Chapter 10: Network cables and connectors

The tone generator connects to a wire pair via clamps or a modular jack.

It sends a high frequency electrical signal, or tone, through the wire. The amplifier probe has a speaker and a metal tip. When the tip comes near the wire it detects the signal and makes a sound. 1. Turn on the tone generator. 2. Bring the probe's tip over the generator's leads to verify that it's working. 3. Connect the leads to the wire you're testing, or plug in the modular jack. 4. Move the probe closely over the cable bundle, patch panel, or punch down block you want to test.

1.In general, what does the RG number of a coaxial cable correspond to? Choose the best answer

Its frequency Its impedance Its maximum length "None of the above"

2.What would be reasonable termination methods for a patch cable between a PC and a switch? Choose all that apply

T568A T568B

a crossover cable.

*Note: Sometimes to directly join two PCs without a switch between them, you'll need to use a crossover cable. It's a specialized network cable wired as T568A on one end, and T568B on the other. You can't substitute a crossover cable for a normal (or straight-through) cable, or vice-verse

more about attenuation

-Since the noise starts to overwhelm the signal at longer distances. -Worse, the higher the signal rate the more prone to errors the connection becomes. -In addition to length alone, a passive splitter to a cable will also weaken the signal (WHY) because it's divided between multiple destinations: This is why most Ethernet hubs also serve as repeaters rather than just serving as a passive junction for several cables

Twisted pair categories: continues

Cat 6 Class E 250 MHz Stronger crosstalk specifications than Cat 5e. Popular for new Gigabit Ethernet installations, and short distance 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks. Frequently shielded for additional EMI protection; if so, the shielding needs a grounded connection. Cat 6A Class EA 500 MHz Augmented Category 6. Shielded, and allows full distance 10 Gigabit Ethernet operation. Cat 7 Class F 600 MHz Similar to Cat 6A, but screened and shielded for higher noise resistance. Cat 7A Class FA 1000 MHz Augmented Category 7. May be suitable for emerging 40 Gigabit Ethernet.

Typical network cables use polyvinyl chloride (PVC)?

Cheap and flexible plastic, for their insulators and jackets. PVC works well under normal conditions, but in a fire it can burn and release toxic smoke. By contrast, more expensive plenum cable uses low-smoke fire-retardant materials, So it's safe to run through ventilation systems and other plenum spaces where a fire might spread. Multiple pairs are usually bundled into a single cable. May or may not represent multiple separate connections. Twisted-pair Ethernet cables have four pairs for a total of eight conductors. Traditional analog phone cables have up to three pairs with each pair being a separate phone line. Larger telephone trunk cables might have 25 pairs, or even hundreds gathered into smaller bundles

You're replacing all the wiring in your office. What twisted-pair standards would you consider, balancing performance and cost?

Cat 3 cable today should only be used for voice telephone lines. Cat 5e is the cheapest option suitable for high speed networks, But Cat 6 supports faster standards. 10 Gigabit Ethernet over long distances, you need Cat 6a.

Twisted-pair cables

Ideally, any interference the signal encounters along the way will affect both wires equally So the difference between them remains intact. An even better refinement is twisted-pair cables: each balanced pair is twisted around itself for the length of the cable So even a nearby source like a parallel cable will, on average, balance out. When pairs are very close together.

1.How can you most easily tell an old coaxial Thin-nest cable from a new broadband cable?

The Thinnest cable is thinner and uses BNC connectors, while the broadband cable is thicker and uses F connectors. Even with compatible connectors they're not interchangeable

What is the benefit ?

The benefit of this is that as long as both ends of a given cable use the same standards, it doesn't matter which the other connector uses.

What is a punch down block?

The block is so-named because a special tool is used to punch each wire down onto a bladed contact that punctures its insulation and holds it into place. Keep in mind that a punch down block isn't like a network hub, it's just a compact and organized way to terminate a lot of wire pairs in one place. A related centralized connection is a patch panel, a device housing a row of modular jacks in front, and a corresponding punch down block in rear.

What happens in a larger or more organized workplace?

The cable instead plugs into a network drop in the wall, which in turn leads to a central telecommunications closet. On that end, all network and telephone cables are terminated not with modular connectors, but to a common distribution frame, usually on a device called a punch down block.

What are two main challenges to reading the transmission

The first is electromagnetic interference (EMI). Electrical currents, especially high-frequency, low-power signals like those used in data networks, are subject to noise from electromagnetic sources in their environment, such as radio transmitters, electrical motors, or power cables The second is attenuation, which means the longer the line is, the weaker the signal becomes. This isn't unique to electricity; it happens in any imperfect transmission medium. Attenuation only makes EMI (electromagnetic interference) risks

How can you really tell the difference between the pone connectors?

The only reliable way to tell the difference is to look at the actual number of connections. Most LAN connections use the 8P8C RJ-45 connector Easily visible as a bit larger than the RJ-11. Some Ethernet standards only use two pairs for data transmission; in this case, the other two pairs . might be used for Power over Ethernet or other purposes Other standards use all four pairs for data.

What is another concern, especially for high-speed connections and why?

The stripping process. You'll have to remove the outer cable jacket and untwist the end of each pair. Both of these open the cable to interference, so you shouldn't unravel more than you absolutely need to.

Core?

The transparent fiber that carries the signal. It's usually made out of silica glass far more transparent than ordinary consumer glass, but other transparent materials can be used. Core diameters are under 100 microns, or millionths of a meter.

pitch

The twist rate of a pair is also called pitch.

Twisted-pair connectors:

The usual standard for twisted-pair network cables the modular connector originally designed for telephone lines. When a cable is terminated, each wire is connected to one pin on to a male plug or female jack.

Four are the most common and what do they have in common, what is different?

They all use the same connections, and each can support a total cable length of up to 100m between devices or repeaters. All that differs is the speed they operate at, and the quality of cable you need

Why are they called modular?

They're called modular since they're easy to connect and disconnect in modular segments. Contrast to earlier telephone equipment using screw terminals or other cumbersome connections. Modular connectors are described by the number of positions (P) and contacts (C) they use. The number of positions determines the size of the connector While the number of contacts determines how many wires can be connected. For example, a 6P2C plug could fit into a 6P6C jack But it would only support one wire pair.

How does the interference affect the voltage?

This interference changes the voltage of the signal, which can corrupt the data it carries.

What do you need to take in consideration since most cables you terminate will probably be RJ-45 and is there an exception?

This means you need to find out whether your organization uses the T-568A or T-568B standard, and stick to it rigorously. The only exception is if you need to make a crossover cable (patch cable). Then you need to use T-568A on one end, and T-568B on the other.

4.You know there's a fault somewhere on that 100m cable, but it looks fine from the outside. What tool would be the quickest way to guess how exactly where the flaw is? Choose the best answer

Time-domain reflecto-meter

Centralized connections: A home or small office network might use nothing but modular patch cables. What is the purpose of this?

To run from each system to wherever the hub or switches are located.

2.In electrical terms, how does a coaxial connection avoid interference?

Voltage is applied only to the core, causing a radio wave to be carried through the cable. It's protected from interference by the grounded shielding.

Resistance measurements:

WARNING: Resistance measurements are typically made with disconnected or powered down devices But when you measure voltage or current the device must be powered on.

ISO/IEC 11801 defines each class by a letter: Class A, Class B

•Category called "Cat" for short: Cat3, Cat5, Cat5e, etc. •Some of these are also formally defined as part of the TIA/EIA-568 standard set. •Most categories are UTP (Unshielded twisted-pair) by default, though some of the newer, faster standards require shielding. •In general, they are backwards-compatible(able to be used with an older piece of hardware); even if you can't use Category 3 cable on a high-speed modern network. •There's no reason you can't connect older devices with Cat 6.

What are the two common types of twisted-pair shielding?

•Foil shielding uses a grounded foil wrap to provide additional electromagnetic shielding. •The foil can be placed around each individual pair (U/FTP) Unshielded /Foil twisted-pair , around the outer cable (F/UTP), or both (F/FTP) Foil/ Foil twisted-pair. •Braided screening uses a braided copper jacket around the cable to provide shielding. •It can be used around otherwise unshielded cable (S/UTP), or in conjunction with foil shielding (S/FTP and SF/FTP).

twist rate of a pair (pitch)

•In general, higher twist rates are more resistant to crosstalk, but need a little more wire for a cable of the same length. •Additionally, each pair in a cable or bundle uses a slightly different twist rate; •This further reduces crosstalk by keeping the twists of two pairs from lining up with each other. •Finally, twisted-pair cables are categorized by the additional electromagnetic shielding they use.

Electrical interference

•Like any other electrical circuit, this requires a closed loop with current flowing through it. •The closed loop means that every data line has to have a return path; either a separate return, or ground, for each data wire, or else a shared ground for multiple wires.

Twisted-pair standards

•The ISO/IEC ( International Organization for Standardization/ International Electrotechnical Commission ) •Defines several classes of cable, each able to support a given maximum transmission frequency over the distances used in most LAN installations. •These frequencies aren't exactly the same as network speeds •Faster network standards require higher frequency support.

When is toner probes very useful?

In crowded wiring environments or on two ends of a long cable drop. Importantly, you can test any point along the cable, from outside its insulating jacket. A toner probe actually consists of two pieces.

Fast Ethernet cards

Fast Ethernet card might have one green LED to show an active link of any speed, and a second green or amber one if it's operating at 100Mbps

10GBASE-T

10 Gigabit Ethernet operates at 10 Gbps Using all four pairs of Cat 6a cable. Over shorter distances, it can work over ordinary Cat 6 as well

Why are 10 Gigabit devices not in high demand?

10 Gigabit devices still considerably more expensive than Gigabit devices. So are still limited to high demand applications and network backbones where performance is essential. *In addition to emerging even faster standards, there are multiple different 100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps standards you might encounter. 100BASE-T2 uses four pairs on a Cat 3 cable 1000BASE- TX uses two pairs on a Cat 6 cable. *The last is a particular confusion: some sources will mistakenly call 1000BASE-T "1000BASE- TX", so when in doubt don't hesitate to check closer

For the most part, they'll have "T" in the name somewhere.

10BASE-T The first popular twisted-pair Ethernet standard, used in the early 1990s. Operates at 10 Mbps, using two wire pairs on a Cat 3 or higher cable. 10BASE-T networks were typically joined with hubs because switches were still expensive. Compatible with modern switched networks too.

Cable tester?

A cable testing tool that at the minimum measures conductivity and resistance to detect breaks and shorts. Different variants might be known as line testers. Some cable testers are more sophisticated and can measure cable length, check for noise levels, or detect what device is on the other end of an active cable.

Toner probe:

A connectivity-testing tool that can be used to trace and identify a wire along its entire length

Cable certifier?

A device that can perform advanced tests on cable quality and certify that it meets appropriate performance standards

Multimeter?

A general-purpose electronic tester which can measure resistance, current, or voltage between two points.

How does the pitch (The twist rate of a pair ) of a twisted pair affect crosstalk?

A higher pitch provides more protection. Parallel pairs, like those in the same cable, should use a slightly different pitch from each other so their twists don't line up

What are Modular plugs?

A modular connector is an electrical connector that was originally designed for use in telephone wiring, but has since been used for many other purposes. Many applications that originally used a bulkier, more expensive connector have converted to modular connectors.

Time-domain reflecto-meter?

A more sophisticated cable tester. Measures signal reflections along a cable to find breaks, shorts, or even minor flaws along its path, and estimate their locations

Using multi-meters:

A multi-meter is one of the most basic and general electronic testing devices. Multi-meters may be analog or digital. Can measure current, voltage, or resistance. Some also measure continuity (this is just like resistance) But the multi-meter emits a tone whenever resistance is zero. Resistance measurements are a good way to find breaks or shorts While voltage measurements are useful for detecting power problems.

100BASE-TX

Also known as Fast Ethernet, 100BASE-TX operates at 100 Mbps. It still uses two wire pairs, but requires Cat 5 or higher cable. 1000BASE-T Also known as Gigabit Ethernet, since it operates at 1000Mbps. It uses all four wire pairs of a Cat5 or higher cable. It's the dominant standard for modern LANs

Twisted-pair connection troubleshooting continues:

Attenuation Noise Cable too long, or cable resistance too high. Replace with higher grade cable; use a shorter cable; segment the cable with repeaters. EMI Noise Interference from external electrical or radio sources. Can be intermittent depending on those sources. Isolate the cable from interference by rerouting the cable, moving the source, or adding shielding. Crosstalk Noise Interference between two wire pairs. Replace the cable, possibly with internally shielded U/FTP. Wrong termination standard Wrong signal One end terminated in the wrong wire order. Never intermittent. Remove one end and terminate it correctly. Use the same standard on both ends for straight-through, opposite standards for crossover. Speed or duplex mismatch Slow or no connection Both ends manually set to an inefficient speed or duplex setting, each end set to a different speed or duplex setting, or devices unable to automatically negotiate mutually compatible settings. Fix device settings. Replace cable. Replace one device.

What does the A means in Cat 6A and 7A?

Augmented

Why wiring in large networks is usually hierarchical in structure?

Because devices each floor of a large building might connect to an intermediate distribution frame, which in turn connects to the main distribution frame for the building.

How are network cabling standards chosen?

Because of these constraints, network cabling standards are chosen not only for their ability to maintain a required data rate, but for their resistance to attenuation and EMI in their intended environments and connection ranges

3.Why is it necessary that each pair of electrical signals on a twisted-pair cable corresponds to one physical wire pair? Choose the best answer.

Because otherwise it won't reduce crosstalk.

When should you use the T568A wiring standard, and when should you use T568B?

Both have identical performance, but you want to pick one or the other for the entire network, and especially when wiring any particular cable. One exception is if you're making a crossover cable: one end should be T568A, and the other end should be T568B

How is the signal carried?

By changes in voltage: the receiver measures the voltage difference between the signal and the ground, and translates it into data

Twisted-pair connection troubleshooting:

Cable and connector problems usually have the same few symptoms from a user perspective: No connection, it behaves intermittently, or performance is low even when there's not much traffic on the network. A few link layer issues related to Ethernet settings can have similar symptoms, so if the physical components check out you might need to look at NIC configurations and drivers next.

Twisted pair categories:

Cat 1 Class A 100 kHz Low speed cable used for older voice telephone installations. Not for use in data networks. Cat 2 Class B 1 MHz Used in older data networks like ARCnet and early Token Ring. Cat 3 Class C 16 MHz Used in early Ethernet; unsuitable for faster networks, but still used for voice telephone cables. Cat 4 Not standard 20 MHz Used by early Ethernet and some Token Ring networks, but was never common. Cat 5 Class D 100MHz Widely used for Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet networks, also used for telephone and video. Superseded by Cat5e. Cat 5e Class D 100 MHz Category 5 Enhanced. Same overall properties as Cat5, but higher testing standards.

Loopback plug?

Connects transmit and receive pins on a connector, effectively letting it plug into itself to allow diagnostic tests.

What does the e means in Cat 5e?

Enhanced

Ethernet cable

Ethernet cable the four pairs are colored blue, green, orange, and brown. For each pair, one strand is a solid color, and the other is striped with white

Cable testing tools

Even just plugging the typical Ethernet cable in can perform some diagnostics: usually there's a light to show electrical connectivity, and possibly others to show connection speed.

2.In general, cable television uses a threaded F connector, while cable Internet uses a BNC connector. True or false?

False

Termination tools:

For home or small office networking it's easy enough to buy Ethernet or telephone patch cables in standard lengths. For more involved network installations, technicians cut cables to the desired length and terminate them either into a modular plug or a punch-down block To do so you'll need some tools and a little practice

Coaxial cables Contrasting continues

Fortunately, there are only a handful of standards you'll see outside of specialty applications. You'll usually see them named by their "radio guide" (RG) types, based on the US military standard that first defined them. The RG standards themselves are long obsolete, and today mostly just describe a cable's dimensions rather than conformance to the original standard. For this reason, you'll need to make sure a given cable actually meets the quality standards you need, as well as being the right RG type. Like twisted-pair, coaxial cable is Available in standard and plenum-rated varieties. It's also commonly available in weatherproofed varieties suitable for outdoor use.

Terminating coaxial cables:

In principle, terminating coaxial cables is similar to terminating twisted pair. In fact, it's simpler, since the cable only has two connectors. It also needs different tools, even if they serve the same functions as their twisted-pair equivalents. In particular, the wire stripper needs to cut multiple layers

Twisted-pair cable properties Twisted-pair cables can be categorized in a number of ways:

Including the wires used in construction, the insulating materials used, how the pairs are bundled into cables, the twists themselves and whether they have any additional electromagnetic shielding.

What is one of the easiest ways to make a signal more resistant to EMI?

Is to use a Balanced pair: a circuit made of two identical wires.

Punch down tool:

It uses a spring-loaded blade to push the wire in place, pierce the insulation, and cut excess length in a single motion. While each style of punch down block needs a different blade. Many punch-down tools have interchangeable blades.

What's special about plenum-grade cable?

It uses fire-retardant insulating materials that won't produce toxic smoke, so it's safe for use in a ventilation system

Since most of these standards are "backward compatible",?

It's important to make sure a network is operating at full speed and not in "compatibility mode". For this reason, many Fast Ethernet and later devices use LED indicators on the port to show the link speed.

Using toner probes:What is the purpose of a toner probe?

Let you track wherever a wire track pair goes through electromagnetic induction:

What is a patch panel?

Like a punch down block, a patch panel isn't a hub or switch: it's just a row of Ethernet jacks, which you can then connect to the hub or switch using separate cables.

What else can you do to reduce crosstalk?

Like multiple sets within a single cable, you can reduce crosstalk still further by giving each pair a slightly different rate of twist so it doesn't line up regularly with the others.

Coaxial connections

Long before they served as the earliest Ethernet standards they were used for carrying A/V transmissions including radio, video, and cable TV. While coaxial cables are no longer in wide use on the LAN, cable internet has kept them as a vital part of many WAN connections

What are connectors described by?

More commonly, you'll see connectors described by their Registered Jack (RJ) number Which technically describes the wiring standard rather than the connector itself. Traditional telephone connections use the 6P2C RJ-11 connector. While it's 6 positions wide, only one pair, sufficient for a telephone connection is wired. To connect multiple lines or some accessories, the RJ-14 (6P4C) or RJ-25 (6P6C) might be used. All three are the same size and you can connect any of their plugs to any of their jacks. To make things even more complicated, they're often just called RJ-11 regardless of how many contacts they have.

What's the fastest Ethernet standard supported by your NIC?

Most new PCs support 1000BASE-T.

RG standards:

Name Core diameter Outside diameter Impedance Uses RG-59 0.64 mm 6.1 mm 75 ohms Common for baseband video and older cable television systems. Not reliable for broadband network connections. RG-6 1 mm 6.86 mm 75 ohms Standard for newer digital cable, satellite, and cable modem connections. Essentially a higher grade RG-59. RG-11 1.63 mm 10.5 mm 75 ohms Used for the same purposes as RG-6, but usually only for long distance drops and underground cables. RG-8 2.17 mm 10.3 mm 50 ohms Used by 10BASE5 "Thick-net" Ethernet, the first Ethernet standard. Now obsolete. RG-58 0.81 mm 5.0 mm 50 ohms Used by 10BASE2 "Thin-net" Ethernet, a cheaper but more limited alternative to Thick-net. Also obsolete.

Optical media:

Optical fibers are analogous (comparable) to coaxial cables. They serve as a pipe-like waveguide for electromagnetic signals. Optical fibers carry light waves. Usually it's near-infrared; a bit lower frequency than visible light. Oh Jackhead Boy Charlie Saw Me Crying! = Outer Jacket, Buffer Strength Members Cladding. But far higher than the radio frequencies carried by coax. Instead of an electrical circuit confining the radio signal within a copper cable, light from a laser or LED shines down a hair-thin, Highly purified glass fiber, reflecting along its path to the other end.

How are punch down block in rear Compared to an ordinary punch down block?

Patch panels make it much easier to create and change cross connects with ordinary patch cables, or to connect all of the network's drops to the central hub or switch.

Wiring standards:

Pin T568A Pair T568A Color T568B Pair T568B Color 1 3 White/Green 2 White/Orange 2 3 Green 2 Orange 3 2 White/Orange 3 White/Green 4 1 Blue 1 Blue 5 1 White/Blue 1 White/Blue 6 2 Orange 3 Green 7 4 White/Brown 4 White/Brown 8 4 Brown 4 Brown the only difference between the two is that the green and orange pairs are reversed. Even there, the pairings are the same: Pins 1 and 2 are one pair, and pins 3 and 6 are another.

3.What cable standard is acceptable for an older cable television link, but shouldn't be used on a cable modem? Choose the best response.

RG-59

What's the difference between RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors?

RJ-11 is a smaller 6-position connector used for analog telephones, while RJ-45 is a larger 8-position connector used primarily for Ethernet

5.A coworker tells you a connection is unreliable and intermittent. Before even looking at it, what causes can you rule out? Choose all that apply.

Set to half-duplex

The wires used can either be:

Solid - In a solid cable, each conductor is a single wire. Why is solid cable so popular for permanently placed wiring? In general, solid cable is thinner, less expensive, and less prone to corrosion, so it's popular for permanently placed wiring. Stranded- While in a stranded cable each conductor is several thinner wires wrapped around each other.

More Twisted-pair connectors

Some WAN connections, like ISDN or T1, use the 8P8C RJ-48 connector. It looks very similar to RJ-45, but it's wired differently. Two pairs are used for data, one pair for grounding the cable shielding One pair is reserved for future use. Newer RJ-48 connectors have a key and notch (WHY) that keeps you from plugging an RJ-48 plug into an RJ-45 jack You can still accidentally connect older cables, or put an RJ-45 plug in an RJ-48 jack. Modular twisted-pair cables are almost always male-to-male, with a plug on each end. While devices and wall drops have jacks. If you want to join two cables together, you can use a UTP coupler for that connector type. It's a simple adapter with two jacks.

What is Stranded cable so popular for and why?

Stranded cable is more flexible and less prone to breakage under repeated stress, so is popular for patch cables and other applications needing frequent movement.

TRUE or FALSE-It doesn't matter which the other connector uses.

TRUE-You can plug a cable using either standard into any Ethernet switch or NIC, and if you buy a patch cable that's already terminated, you don't need to make sure it matches your existing network This doesn't mean the standards are completely interchangeable. However: when you design or wire a network you should keep to one standard (WHY) so that no one gets confused and wires each end of a cable using a different standard by mistake.

Twisted-pair Ethernet: Ethernet supports dozens of different physical standards. TRUE or FALSE

TRUE-•They all use the same protocols and frame structure •Easy to connect two different standards with a compatible switch or media converter. •Can vary greatly in terms of cable requirements, speed, and other properties

Coaxial connectors

Television and cable modems typically use threaded F connectors. Obsolete coaxial "Thin-net" Ethernet, as well as various commercial and professional video applications, use Bayonet Neill-Concelman (BNC) connectors. A female BNC connector has two pins; to connect it

Terminating twisted-pair cables:

That the wires are in the right order on both ends: otherwise, it won't work properly. Modular plugs aren't generally reusable either

When you terminate a twisted-pair cable, what is the most important thing to think of and why?

That the wires are in the right order on both ends: otherwise, it won't work properly. Modular plugs aren't generally reusable either

Wiring standards continues:

The 8P8C connectors used by Ethernet are typically wired according to the TIA/EIA-568 standard. There's one small complication: the standard allows two different pin-outs, called T568A and T568B. The two are similar in overall layout. Neither has any functional advantage over the other But it's still important to understand the difference between the two.

What cables use balanced-pair signaling? Choose the best answer.

Twisted-pair

Wiring standards

Twisted-pair connectors can't just be terminated haphazardly. Every standard has its own order There's no one set of guidelines for all cable types The most universal rule is that the two wires used by each signal must be from the same twisted pair. Anything else would be a sure invitation for crosstalk. That doesn't necessarily mean the two connectors will be next to each other on the connector: that depends entirely on the standard

crosstalk

Two signal cables alongside each other can even interfere with each other to cause crosstalk, especially a problem in large and complex networks when you might want to string many cables together.

Coaxial cables Contrasting with balanced lines like twisted pair are unbalanced lines.

Where the two lines creating a circuit aren't entirely symmetrical. Usually, this means the signal is just sent along one line "To help remember this: A candy bar with Soft camel its center (Centre core) Covered with a Dielectric coloring camel (Dielectric insulator) Then I covered that with a sweet Metallic chocolate color (Metallic shield) Finally, all that was covered a beautiful candy plastic (Plastic Jacket)"

Terminating coaxial cables: continues

While leaving both the shield and the core exposed: this means it makes two cuts at two different depths. Some are designed to go on with compression tools, and some with crimper tools. Both work similarly, but you need to make sure they match. There are also push-on and screw-on connectors that don't need to be clamped in place, but they don't make as durable and solid a connection

Coaxial cables Contrasting

While the other line is grounded. A common example of this is coaxial cable. Which has a core wire surrounded by a conducting shield. Between the core and the shield is a dielectric. Or easily-polarized, insulator of a fixed thickness. When the shield is grounded and voltage passed through the core, the cable effectively becomes a pipe, or waveguide. Waveguide carries radio signals over long distances with relatively strong protection against EMI.

Unshielded twisted-pair (UTP)?

it has no additional shielding and relies entirely on the twisted-pair effect to combat interference. Since it's lighter, cheaper, and more flexible.

Shielded twisted-pair (STP)

encases the wires in a conducting layer designed to shield them from electromagnetic interference

Once you're equipped and trained on how to use Termination tools:

even making patch cables out of a spool of cable and box of RJ-45 connectors is easy enough that you might not want to pay extra for ready-made patch cables. Snips-Cuts cables to length. Wire stripper-Cuts the jacket from the cable. Crimper-Clamps a modular jack onto the wire ends of a cable. Many crimpers have snips and wire strippers built in, and many even allow you to terminate both 8P and 6P connectors So you might only need one tool to terminate both RJ-45 and RJ-11. Punch down tool-Places wires on punch down blocks.