This category is intended for use in telephone lines and low speed data cable.

The new enhanced Category 5 (Category 5e) is next installed base of horizontal copper cabling. With new Ethernet and Enhanced Category 5 standards, reliable gigabit transmission over UTP. Figure-1 Shows 4 Pair Solid Conductor PVC Jacket.

UTP cable consists of two or four pairs of twisted cables. Cable with two pairs uses RJ-11 connectors, and four-pair cables use RJ-45 connectors.

UTP cable, since it is unshielded, is susceptible to electromagnetic interference. This may limit its use in environments with a lot of machinery.

Shielded twisted pair (STP) is similar to regular twisted pair but enclosed by a shield. This shield provides additional protection against EMI making it useful for sensitive signal distribution of audio and computer sync information.
The extra shielding does not really help attenuation problem with twisted-pair cabling. Installation of STP is also harder than that of UTP.

Center Conductor: It carries the signal from one point to another. Center conductors are made of highly conductive materials, which are capable of carrying electrical current. The most commonly used material is copper. Conductors made of aluminum, silver, and gold are also available. Center conductors are basically found in the two major types Solid and Stranded, for construction of cable.

Solid: A solid center conductor is one that is made of one single wire. The diameter may vary, but this type of conductor cables are generally easier to manufacture. These conductors are not so flexible so you can use it when you are thinking of permanent installation. For staging application it is hard to maneuver.

Stranded: It comprises of multiple small gauge wires that are twisted together to form a larger single conductor. The big advantage of this type of conductor is that, it has increased flexibility, so found more in temporary applications. Though Performance is slightly lower than Cable made from Solid Conductor these type of conductors are best suited for temporary needs.

Insulation: Generally dielectric material used as a insulation in construction of cables. This is a media, which separates the center conductor from the outer shield. It not only protects center conductor but it provides necessary electrical characteristic like impedance, capacitance that affect the overall cable performance. There are many types of material available but more common insulation materials include polyethylene for general-purpose cable and fluoro polymers for plenum-rated cables.

Shields: Shields work as a second conductor, which provides a return path for the signal current to the system ground. They also provide signal protection from outside interference. Several shielding methods are available to handle the different types of interference that may occur.

Foil Shield: Foil shield is actually a foil-sided tape that is wrapped completely around the insulation of the cable. In some cable designs, a small-gauge drain wire will accompany a foil shield instead of a braid. The drain wire facilitates shield connection to a connector shell. The foil/drain wire approach provides only minimal shielding effectiveness, primarily at lower frequencies. For 100% shielding effectiveness we must use combination of a braid and foil shield.

Braid Shield: This type of shield is made of many fine strands of wire woven together to form a braid that encompasses the internal conductor(s) and dielectric of the cable. A braid shield typically has lower impedance than a foil shield and offers better immunity from stray electromagnetic fields or interference (EMI). Braid shields may provide 100% shielding effectiveness, but it requires two braid shields, which increase cost and weight. A foil/braid combination accomplishes 100% shielding effectiveness much more easily and economically.

Jacket: Jacket provides protection to the all the components of a cable. The outer jacket of a cable protects against weather, chemicals, liquids, and sunlight. Basically jackets can be divided in two parts : Plenum and Non-plenum.

Plenum: The area where airs return system of building is located and which is most crucial regarding fire protection are known as Plenum areas. Special consideration for all other equipment that is placed in this area be taken. Therefore, cables that are used must be plenum rated (CL2P). CL2P-rated cables not only have special fire-resistant jackets, but they also use special compounds in the insulation material. This provides for low flame and smoke output in the event that the cable is exposed to fire. Plenum cable can be run through open air spaces, so the need for conduit is eliminated and installation costs can be reduced. Depending on the certification needs of the system, you would normally want to use the most flexible cable that is available.

Fiber optic cable is the best choice for hardwired signal transmission over long distance. Instead of using electrical signals to transmit data, it uses light. In the center of the fiber cable is a glass strand, or core. The light from the laser travels through this glass to the other device. Around the internal core is a reflective material known as cladding. No light escapes the glass core because of this reflective cladding. A fiber-optic cable was extremely expensive a few years ago. Its price has dropped substantially in the years since, and it is becoming much more common in networks today. Most of the cost of fiber-optic network is for the installation. Fiber-optic cable currently has a bandwidth of more than 2 Gbps.

The way that it works is simple: electrical energy from the source device is converted, via the transmitter, into light energy. This light energy is then injected via a laser diode or LED into the fiber optic core. At this point, the light bounces off the walls of the core in a very controlled manner and propagates to the end of the cable, where it is detected by a wavelength-matched photodiode and converted back to electrical energy at the receiver location. The core is a strand of glass wrapped with a cladding material to refract the light back into it. This makes fiber optic cable extremely efficient, creating the near-perfect transmission medium. A protective coating that provides added strength covers the core and cladding. Finally, there is an outer jacket for additional strength and protection.
Fiber-optic cable comes in two flavors: Single mode and multimode. Single mode cable only allows for one light path through the cable, where multimode has many path. Single mode cable allows for a faster transmission time and longer distances. Single mode is normally used for long distances, as in tens of miles. If you are just connecting nearby buildings, stick to multimode.
Fiber cables listed by core and size of cladding an example of this is 62.5/140, which stands for 62.5 microns core and 140 microns cladding.

Advantages of fiber optic cable:
1. No EMI interference.
2. Fast Transmission.
3. Very small and lightweight.
4. Low attenuation

But Fiber optic cable has some disadvantages also:

1. Termination of fiber optic cable is complex and more expensive.
2. Cost of overall system is increased.
3. Highly Qualified technocrats are needed at the time of installation.