Ethernet UTP Cabling

The three most common Ethernet standards used today—10BASE-T (Ethernet), 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet, or FE), and 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet, or GE)—use UTP cabling. Some key differences exist, particularly with the number of wire pairs needed in each case, and in the type (category) of cabling. This section examines some of the details of UTP cabling, pointing out differences among these three standards along the way. In particular, this section describes the cables and the connectors on the ends of the cables, how they use the wires in the cables to send data, and the pinouts required for proper operation.