Introduction:

With so many new networking products on the market, it’s sometimes difficult to figure out what all of them do.  There are some aspects of networking that do not have to be as confusing.   Actually, for the average consumer, basic networking can be rather simple to understand.  With a little bit of background knowledge an individual can take advantage of some of the best networking services.

Network Services:

For most residential consumers, networking can be broken down into three components. Audio, video and data transfer are the roots of communication.  Therefore, the devices we use send and receive one or more of these components.  Our telephones send and receive audio signals.  Radios receive audio signals.  The TV receives audio and video signals and our computers send and receive audio and video signals and transfer data information.  Whether you are talking on the phone, listening to the radio, watching TV or sending emails on your computer, communication is taking place via some form of network.

Network Connection:

In order to take advantage of the network services, you need to be able to connect to them.  First and foremost, the network service needs to be available in your area.  Then service provider must connect your home to their network so you can communicate with them.  Radios communicate wirelessly through antennas that pick up radio frequencies.  No cables are needed to connect to the broadcasting network.  Televisions, telephones and computers all utilize networks that can be delivered to your home through wired or wireless connections.  Regardless of which service you take advantage of, there are still network cables that are probably going to be needed to connect the actual network device to the network.  The exceptions, of course, are cell phones and laptops (with wireless network cards) which utilize a satellite connection that various phone companies provide.  Wired networks require specific types of network cables in order to connect devices.  The good news is that most of the connections require standard types of network cables regardless of who the service provider is and what brand the network device is.  The only variation in the type of cable needed is from one type of service to the next.

Network Cables:

Television: Televisions utilize coaxial cable to connect to the service provider.  The coaxial cable coming out of the wall can be plugged directly into the TV.  If the coaxial cable is mounted to the wall using a wall plate and a jack, normally there will be a female coaxial adapter on that wall plate.  To connect your TV, you simple plug one male end of the coaxial cable into your TV and the other male end of the coaxial cable into the female wall jack.  To view High Definition stations on a newer HDTV, different cables are needed.  HDMI, DVI, S-Video, and RCA cables are all capable of carrying audio and/or video signals.  Depending on your TV and/or home theater set up, you have to decide which cable you will use.  HDMI carries all digital signals for optimal viewing.  HDMI is beneficial because it also carries audio signal.  DVI cables, on the other hand, only carry digital video signals.  RCA cables come in two forms; component and composite.  Component cables can carry high definition signal but they convert the digital signal to analog signal and divide the picture into Red, Blue and Green color spectrums.  Composite cables are your standard definition TV cables that carry left and right audio signals (red and white cables) and video signals (yellow cable).  If you are going to connect your incoming sound signal to your home theater system, you can use RCA cable.  For the best sound, fiber optic (optical) cable is pretty much standard.

Telephone:  Telephones utilize different types of cable.  To plug your TV into the wall jack and connect to the telephone service provider, normally a 6P4C modular is utilized along with a common RJ11 phone jack when utilizing just one telephone line.  If you connect multiple lines, RJ 14 or RJ25 jacks are required.  The wire that connects the base of the telephone to the handset is usually 4P4C wire.

Computer:  The computer is capable of sending audio, video and data information at lightning fast speeds.  8P8C cables that can transfer a ton of information at these incredible speeds must be used.  The computer uses Ethernet cables to connect to a broadband connection.  CAT5e is commonly used cable for sending and receiving information over 100Base-T connections.  They are capable of utilizing 1000Base-T connections, but the later released CAT6 cable is better equipped for the challenge.  CAT6 is backwards compatible with CAT5e cable.

Since Ethernet cables can send all three types of signals, phone calling over the internet is becoming more common.  With a broadband connection and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service and hardware you can make a phone call over the internet complete with audio, video and data transfer capability.  VoIP phones connect directly to the broadband connection, as your computer would, with an Ethernet cable.  These phones can be expensive so if you have to buy one (or multiple phones if you are a business with VoIP service) you might want to check out used phones.  Used and refurbished phones are usually function just as well as a new VoIP phone and sometimes will still have a full manufacturer’s warranty depending on where you buy them.  Regular phones can be used to make calls over the internet with a VoIP adapter.  Naturally, you can use your computer and your broadband connection to make a phone call if you have a microphone and speakers or a headset.

Conclusion:

Whether your networking devices are wired or wireless, chances are you are going to need some sort of network cable, adapter, or charger in order for it to function.  With the wide variety of devices you can connect to a computer, additional cables are more than likely going to be needed.  As we move to the future of communication technology, the basic networking cables you will probably need can be summed up rather easily.  For basic TV you need coaxial cable.  For HDTV you need an HDMI cable.  For optimal sound you need an optical cable.  For telephone service, you need 6P6C and 4P4C cable with an RJ11 jack.  For VoIP phone calls and computer networking you need CAT5e Ethernet cables.

Written by Eric Higgins