GE ML2400 - Manual (Page 8)

QS–4 MULTILINK ML1600/2400 ETHERNET COMMUNICATIONS SWITCH – QUICKSTART GUIDE
QUICK START GUIDE
QS.2 10BASE T and 100BaseT Media
10 Base T and 100 Base T are the two most common twisted pair copper media standards.
There are also several popular fiber optic media standards which we will review later in
this section. With respect to 10 or 100 Base T, the 10 or 100 designation indicates a baud
rate of either 10 or 100 megabits per second. Base stands for baseband while the T stands
for "twisted pair."
Since many twisted pair interfaces can work at either baud rate, the designation 10/100
Base T has evolved to show this capability. The cable can be ether unshielded twisted pair
(UTP) or shielded twisted pair (STP).
We recommend category 5e UTP for applications of up to 100 Mbs
Unshielded Twisted Pair cable:
• Category 1: Used for telephone communications; not suitable for transmitting
data.
• Category 2: Capable of transmitting data at speeds of up to 4 Mbps.
• Category 3: Can be used in 10BASE-T networks; can transmit data at speeds up to
10 Mbps.
• Category 4: Used in Token Ring networks; can transmit data at speeds up to 16
Mbps.
• Category 5: Capable of transmitting data at speeds up to 100 Mbps.
• Category 5e*: Used in networks running at speeds up to 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps).
• Category 6: Consists of four pairs of 24-gauge copper wires, which can transmit
data at speeds of up to 1000 Mbps.
* Recommended
Ethernet: Unshielded Twisted Pair
:
100 metres max.