Network cables are essential in our daily lives, but how much do we know about them? Network cables are familiar, but the three types of twisted-pair cables—UTP, FTP, and SFTP—may be less familiar. Today, let's briefly discuss the meanings and differences between these three types of network cables to further understand them.
The Meaning of UTP, FTP, and SFTP in Network Cables
UTP twisted pair: commonly known as unshielded twisted pair.
FTP twisted pair: shielded twisted pair with no overall shield, and aluminum foil shielding between each pair.
SFTP twisted pair: double-shielded twisted pair with a wire mesh and aluminum foil shielding as the overall shield, and no pair shielding.
The Differences Between UTP, FTP, and SFTP in Network Cables
UTP: Unshielded twisted pair. UTP has no metal shielding material, only a single layer of insulating rubber. It is relatively inexpensive and offers flexible networking options. Its advantages include high flame retardancy and a low risk of fire.
STP: shielded network cable; FTP is aluminum foil shielded network cable; the former is a broad term, the latter is a narrow term. But in fact, the current shielded network cable is aluminum foil shielded network cable, so STP and FTP are actually the same. Compared with UTP, FTP/STP only has an extra layer of aluminum foil on the outside of the core wire to reduce signal attenuation. It is less popular in the market.
SFTP: double shielded network cable. The structure of this cable is based on the aluminum foil of FTP/STP, with an additional layer of tinned copper braided mesh and a PVC outer sheath on the outside. Due to the extra layer of tinned copper braided mesh, it can greatly reduce external magnetic fields and signal interference, reduce internal signal attenuation, and increase cable tension. The disadvantage is that this cable is very poor in flexibility and expensive; the price of this cable is generally twice that of UTP. This cable is only used in special environments. The usage is very small.
In addition, to expand your knowledge, how to understand Category 5e cable
1. Look
(1) Category 5e cable body will be printed with CAT 5e.
(2) There are 4 pairs of twisted wires in the cable sheath, the colors of which are: blue, blue and white, orange, orange and white, green, green and white, brown, and brown and white.
(3) Indoor network cables have a rope (flocculent material) inside the cable sheath together with the twisted wires, referred to as the tensile rope, which is used to increase the tensile strength of the network cable.
2. Identification
Category 5e network cables are divided into unshielded network cables and shielded network cables. The difference is that shielded network cables are divided into single-shielded network cables (a layer of aluminum foil wrapped around the twisted wires) and double-shielded network cables (a layer of braided mesh added on the basis of aluminum foil). Shielded network cables can effectively organize electromagnetic radiation interference from other high-power wires and strong power sources, greatly reducing the bit error rate of signal transmission and playing a role in shielding interference.
3. Classification
Category 5e network cables are made of a variety of materials: oxygen-free copper, bronze, copper-clad aluminum, copper-clad silver, four-iron four-aluminum, etc. Among them, four-iron four-aluminum is the worst quality. Copper-clad aluminum and copper-clad aluminum will char immediately upon contact with fire, breaking immediately upon folding. Bronze, also known as copper-clad copper, is coated with a layer of oxygen-free copper. When scraped, the inner color differs from the outer surface. Oxygen-free copper is truly oxygen-free copper, and the color of the surface and the copper core remains unchanged no matter how many times it is scraped.
Category 5e network cables consist of four twisted pairs, a filler cord, and a sheath. Outdoor use has an additional PE waterproof outer layer, primarily for moisture resistance. Category 5e cables have a lifespan of approximately 10 years. Indoor network cables, if used outdoors, typically have a lifespan of a little over a year and are suitable for short-term use.
The above introduction is quite detailed. Network cables, as part of integrated cabling design and construction, are the fundamental medium for most information transmission systems, and their importance is self-evident. Therefore, it's important to understand them; you might find them useful in the future.
