Coaxial Cable: Thicknet and Thinnet

Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable is the most commonly used transmission media for LANs.  It consists of solid wire cores surrounded by one or more foil or wire shields, each separated by some kind of plastic insulator. The inner core carries the signal and the shield provides the ground. It has high electrical properties and is suitable for high-speed communication it is widely used for television signals and also in building security systems.

Coaxial Cable

Types of Coaxial Cable

1. Thicknet
2. Thinnet

Thicknet

Its cable segment can be up to 500 meters.

Thinnet

This is thinner than Thicknet. Its cable segment can be up to 185 meters.

Advantages of Coaxial Cable

1. Data transmission characteristics are better than twisted pair cable.

1.  It can be used for broadband communication.

2.  It can be used for a shared cable network.

3.  It offers a high bandwidth of up to 400 Mbps.

Disadvantages of Coaxial Cable

1. It is expensive compared to twisted pair cables.

2.  It is not compatible with twisted pair cable.