Comparing Media Types
Presented in Table 8-1 are comparisons of the features of the common network media. This chart provides an overview of various media that you can use as a reference. The medium is possibly the single most important long-term investment made in a network. The choice of media type will affect the type of NICs installed, the speed of the network, and the capability of the network to meet future needs.
Table 8-1 Media Type Comparison
| Media Type |
Maximum Segment Length |
Speed |
Cost |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
| UTP |
100 m |
10 Mbps to 1000 Mbps |
Least expensive |
Easy to install; widely available and widely used |
Susceptible to interference; can cover only a limited distance |
| STP |
100 m |
10 Mbps to 100 Mbps |
More expensive than UTP |
Reduced crosstalk; more resistant to EMI than Thinnet or UTP |
Difficult to work with; can cover only a limited distance |
| Coaxial |
500 m (Thicknet) 185 m (Thinnet) |
10 Mbps to 100 Mbps |
Relatively inexpensive, but more costly than UTP |
Less susceptible to EMI interference than other types of copper media |
Difficult to work with (Thicknet); limited bandwidth; limited application (Thinnet); damage to cable can bring down entire network |
| Fiber-Optic |
10 km and farther (single-mode) 2 km and farther (multimode) |
100 Mbps to 100 Gbps (single mode) 100 Mbps to 9.92 Gbps (multimode) |
Expensive |
Cannot be tapped, so security is better; can be used over great distances; is not susceptible to EMI; has a higher data rate than coaxial and twisted-pair cable |
Difficult to terminate |