5 Facts About Twisted Pair Cable

Not all types of cable feature straight conductors. Some types feature insulated conductors that are twisted together in sets of two. Known as twisted pair cable, it’s commonly used for telecommunications.

The company is the world’s best twisted cable suppliers supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Twister paid cable features multiple insulated conductors. The insulated conductors are essentially wires with a protective exterior covering them. As its name suggests, twisted pair cable features pairs of conductors that are twisted together. Below are five facts about twisted pair cable.

#1) Improves Electromagnetic Compatibility

Twisted pair cable improves electromagnetic compatibility. Electromagnetic interference is common with cables. As electricity travels through the individual conductors of a cable, they’ll produce electromagnetic interference. Twisted pair cable reduces electromagnetic interference by using pairs of twisted conductors.

#2) Invented By Alexander Graham Bell

While known primarily for inventing the modern telephone, Alexander Graham Bell also invented twisted pair cable. Bell invented twisted pair cable in 1881. By the turn of the 20th century, the United States’ entire telecommunications infrastructure leveraged twisted pair cable. Even today, twisted pair cable is still used for telecommunications.

#3) Typically Made of Copper

Most twisted pair cable is made of copper. Copper, of course, is recognized as being an excellent conductor of electricity. Therefore, it’s used to create the conductors for twisted pair cable. Most twisted pair cable features copper conductors measuring 22 or 24 American Wire Gauge (AWG). With copper conductors, electricity can easily travel through twisted pair cable.

#4) Used in Computer Applications

Twisted pair cable is used extensively in computer applications. When compared to other types of cable, such as coaxial, it allows for faster data speeds. Twisted pair cable can carry data faster than its coaxial counterpart, making it preferable for computer networks. Along with its fast data speeds, twisted pair cable is inexpensive, easy to install and offers protection against electromagnetic interference.

#5) Shielded and Unshielded

There’s shielded twisted pair cable, and there’s unshielded twisted pair cable. Shielding isn’t the same as insulation. Insulation covers each conductor for the purpose of protecting them against physical damage. Shielding, conversely, covers pairs of conductors to shield them from electromagnetic interference.

Twisted pair cable already offers a high level of protection against electromagnetic interface. With the conductors twisted together in pairs, they are less susceptible to electromagnetic interface. Shielding simply adds another level of protection by shielding the conductors. Regardless, some types of twisted pair cable are shielded, whereas other types are unshielded.

Prerequisite : Types of Transmission Media

Introduction : 
Transmission media can be divided into two parts Guided Media and Unguided Media. In guided media, the signal is contained within the physical limits of the transmission medium and is directed along with it.

Twisted Pair Cables :
These are a type of guided media. It was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. Twisted pair cables have two conductors that are generally made up of copper and each conductor has insulation. These two conductors are twisted together, thus giving the name twisted pair cables.

One of the conductors is used to carry the signal and the other is used as a ground reference only. The receiver uses the difference of signals between these two conductors. The noise or crosstalk in the two parallel conductors is high but this is greatly reduced in twisted pair cables due to the twisting characteristic. In the first twist, one conductor is near to noise source and the other is far from the source but in the next twist the reverse happens and the resultant noise is very less and hence the balance in signal quality is maintained and the receiver receives very less or no noise. The quality of signal in twisted pair cables greatly depends upon the number of twists per unit length of the cable.

Twisted Pair Cables are further of two types :

1. Unshielded Twisted Pair Cables (UTP) :
These are a pair of two insulated copper wires twisted together without any other insulation or shielding and hence are called unshielded twisted pair cables. They reduce the external interference due to the presence of insulation. Unshielded twisted pair cables are arranged in pairs so that we can add a new connection whenever required. The DSL or telephone lines in our houses have one extra pair in them. When UTP are arranged in pairs, each pair is coded with a different color as defined by the 25-pair color code developed by AT&T Corporation. The Electronic Industries Association divides UTP into 7 categories based on some standards. Categories are based upon cable quality where 1 is the highest quality and 7 is the lowest quality. Each cable in a category is put to a different use as needed.

Advantages –

For more information, please visit Fiber Optic Distribution Cabinets.

1. These cables are cost-effective and easy to install owing to their compact size.
2. They are generally used for short-distance transmission of both voice and data.
3. It is less costly as compared to other types of cables.

Disadvantages –

1. The connection established using UTP is not secure.
2. They are efficient only for a distance up to 100 meters and have to be installed in pieces of up to 100 meters.
3. These cables have limited bandwidth.

2. Shielded Twisted Pair Cables (STP) :
These types of cables have extra insulation or protective covering over the conductors in the form of a copper braid covering. This covering provides strength to the overall structure of the cable. It also reduces noise and signal interference in the cable. The shielding ensures that the induced signal can be returned to the source via ground and only circulate around the shield without affecting the main propagating signal. The STP cables are also color-coded like the UTP cables as different color pairs are required for analog and digital transmission. These cables are costly and difficult to install. 

Advantages –

1. They are generally used for long-distance communication and transmission and are installed underground.
2. The protective shield prevents external electromagnetic noise penetration into the cable.
3. They have a higher bandwidth as compared to UTP.

Disadvantages –

1. These cables are very expensive.
2. They require a lot of maintenance which increases the cost more.
3. These can be installed underground only.
4. The length of the segment is similar to UTP for these cables.

Applications of Twisted pair cables :

• Twisted Pair cables are used in telephone lines to provide data and voice channels.
• The DSL lines make use of these cables.
• Local Area Networks (LAN) also make use of twisted pair cables.
• They can be used for both analog and digital transmission.
• RJ-45 is a very common application of twisted pair cables.

Like Article

Suggest improvement

Share your thoughts in the comments

Please

Login

to comment...

Are you interested in learning more about audio cable manufacturers? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!