittal on the networking medium. For this reason, despite its small
diameter, Thinnet no longer is commonly used in Ethernet networks.
The most common connectors used with Thinnet are BNC, short for British
Naval Connector or Bayonet Neill Concelman, connectors (see Figure 1-5). The basic
BNC connector is a male type mounted at each end of a cable. This connector has a
center pin connected to the center cable conductor and a metal tube connected to
the outer cable shield. A rotating ring outside the tube locks the cable to any female
connector. BNC Tconnectors are female devices for connecting two cables to a
network interface card (NIC). A BNC barrel connector facilitates connecting two cables
together.

Figure 1-5 Thinnet and BNC Connector

The following summarizes the features of coaxial cables:

• Speed and throughput—10 to 100 Mbps
• Average cost per node—Inexpensive
• Media and connector size—Medium
• Maximum cable length—500 m (medium)
Internal Structure of the UTP Cable
Here is what the internals of the cable look like:

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Internal Cable Structure and Color Coding

Inside the cable, there are 8 color coded wires. These wires are twisted into 4
pairs of wires; each pair has a common color theme. One wire in the pair being a
solid or primarily solid colored wire and the other being a primarily white wire with a
colored stripe (Sometimes cable doesn't have any color on the striped cable, the only
way to tell is to check which other wire it is twisted around). Examples of the naming
schemes used are: Orange (alternatively Orange/White) for the solid colored wire
and White/Orange for the striped cable. The twists are extremely important. They
are there to counteract noise and interference. It is important to wire according to a
standard to get proper performance from the cable. The TIA/EIA-568-A specifies two
wiring standards for a 8-position modular connector such as RJ45. The two wiring
standards, T568A and T568B vary only in the arrangement of the colored pairs.

RJ45 Ends

The RJ45 end is an 8-position modular connector that looks like a large
phone plug. There are a couple variations available. The primary variation you
need to pay attention to is whether the connector is intended for braided or
solid wire. For braided/stranded wires, the connector has contacts that actually
pierce the wire. For solid wires, the connector has fingers which pierce the
insulation and make contact with the wire by grasping it from both sides.

Here is a diagram and pinout:

RJ45 Jack and Plug Pinout

Ethernet Cable Pinouts:

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There are two basic cables. A straight through cable, which is used to
connect to a hub or switch, and a cross over cable used to operate in a peer-to-
peer fashion without a hub/switch. Some interfaces can cross and un-cross a
cable automatically as needed, really quite nice.

Standard, Straight-Through Wiring (both ends are the same)

Straight-Through Cable Pinout for T568A

Straight-Through Cable Pinout for T568B

Straight-Through Cable Pinout for T568B

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Procedure to make Ethernet Cables:

1. Strip off about 2 inches of the cable sheath.

2. Untwist the pairs - don't untwist them beyond what you have
exposed, the more untwisted cable you have the worse the problems
you can run into.
3. Align the colored wires according to the diagrams above.
4. Trim all the wires to the same length, about 1/2" to 3/4" left exposed
from the sheath.
5. Insert the wires into the RJ45 end - make sure each wire is fully
inserted to the front of the RJ45 end and in the correct order. The
sheath of the cable should extend into the RJ45 end by about 1/2" and
will be held in place by the crimp.
6. Crimp the RJ45 end with the crimper tool

Crimper tool

7. Verify the wires ended up the right order and that the wires extend to
the front of the RJ45 end and make good contact with the metal
contacts in the RJ45 end.
8. Cut the cable to length - make sure it is more than long enough for
your needs. Remember, an end to end connection should not extend
more than 100m (~328ft). Try to keep cables short, the longer the
cable becomes the more it may affect performance, usually
noticeable as a gradual decrease in speed and increase in latency.
9. Repeat the above steps for the second RJ45 end.
10. If a cable tester is available, use it to verify the proper connectivity of
the cable.

That should be it, if your cable doesn't turn out, look closely at each end and
see if you can find the problem. Usually a wire ended up in the wrong place or more
commonly, one of the wires didn't extend to the front of the RJ45 connector and is
making no, or poor contact. If you see a mistake or problem, cut the end off and start
again.

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Straight thru and Crossover connection diagram

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Lab Tasks

Post Lab Task 1: Answer the following:

i. What is the advantage of having twists in a twisted pair cable?

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ii. Identify the differences between twisted pair and coaxial cables.

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iii. Which type twisted pair cable will you use to connect? Router to Hub, Router to
Router, PC to HUB, PC to PC

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iv. Can you connect a hub to another hub or a switch to another switch to another
switch using a straight-through cable? Explain your answer.

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v. Summarize in tabular form the features of UTP, SPT and Coaxial cables in terms of
Speed, Average code per node, connector size and Maximum cable length?

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vi. What is difference between thicknet and thinnet? Write connectors name of
thicknet and thinnet?

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