Introduction

An explanation for an attribute of the Internet, otherwise known as the ethernet cable. Ethernet cable is another option to use instead of using the more convenient Wi-Fi. Joseph Schumpeter’s phrase of creative destruction, the new takes over the old, and because of that there are several types of ethernet cables. The one that will be described is the category 5e ethernet cable, also called Cat 5e.

History

In 1973, Bob Metcalfe and David Boggs worked on a project with the intention only to allow them to operate the “world’s first laser printer, the Scanned Laser Output Terminal” (Vaughan-Nichols, 2017). The concept used the ideas of others’ work such as Norman Abramson’s 1970 description of how the radio works.  Understanding the “packet queuing algorithms” allowed him to make progress and named the cable after the “luminiferous ether” (Vaughan-Nichols,2017). With a network speed of 3 megabits per second, it was a successful beginning which led to the cable being public in 1976 and becoming a standard on June 23, 1983, by the IEE 802.3 committee (Vaughan-Nichols, 2017).

Physical Description

            As mentioned before ethernet cables have different generations which can be called categories. In 2001, the Cat 5e ethernet cable came into play with speeds up to 1000 Mbps, and previous versions were only able to get 100 Mbps (Intellinet, 2023). The cable itself seems nothing too extraordinary with just two twin ends. From the outside, it seems to be one large wire that just links the router and the device.

The exterior of the cable is called the cable jacket, and usually, it’s made of “another plastic polymer called polyvinyl chloride (PVC)” (CWS, 2022). It allows free movement without any interruption to the connection speed. Considering it is the cable’s insides protection it is also waterproof.  The cable jacket is yellow as seen below.

Figure 1

Ethernet cable

         

Another exterior part of the cable is also the RJ45 Connector, they are located at each end of the cable. Its structure is made of plastic and has a secure implement called the retaining latch (Vcelink, 2023); it permits the cable to only be plugged in by pressing its tab. It ensures the cable doesn’t get pulled out as easily but it’s not only for secureness. There are also 8 pins in front of the connector, which are named contact pins and are usually gold-plated (Vcelink, 2023).

Figures 2 & 3

RJ45 Connector top view

Side view of RJ45 Connector

As there are 8 pins in the RJ45 Connector, there are 8 wires that are inside the cable jacket. With 4 pairs of different corresponding colors, they come twisted together. Similar to the cable jacket, the color-coded insulation helps determine where the wires go through and allow them to be flexible. There are different versions of wires but this version of the Cat 5e is a CCA cable, meaning it’s not pure copper used but aluminum copper wires. The reason there’s a different type of material used for these wires is that “CCA cables are cheaper to make and cheaper to buy” (Intellinet, 2023). This CCA cable is also a U/UTP type, has no outer shield/foil under the cable jacket, and doesn’t have a foil around the twisted wires (RS, 2022). It became a standard for newer cables to be shielded to prevent any interference for their top speeds (Intellinet, 2023). Wires themselves can also come in different versions as there are stranded and solid types (Intellinet, 2023). A stranded version appears like a brush and solid wires are like sticks.

Figures 3 and 4. Insides of the Ethernet Cable

               All the components have their own role, the cable jacket makes the cable more durable and resistant. The RJ45 connector has a secure plug-in mechanism, along with pins to allow the wires to flow through. The wires pass down data and power throughout the whole strip and if one part is missing from the cable, it will just break easily or just not even work.

Function

Being another option to connect to the internet even though wireless fidelity (Verizon, 2023) already exists, Wi-Fi is short for that term. A reason for ethernet to still be a high contender for connection to the network is because of several advantages. It’s important first to know what kind of devices the ethernet cable operates. The most popular uses of ethernet cables are in computers. It’s common for schools to have a computer lab and all the computers tend to be connected to the internet with an ethernet cable, that’s why it’s important to not kick cables under the desk. The Ethernet port is what should be searched for to start connecting. They are built to work with the retaining latch and won’t allow the cable to be plugged in unless the latch is pushed down.  It is also obvious for the ethernet port to exist in the router because that’s where access to the internet is given.  The cable by itself doesn’t give data packets but it gives direct flow from the router to the device plugged in (Dixon, 2019).

Figure 5&6
Ethernet Ports

Desktop Computer Ethernet Port picture (onboard) – newer computers

                                   

The reasons why ethernet cable is picked or routers are for the loss of signal strength when using Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is waves and they must travel to the device selected while emitting from the router. It matters where the router box is located as walls, and other obstacles weaken the waves (Metageek, 2023). It’s as if the obstacles consume a piece of the waves and allow whatever signal is left to pass through. With the ethernet cable, the only thing that is taken into consideration is the type of cable it is and its length. The Cat 5e demonstrated is 7 feet long, it’s good for distances close to ports. With a direct connection, it creates a path within the cable instead of letting its data wander off in the open.  It explains why the speeds of the cables increased over the years, up to category 8 ethernet cable with speeds up to 40 gigabytes per second, 40,000 megabytes per second (Intellinet, 2023). An increased power of 40 times from the 5e with only 1000 megabytes per second speeds. Nowadays everything depends on network speed to upload and download anything on the ethernet. A better connection gives better ping and it’s popular to have good ping in video games since the advantage of uploading an action before the other player who may have slower network speeds.

 

Performance

            There’s a lot that determines how good an ethernet cable is from materials, lengths, and extra components. The older generation of ethernet cables are extremely simple and it seems like they didn’t have many resources to start creating their cables. The wires were thin and didn’t have shielding. The newer generation as they got older had thicker wires and more shielding than the previous. From foil around the cable jacket, then around the wires, and lastly around the copper (Intellinet, 2023).  Even though it’s expected for the connection to get worse based on distance like Wi-Fi, it doesn’t with the cables. The only con for the length of the cables is the exponentially increased prices based on each foot added.

Figure 7

Ethernet Cable Shielding Types

        

Conclusion

To sum it all up, the Cat 5e is a 2022-year-old ethernet cable that is still above standard. Most households are only acquiring 500 or fewer Mbps but the Cat 5e is two that capacity. With more complexity as time passes by, the only thing left behind is people’s wallets as most can’t afford the best network connection in the world. The best thing to get is an ethernet cable because it makes sure nothing is lost when roaming on the internet, either when uploading or downloading files. When taking apart the cable it doesn’t seem like anything from the future, it simply looks like wiring for a light switch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

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