(Q) What are the maximum lengths for ethernet cables?
(A) Fast Ethernet 100baseT 100 Meters Twisted Pair Ethernet 10baseT 100 Meters Thin Ethernet 10 base 2 185 Meters Thick Ethernet, 10 base 5 500 Meters See this link for more info
(Q) Can I run cat-5 ethernet cable outside?
(A) Although cat-5 cable is not rated for outdoor use, I have heard many people using it for years without a problem. If possible, bury the cable at least 8 inches to reduce moisture. Try not to run it along rooftops because the cable can attract lightning. Remember, 100 Meters is your max distance.
(Q) On my network hub, my collision light seems to light up a lot.
(A) This means that packets sent from two different computers at the same time. This is often normal when transferring large files on your network. If your collision light seems to stay on most of the time, you may have a bad network cable or network card. Unplug your computers one at a time to determine the problem computer. Switches eliminate network collisions.
(Q) My USB 10/100Mbps ethernet adapter is slow compared to the other computers on my network.
(A) USB 1.0 is limited to 12Mbps so your theoretical max throughput is 12Mbps. Your actual throughput will probably be more like 6Mbps.
(Q) What the heck is UTP cable?
(A) UTP is short for Unshielded Twisted Pair cable. If a Cat-5 or cat-5e cable is a UTP.
(Q) What is CAT5 or Cat-5 cable?
(A) CAT5 / CAT5e / CAT6 are UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cable ratings. The higher the number, the higher the max throughput. Cat5 = 100Mbps, Cat5e =200Mbps, Cat6=1000Mbps (gigabit). If you are using a 100Mbps switch, try and get cat5e cable instead of cat5.
(Q) What is the difference between a hub and a switch?
(Q) Do I need a hub or a switch for only two computers?
(A) An Ethernet cable can be used to connect two computers directly together. A crossover cable is wired differently than a standard Ethernet cable. Check this page for more info about crossover cables.
(Q) Can I connect hubs or switches together to add more computers?
(A) Connect the uplink cable from one hub to a standard port on the second switch. If neither have an uplink port, connect a standard port from each hub with a crossover cable. See this link for details on crossover cables.
Site last updated:
Wednesday, July 28, 2004 12:42 PM
