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berto1014

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    berto1014 reacted to rufee in The Networking board's Frequently Asked Questions, Pre-answered!   
    Need more ports on your router ? Looked into switches, but you are confused with the naming ?
    Here are the types of switches you might encounter when shopping for one:
    Unmanaged or "dumb" switches. These types of switches do not have any user configurable options and are best suited for home users who wish to expand their network or just add extra ports to their router. These switches are ready to use out of the box. Smart switches. A tier down from managed ones, these switches offer the ability to configure some options like QoS and VLAN's via a web interface and are best suited for users who need a slightly tighter control over their network. Managed switches. A switch that offers even more features usually suited for enterprise users and large networks, these switches can often be stacked. A serial CLI interface is usually provided for management and configuration. Switches usually come in standard port number configurations 5,8,16,24,48 (Usable ports = number of ports - 1).

    I need to run ethernet cable, but i don't know what the Cat symbol on the wire means
    The "Cat" or category is a cable rating system and it tells the user how much the cable can handle in terms of speed and interference. Here are the most common categories you will encounter:
    Category 3 or Cat3 cable, is a very old standard that allows the wire to carry speeds up to 10mbps, it is no longer used for internet, but instead is still used for telephone wiring. Category 5e or Cat5e, the most common cable type right now, it can handle 100mbps and 1gbps speeds. Category 6 or Cat6 in addition to being able to handle more interference it can also handle 10gbps speeds, though at reduced distance. Category 7 or Cat7 or Class F cable is rated for full length 10gbps operation. All these cables (except Cat7) come in two types: STP (or FTP in EU) this is a shielded cable and UTP (unshielded cable). A maximum length of a ethernet cable is 330ft (100m), going further you risk signal degradation.

     
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