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Networking Fundamentals · Foundational

Twisted Pair

Copper cabling in which pairs of insulated wires are twisted together to cancel electromagnetic interference and crosstalk.

Definition

Ethernet twisted-pair cable contains four pairs, each with a different twist rate, color coded blue, orange, green and brown. Twisting causes noise induced on both wires to cancel at the receiver, which is called differential signaling. Performance grades are defined by TIA categories such as Cat 5e, 6 and 6a.

Example

A standard office patch cable is four-pair UTP twisted pair.

Exam tip

More twists per inch generally means better crosstalk performance and a higher category.

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