Cable Standards

Defined by IEEE

NETWORKING

1/14/20251 min read

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a man riding a skateboard down the side of a ramp

Ethernet/Registered Jack 45 (RJ45):

  • IEEE 802.3i - Ethernet - 10 Mbps @ 100m (10BASE-T) 2 Pairs of 4 Wires

  • IEEE 802.3u - Fast Ethernet - 100 Mbps @ 100m (100BASE-T) 2 Pairs of 4 Wires

  • IEEE 802.3ab - Gigabit Ethernet - 1 Gbps @ 100m (1000BASE-T) 4 Pairs of 8 Wires

  • IEEE 802.3an - 10 Gig Ethernet - 10 Gbps @ 100m (10GBASE-T) 4 Pairs of 8 Wires

  • Wiring Standard - T-568a/T-568b

  • Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) and Shielding Twisted Pair (STP) variants

Wiring Protocols:

  • T568A

  • T568B

It is important to remember to be consistent in which wiring protocol is used throughout a network as they are not interchangeable. However, in the event that both wiring protocols are used in the same network a crossover cable may resolve the issue.

  • Straight-through cable - a cable configured with the same wiring protocol from end-to-end.

  • Crossover cable - cable configured with the T568A protocol on one end and T567B on the other.

Fiber-Optic:

  • IEEE 802.3z - Multimode or Single-Mode - 1 Gbps @ 550m (MM) or 5km (SM) (1000BASE-LX)

  • IEEE 802.3ae - Multimode - 10 Gbps @ 400m (10GBASE-SR)

  • IEEE 802.3ae - Single-Mode - 10 Gbps @ 10km (10GBASE-LR)

  • IEEE 802.3ae - Single-Mode - 10 Gbps @ 30km (10GBASE-ER)