by Thomas Pretty
In recent years the ethernet cable has become less and less used as people adopt wireless networks in their homes. That said within the commercial sphere the majority of companies still utilise ethernet cable to connect their networks, the reasons behind this are diverse. Hopefully this article will highlight the benefits to the reader.

Ethernet cable and the subsequent networks it creates are used widely. Even though it only really became popular in the last decade or so it has been in existence for over thirty five years. Most experts agree that it was the work of Robert Metcalf and David Bloggs in the early seventies. It was the work of these two gentlemen, working within the Xerox Palo Alto Research Centre that led to the development of ethernet. It was in this centre, in 1972 that Metcalf and Bloggs created a network capable of transmitting three megabits per second.

This system, although developed by Metcalf and Bloggs is believed by some to have been utilised in the Aloha net, a communication network in Hawaii. Ethernet cable carries IP information and unlike cables of the fibre optic variety is capable of layering many different protocols. One of the major benefits of ethernet is the scalability. The cable going to a specific computer can supply it with exactly the bandwidth it needs, allowing for growth in the future.

Ethernet cable is available in a number of different categories; these are usually referred to with numbers, used to describe the various data handling capabilities. The lowest category, referred to as cat 3 is able to carry around 10 Mb of data per second, typically this is the cheapest of the types of ethernet cable available. The next step up is cat 5 and cat 5e ethernet cable. The former can handle around 100Mb whilst the latter is capable of handling up to 1 GB.

At the top end of the spectrum there are cat 6 and 7 cables. These are usually used with a specific purpose in mind rather than for simple network creation. Category 6 cables are regarded to be a more stable carrier of 1GB internet than the cat 5e whilst cat 7, the most expensive variety carries the same amount of data but has extra shielding to protect it from interference. Of all the varieties it is mainly cat 5e that is used in the world of business.

Hopefully this article has highlighted some of the types of ethernet cabling available to consumers and the benefits of using it to create networks. With the right knowledge it is possible to find the perfect equipment to allow for the rapid transmission of digital information.

Technology Thomas Pretty studies how development of the ethernet cable has led to the creation of high speed networks.

Article Source: PLJMagazine.com