50
Appendix C Ethernet twisted pair cable
Ethernet twisted pair cable
An Ethernet twisted pair cable consists of four pairs of insulated wires twisted together. It mainly transmits
analog signals and is advantageous in transmitting data over shorter distances. The maximum transmission
distance is 100 m (328.08 ft).
RJ-45 connector
An Ethernet twisted pair cable connects network devices through the RJ-45 connectors at the two ends.
Figure
46
shows the pinouts of an RJ-45 connector.
Figure 46
RJ-45 connector pinout diagram
PIN #8
PIN #1
Cable pinouts
EIA/TIA cabling specifications define two standards: 568A and 568B for cable pinouts.
Standard 568A: pin 1: white/green stripe, pin 2: green solid, pin 3: white/orange stripe, pin 4: blue
solid, pin 5: white/blue stripe, pin 6: orange solid, pin 7: white/brown stripe, pin 8: brown solid.
Standard 568B: pin 1: white/orange stripe, pin 2: orange solid, pin 3: white/green stripe, pin 4: blue
solid, pin 5: white/blue stripe, pin 6: green solid, pin 7: white/brown stripe, pin 8: brown solid.
Cable type
Based on performance
Ethernet cables can be classified into category 3, category 4, category 5, category 5e, category 6, and
category 7 cable based on performance. In LANs, category 5, category 5e, and category 6 are commonly
used.
Table 27
Description on commonly used Ethernet cables
Type
Description
Category 5
Suitable for data transmission at a maximum speed of 100 Mbps, with a bandwidth
of 100 MHz.