This is because the stranding of the conductors increases the cable’s flexibility and durability. Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable Cross SectionĮven though the solid-conductor cables are less expensive and (much, much) easier to terminate, patch cords are almost always made from stranded cables. The individual conductors in UTP cables can be solid copper-core wires with a well-defined thickness, or bundles of fine copper wire strands.įigure 2. The conductor pairs are numbered 1 to 4, with Pair 1 corresponding to the blue pair, Pair 2 to the orange pair, Pair 3 to the green pair, and Pair 4 to the brown pair. In this way, all conductors are identified as members of a specific twisted pair, and as individual members within that pair. The insulation of a conductor within a pair is either a solid primary color, or white striped with that primary color. The conductor pairs and individual conductors in UTP cables are represented by a color code that assigns a primary color-blue, orange, green, or brown-to each of the 4 twisted pairs. UTP cable consists of eight insulated copper-core conductors grouped into four pairs, with each pair twisted together along the cable’s length. The patch cords used in most Ethernet systems are constructed using UTP (Unshielded Twisted-Pair) cable. Ethernet Patch Cords and Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) Cabling This RJ-45 plug shows the numbering convention for the pins and pin pairs from above, with the locking facing downwardīack to top 2. In Ethernet Systems, 8P8C plugs and their corresponding jacks are commonly referred to as Rj-45 modular connectors. 8P8C (“8 Position, 8 Conductor”) Connector Plug By connecting the ends of the conducting wires in a patch cable to individual pins in its two RJ-45 end-plugs, electronic data can be transferred via an 8-conductor Ethernet cable from one jack to another through its 8 connector pins.įigure 1. This modularization is accomplished through the eight conducting pins located on the top of RJ-45 plugs (shown in Figure 1), and just inside the tops of RJ-45 jacks. The male plugs and female jacks are held together by a spring-loaded tab-called a hook-that keeps them securely in place while in use, but allows them to be easily unplugged when changes are made to a network system or work area. In Ethernet networks, these RJ-45 plugs and jacks form a modular, gendered connector system that makes moving work areas and changing network components fast and easy. Because they look like modular connectors originally used in telephone wiring systems, the 8P8C connectors used in Ethernet systems have adopted the common name RJ-45, an FCC designation for a Registered Jack with a similar 8P8C configuration. Ethernet Patch Cords and RJ-45 ConnectorsĮthernet patch cords are flexible leads fitted at each end with an 8P8C (“8 position, 8 conductor”) connector plug for joining two corresponding 8P8C jacks together. Some of these differences stem from variations in the wiring configurations of their cable conductors and connector pins, and these are the differences that will be discussed here. If we follow their trail, we can see them snake along the paths leading from wall plates to patch panels, and then sprout up again from patch panels to meet nearby hubs or switches.īut while the modular characteristics and abundance of patch cables seem to imply that their use is completely universal, they do have some important differences among them that can limit their interchangeability. We can see them in the work areas of commercial and educational buildings as they trail away from the backs of computers to wall plates and other computers. In many ways, patch cables are the Ether of the Ethernet.Īs Ethernet systems provide increasingly flexible and cost-effective ways of transmitting voice, data, and multimedia over integrated networks, Ethernet patch cords are fast becoming a familiar part of our everyday experience. These ubiquitous cables have played a central role in the development of generic and structured cabling systems, and today are used for connecting virtually all networking components, without regard to a particular application or industry.
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