In communication systems, massive bundles of wires and cables are used to transport data between servers and other equipment. These cables can be twisted pair cables, co-axial cables and fiber optic cables. Since all these three types can be applied to network communications, it’s essential to determine which cable type is the best for the reliable and efficient data transfer, meaning that a basic understanding of their respective designs and features is necessary.

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Fiberstore (FS.COM) | Comparison Among Twisted Pair, Co-axial Cable and Fiber Optics
In communication systems, massive bundles of wires and cables are used to transport data between
servers and other equipment. These cables can be twisted pair cables, co-axial cables and fiber
optic cables. Since all these three types can be applied to network communications, it’s essential to
determine which cable type is the best for the reliable and efficient data transfer, meaning that a
basic understanding of their respective designs and features is necessary. This text aims to compare
these three kinds and discuss the differences among them.
Twisted Pair Cable
Twisted pair cable is a kind of wiring in which two conductors of a single circuit are twisted together,
with one conductor serving as the forward circuit and the other as the return circuit. The twisted
cabling design helps to reduce noise from outside sources and crosstalk on multi-pair cables,
making it suitable for use in the field of telecommunication for a long time.
Twisted pair cable comes in two versions (image shown below): unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) and
shielded twisted-pair (STP). Since UTP cable lacks shielding, it’s more susceptible to interference
from electronic devices. Or in another way, STP cable consists of a foil jacket which helps to prevent
crosstalk and noise from outside source. STP is commonly used in Token Ring networks and UTP is in
Ethernet networks.
Co-axial Cable
Comparison Among
Twisted Pair, Co-axial
Cable and Fiber Optics

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Fiberstore (FS.COM) | Comparison Among Twisted Pair, Co-axial Cable and Fiber Optics
Co-axial cable, or sometimes referred to as coax, is a type of cable that has four layers. That is, at
the core is an inner conductor which is surrounded by a foam insulation, symmetrically surrounded
by a woven braided metal shield, then covered in a plastic jacket (just as the following picture
shows). Because of its insulating property, coaxial cable can carry analogy signals with a wide range
of frequencies. It’s seldom used in computer networks anymore, but widely used in cable television
services and video connections, like those used by closed circuit surveillance systems.
There are two coaxial cables: 75 Ohm and 50 Ohm. The former is primarily used to transmit a video
signal, like television signals over cable. While the main application of the latter is transmission of a
data signal in a two-way communication system. Other typical applications include computer
Ethernet backbones, wireless antenna feed cables, GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) antenna feed
cables and cell phone systems.
Fiber Optic Cable
Fiber optic cable is the complete assembly of fibers, and uses light pulses to transmit information
down fiber lines instead of using electronic pulses to transmit information down copper lines. Each
of the optical fiber elements is individually coated by plastic layers and contained in a protective
tube. A fiber optic cable can accommodate many wavelengths (or channels), able to accommodate
ever-increasing data capacity requirements. When terminated with LC/SC/ST/FC/MTRJ/MU/SMA
connectors on both ends, such as LC-LC, LC-ST, SC-SC, ST-ST, LC SC cable, fiber optic cables can
achieve fiber link connection between equipment during fiber cabling.

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Fiberstore (FS.COM) | Comparison Among Twisted Pair, Co-axial Cable and Fiber Optics
Comparison Among Three Cables
Before delving into comparison between these three cables, a table about their respective strengths
and weaknesses is available.

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Fiberstore (FS.COM) | Comparison Among Twisted Pair, Co-axial Cable and Fiber Optics
 Comparing Twisted Pair & Co-axial Cable
Both twisted pair and co-axial cable can support network speeds in both the megabit and gigabit
ranges. Both are susceptible in varying degrees to signal interference, as well as signal leakage.
(Signal interference occurs when external signals interfere with transmission inside the cable, and
signal leakage means that signals inside the cable leak out and become a source of interference to
other devices.) Coaxial cable, being of a standard design, varies little in its susceptibility to
interference. For twisted pair cable, however, the cable’s resistance to interference depends in large
part on the degree to which the twisting scheme remains in place, and therefore can vary widely.
 Comparing Twisted Pair & Fiber Optic Cable
Judging from cable and installation costs to tooling and transceivers, twisted pair, here mainly refers
to UTP, is much less costly than fiber optic cable. The one obvious difference lies in the quality.
Passive to active UTP systems offer performance similar to fiber, providing noise immunity,
attenuation compensation, surge protection and ground loop isolation. Because of this point, those
users, who once deployed fiber optic cables for runs beyond the range of co-axial cable, now choose
UTP for transmission. Fiber optic cable is good for extremely long runs (over one mile) or for safety
when video is run in the same conduit with high voltage.
Allowing for distance, if cable runs less than 250 feet, co-axial cable is probably the best option.
Between 250 and 8,000 feet, UTP wire is often the best one. If the runs are more than 8,000 feet,
it’s advised to select fiber optic cable.
Conclusion
While deciding whether to use co-axial cable, twisted-pair, or fiber optic cable for transmission, it’s
imperative to collect the basic information about them, and take the cost, cable runs and other
external conditions into consideration. In Fiberstore, you can find different types of UTP cable (eg.
Cat 5, Cat5e, Cat6) and various fiber optic cables (say LC SC cable mentioned above, SC to SC fiber
patch cable). You can go to Fiberstore to know more information about both copper and fiber optic
cables.

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Fiberstore (FS.COM) | Comparison Among Twisted Pair, Co-axial Cable and Fiber Optics
Contact Us
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Tel: +86 (755) 8300 3611
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Notice: This document is for informational purposes only and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or
implied, concerning any equipment, equipment features, or service offered or to be offered by Fiberstore.
Fiberstore reserves the right to make changes to this document at any time, without notice, and assumes no
responsibility for its use. This information document describes features that may not be currently available.
Contact a Fiberstore sales team for information on feature and product availability.
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