ballyscanlon/Stockbyte/Getty ImagesDifferent Ethernet cables.Ethernet is a standard that was developed in the 1970s and proliferated in the 1980s. As of November 2010, it is a common standard and is used in practically all computer networks. Ethernet itself is a communications protocol defined by the "IEEE 802.3" committee. Ethernet has gone through several different revisions, which include different media and speed standards.Unshielded Twisted PairUnshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) is what most people in computer networking think of when referring to Ethernet. These are the common 8-conductor cables that have RJ-45 connectors on the end. Depending on the pin layout, UTP cables can be either straight-through or crossover type.Shielded Twisted PairShielded Twisted Pair (STP) is similar to UTP, with the exception that each pair of wires has a separate metal shield surrounding it. This reduces electromagnetic interference from surrounding wires.CoaxialThe first Ethernet networks used coaxial cable. Referred to as "thin-net," 10base2 used a thinner cable and had a maximum cable length of 185 meters. 10base5 had a maximum length of 500 meters. Coaxial cable is now considered obsolete and has been replaced for several years by UTP cable.Fiber OpticEthernet can also be used with different fiber optic cables. Fiber optic cables are typically used in very high speed and long distance Ethernet connections because they do not suffer as severely from attenuation as copper cabling does. Ethernet based on fiber optic cable can run up to 100 Gbps, as of November 2010. Resources"The Ethernet Evolution"; Hadriel Kaplan, Robert Noseworthy; 2001

• What Are the Differences in Ethernet Cables? [11/03/2010 19:48:02]