QS–4
UR SWITCH MODULE – QUICKSTART GUIDE
QUICKSTART GUIDE
QS.2 10BaseT and 100BaseT Media
10BaseT and 100BaseT are the two most common twisted pair copper media standards.
There are also several popular fiber optic media standards which we will review later in this
section. With respect to 10 or 100BaseT, the 10 or 100 designation indicates a baud rate of
either 10 or 100 megabits per second (Mbs). Base stands for baseband while the T stands
for twisted pair.
Since many twisted pair interfaces can work at either baud rate the designation 10/
100BaseT has evolved to indicate this capability. Cable can be either unshielded twisted
pair (UTP) or shielded twisted pair (STP).
We recommend category 5e (see below) for applications up to 1000 Mbs.
Unshielded Twisted Pair cable:
• Category 1: Used for telephone communications; not suitable for transmitting
data.
• Category 2: Capable of transmitting data at speeds of up to 4 Mbps.
• Category 3: Can be used in 10BaseT networks; can transmit data at speeds up to
10 Mbps.
• Category 4: Used in Token Ring networks; can transmit data at speeds up to 16
Mbps.
• Category 5: Capable of transmitting data at speeds up to 100 Mbps.
• Category 5e*: Used in networks running at speeds up to 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps).
• Category 6: Consists of four pairs of 24-gauge copper wires, which can transmit
data at speeds of up to 1000 Mbps.
*
Recommended
Ethernet: Unshielded Twisted Pair
:
100 metres max.
