In the network integrated wiring, it is indispensable to use two kinds of network signal transmission media: twisted pair networking wire and optical fiber. There are many types of twisted pairs network wire. At present, there are Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat7 types. Generally, twisted pairs network wires are shielded and unshielded. Optical fibers are divided into single mode fibers and multimode fibers.Let us talk about the advantages that exist between optical fiber and Category 7 twisted pair.
Optical fiber, especially single-mode optical cable, it can be used for high-speed network transmission, and has the advantages of innate electromagnetic interference immunity, high reliability, and support for long-distance transmission. It is an ideal network transmission medium in the future, and its status is increasingly important. However, optical cable equipment, materials and termination costs are relatively expensive, and installation is relatively complicated, so it is generally suitable for long-distance and large-capacity wiring. At present, 62.5/125μm multimode optical cable has become the mainstream wiring medium in the integrated wiring trunk system, and its application in horizontal systems has become increasingly widespread.
Unshielded twisted pair UTP wire is the most widely used cabling system in China. It is suitable for network applications with transmission bandwidth below 250MHz and no special performance requirements. Its advantages are good overall performance, low price, and convenient construction and maintenance. Category 6 cabling systems have reached the performance limits of unshielded twisted pair.
The aluminum foil shielded twisted pair FTP wire has large bandwidth and strong anti-interference performance, and has the characteristics of low smoke and no halogen. In contrast, the shielded wire has a higher price and installation cost than the unshielded wire, and the cable bending performance is slightly worse. This type is used in Category 6 and previous shielding systems.
Independently shielded twisted pair STP wire, each pair of wires has an aluminum foil shield, four pairs of wires together and a common metal braided shield, which is the standard structure of Cat7 network cable. It is suitable for high-speed network applications, providing highly secure transmission, supporting future new applications, helping to unify the wiring platform of current network applications, enabling all kinds of information from email to multimedia video to be in the same high-speed system.
The extra shielding makes the Category 7 wire have a larger wire diameter. These features require special care when designing the routing and termination space, leaving a large amount of space and a large bend radius
Moreover, due to its excellent shielding design and high bandwidth, a typical seven-channel channel can even provide a pair of 862MHz bandwidth for transmitting cable TV signals, analog audio signals for another pair, and then third. Four-wire pair transmission of high-speed LAN information. This kind of application is unimaginable at present, but will soon be implemented by a Category 7 cabling system.
Compared to fiber-optic LANs, the Cat7 network cable system solution provides the desired performance and bandwidth, but the overall cost is only a fraction of the fiber. Some people think that fiber optic systems can bring enough bandwidth to people, and fiber optic cable is close to the price of Category 7 cable. However, if take the cost of fiber routers, optical switches, and optical network cards into account, the price advantage of fiber will be quickly lost.