Specifications

Ethernet network-terminology CP143 H1 / TCP/IP manual
3-2 Rev. 00/07
Three types of ethernet cable exist:
Thin-ethernet-cable (also called thin ethernet cable or Cheapernet-cable).
Thick-ethernet-cable (also called thick ethernet cable or standard ethernet-cable or yellow-cable).
Twisted pair-cable (telephone cable)
Thin ethernet-cable is far more economical than thick ethernet-cable. This applies to the cost of the
cable, the cost of installation and any additional hardware. It does, however, suffer from a higher
level of susceptibility for EMC interference. Connections to the thin ethernet-cable are provided by
BNC T-pieces.
Thick ethernet-cable consists of a thick yellow cable which is much like a pipe. The cable has
markings at a distance of 2,5 m which indicate the positions where a connection to the cable may be
attached.
These two types of network cable can be employed to produce in three different versions of ethernet
network:
1. a network using only thin ethernet cable
2. a network consisting only of thick ethernet cable and
3. a combination of these two
Under certain conditions you may also use twisted telephone twin-cable instead of the coaxial cable
(twisted pair).
Twisted pair cable consists of four insulated copper wires of 1 mm diameter that have been twisted
together in pairs.
In contrast to the coaxial ethernet networks which provide a type of bus-topology, the twisted pair
network is a point-to-point network. The resulting network has a star-topology. Every station is
coupled individually with a central hub to form the ethernet network.