CABLES AND

CONNECTORS
Chapter 2
OBJECTIVES
 Upon completion of this chapter, you should
be able to:
 Select & install cables for connecting to a dial-up
network
 Select & install cables for connecting to an
Ethernet network
 Identify network cables by sight or name
 Identify network cable speed capabilities by
name
 Identify network connectors by sight or name
 Given a scenario and networking requirements,
select and install cables for communication
between computers and networking devices
 Troubleshoot issues with networking media
 2.1

TWISTED PAIR
USING TWISTED PAIR
 Pairs of copper wire wrapped in
insulation, twisted around each other
 Electrical pulses
 Inexpensive & easy to work with
 Look up a 500ft roll of Cat6 cable
THE TWISTS
 Crosstalk
 Small amount of electricity leaks & jumps to
other wires
 Problem if you have wires close to each
other
 Twisting cancels out crosstalk
TWISTED PAIR
 Less expensive  Thin outer covering
 Very flexible  EMI
 Keep away from
 Easy to run
fluorescent lights
 Newer, faster
standards designed
 Distance limit
to run on twisted  Possible
pair eavesdropping

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
TYPES OF
TWISTED PAIR CABLES
 Cat3
 Old, slow (10Mbps)
 Cat5
 100Mbps
 Cat5e
 1000Mbps/1Gbps
 Better against crosstalk/EMI
 Cat6
 1Gbps & up
 10Gbps not recommended
 Must use shorter lengths or use Cat6a
TWISTED PAIR
CONNECTORS
 RJ11
4 connectors, 2 pairs of wire
 Phone/DSL
 RJ45
8 connectors, 4 pairs of wire
 Ethernet
REVIEW- 5Q
 Category 6 cables have how many wires in
them?
8
 Which connector is used for phone cables?
 RJ11
 Which connector is used for Ethernet?
 RJ45
 Why are twisted pair cabling wires twisted?
 To reduce crosstalk
 When installing twisted pair cabling, what
would you keep it away from?
 Fluorescent lights
ACTIVITY
 TestOut Lab 2.1.3
 Connect to an Ethernet Network

 Quiz on 2.1.4
 2.2

COAXIAL CABLE
COAXIAL- QUICK
OVERVIEW
 Used in very early Ethernet & now for TV
 Wireless antenna connections
 Cable Internet
 Shielding
 Thicker cable
 BNC or F-connector
 RG-6 (current cable TV), RG-59 (older
cable TV), RG-58 (old Ethernet)
COAXIAL
 Pretty resistant to  More expensive to
EMI install
 Harder to physically  Thicker than
damage twisted pair
 Less flexible &
harder to install
than twisted pair
 High speed
networking doesn’t
support coax
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
ACTIVITY
 TestOut
 2.2.3 Connect a Cable Modem Lab

 2.2.4 Quiz
REVIEW- 4Q
 What kind of common connectors would
be on a coax cable?
F or BNC
 What kind of signal travels on a coax
cable?
 Electricity
 If you have a cable modem, what type of
coax cable do you have?
 RG-6
 Which cable protects against EMI better,
RG-6 or Cat 5e?
 RG-6
REVIEW- 5Q
 What connector would be on a Cat 5 or 6 cable?
 RJ45
 What in the ceiling could “mess up” the electrical
signal in an UTP cable?
 Fluorescent lights, electrical boxes/equipment
 An electrical motor near a UTP cable causes what
kind of interference?
 EMI
 Signals from one cable jump into another. What
problem is this?
 Crosstalk
 What is the solution to prevent crosstalk on UTP?
 Twisting of the pairs
 2.3

FIBER OPTIC CABLE

FIBER OPTIC
 Transmits pulses of light
 Laser or LED
 Glass or plastic core
 No EMI/RFI; no lightning
attraction
 Used for high speed & long
distance
 LAN backbone
 Connect ISP to Internet
 2 fibers cables used
 Transmit & receive
FIBER OPTIC CABLE
 Resistant to EMI  Very expensive
 No way to  Used in backbone
eavesdrop on the  Fragile cable
signal  Difficult to attach
 Fast speeds connector to cable

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
TYPES OF FIBER
CABLES
 Multimode
 LED
 Many paths of light (thick)
 Used in LANs/Campuses
 2000 meters
 Less $, used more
 Single Mode
 Laser light
 Single, thin path of light
 Connects backbone/NOCs
 3000 meters
 More $, faster speed
FIBER CONNECTORS
 ACTIVITY-
USE LOW OR HIGH
Issue UTP Fiber Optic
Bandwidth

Distance

Immunity to EMI/RFI

Immunity to
Electrical Hazards

Media/Connector
cost
Installation
Skill/Cost
Safety Precautions
ACTIVITY
REVIEW- 3Q
 Which cable is more expensive, copper
or fiber?
 Fiber
 Which cable allows data to travel
further, copper or fiber?
 Fiber
 Why are two strands of fiber used for
communication?
 Lightcan only travel in one direction at a
time. This will allow for full-duplex.
REVIEW- 3Q
 What signal travel on a single-mode
cable?
 Laser
 Which cable would be used to go further
distances?
 Single mode
 Why would you use fiber between
buildings rather than copper?
 Fiber does not attract lightning
ACTIVITY
 TestOut
 2.3.2- Review Fiber Optic Facts
 2.3.3- Connect Fiber Optic Cables 1 Lab
 2.3.4- Connect Fiber Optic Cables 2 Lab
 2.3.5- Quiz

Professor Messer Videos 1.5 Cable Types

Copper Connectors (8:05)
Copper Cabling (9:28)
Straight-Through, Crossover, and Rollover Cables (7:42)
Fiber Connectors (3:51)
Fiber Cables (7:37)
Media Converters (3:19)
Network Cabling Tools (8:13)
 2.4

WIRING
IMPLEMENTATION
TYPES OF UTP CABLES
 Straight-through
 We’re going to make them
 Crossover
 We’re going to make them
MAKING UTP CABLES
 TIA/EIA 568A & 568B
STRAIGHT-THROUGH
CABLE
 568B to 568B
 Connect unlike devices
 Computer to Hub/Switch
 Switch to router port
 On the PC NIC
 Pins 1 & 2 transmit
 Pins 3 & 6 receive
STRAIGHT-THROUGH
CABLE
 Straight-through
 568B to 568B

 White-Orange
 Orange
 White-Green
 Blue
 White-Blue
 Green
 White-Brown
 Brown
CROSSOVER CABLE
 568A to 568B
 Like Devices
 Switch/hub port to switch/hub port
 Router port to router port
 PC to router port
 PC to PC
CROSSOVER CABLE
 Crossover
 568B to 568A
 Change Oranges & Greens
on ONE SIDE!

 White-Green
 Green
 White-Orange
 Blue
 White-Blue
 Orange
 White-Brown
 Brown
REVIEW- 3Q
 What is the 568B color order?
 Wor/Or, WGr/Bl, WBl/Gr, WBr/Br
 For speeds of 1000Mbps or more, what
Category cable should be used?
 Cat 6
 What cable…
 Goes between same devices?
 Crossover
 Goes from PC to switch?
 Straight through
 Goes from serial to console port?
 Rollover
REVIEW- 3Q
 What colors do you change for a
crossover cable?
 Oranges & greens
 What pairs transmit?
1 &2
 What pairs receive?
3 &6
WIRING DISTRIBUTION
 Demarc
 Where Internet & phone line enter your
building
 Inside your building (your responsibility)
WIRING DISTRIBUTION
 MDF (Main Distribution
Frame)
 Mainwiring closet near
the demarc

 IDF
 Other wiring closets that
connect to the MDF
 Connect to MDF using
vertical cabling (VCC) or
going up
 IDFs connect to each
other using horizontal
cabling (HCC)
PATCH PANEL
 Jacks from this room go to IDF and into a
patch panel
 Allows you to connect wires to a punch-
down block, then use patch cables to
connect to a switch
 Gives you flexibility in moving cables
 Allows for easy labeling
PUNCH DOWN BLOCK
 Using punch down tool
ACTIVITY
 Practice a Punch Down on a Patch Panel

 TestOut
 2.4.6- Connect Patch Panel Cables 1 Lab
 2.4.7- Connect Patch Panel Cables 2 Lab
 2.4.8- Quiz
REVIEW- 5Q
 What is the point of where the service provider’s
wiring enters your building?
 Demarc
 The fiber cable running down the street has been cut.
Whose responsibility is it to fix it?
 Service provider
 Near the demarc is the point where everything in your
network comes together. What is this area called?
 MDF
 There are 2 wiring closets on this floor that connect
together. What are they called & what cabling
connects them?
 IDF & Horizontal cabling
 What cabling connects an IDF to the MDF?
 Vertical cabling
 2.5

TROUBLESHOOT
NETWORK MEDIA
COPPER WIRING
ISSUES
 Interference
 Unwanted signals
 EMI causes (generators, transformers, high-
power lines, fluorescent lights)
ELIMINATE
INTERFERENCE
 Use fiber instead of copper
 Use STP cable
CROSSTALK
 Signal jumps from one wire to another
within the cable & disrupts the data

 NEXT
 Measurement of crosstalk at one connector
end
 FEXT
 Measurement of crosstalk on other end
PREVENTING
CROSSTALK
 Properly connected connectors
 Maintain the twists
 When putting on a connector
 At the punch down block
ATTENUATION
 Loss of signal strength over long cable
runs

 Prevent it
 Don’t exceed max distance of cable
 Ethernet is 100m max!
 Keep out of very hot areas
 Use a repeater if necessary (amplifies the
signal)
SHORTS & OPENS
 Shorts
 Signal hops to another exposed wire
 Signal grounds out (nail through wire)

 Opens
 Break in wire
SPLIT PAIR
 Wires may go to correct pins but twists
with wrong cable to cancel signal out
(prevent crosstalk)
TROUBLESHOOTING
FIBER
 Connector issues
 Use right connector so fiber lines up
 Dirty connector or jack prevents light/signal

 Cable issues
 Bendingcable too tight breaks the core
 Mismatch of single/multimode cable= 99%
loss

 Signal Loss
 Cable length, connectors, splices
TROUBLESHOOTING
TOOLS
 Loopback plug

 Cable Tester

Review
TestOut
2.5.5
REVIEW- 3Q
 The signal on your 400ft UTP run gets weak
at the destination, causing the signal to be
unreadable. What is the problem?
 Attenuation
 Unwanted signals are added to your
Ethernet cable running over fluorescent
lights. What’s the problem?
 EMI
 The Ethernet cable you made is having
problems. Signals are jumping from one wire
in the cable to another in the cable. What’s
the problem?
 Crosstalk
ACTIVITY
 Watch Professor Messer Videos

 4.4 – Copper Cable Issues

 Troubleshooting Copper Cables (6:19)
 Troubleshooting Signal Loss (6:15)
 Troubleshooting Network Cabling (4:27)
 4.5 – Fiber Issues
 Troubleshooting Fiber Issues (5:11)
REVIEW & STUDY
 Complete the study guide handout

 Take all quizzes on TestOut

 Jeopardy review
 CABLES AND
CONNECTORS
Chapter 2