What is the difference between these cables?

Question

RS232
co-axial
UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair)
All of these using a NIC to connect 2 PC's together what are the differences?

Answer 1

RS232 is a slow serial interface used on older PC's. RS232 only connected two PCs at one time for simple file transfer before higher capacity drives and media became available. Speeds were in the kbps range. It could also be used with (old) serial printers long before parallel printers or USB printers were developed.

RS232 was connected by either a 9-pin D socket or a 25-pin D socket, the COM port socket on modern systems. Nowadays, the COM port is used less an less for external modems as broadband modems use USB sockets instead.

COM ports and serial cables are still used to upload data to certain routers or bespoke control systems like heating systems .

Co-axial is like television aerial cable but was also used on old network systems. It could be run over distances and connect many computers at one time to allow file sharing between them all but it had to be contained in a single loop or terminated with special connectors to avoid data loss. I think it could handle up to 1Mbps speeds.

Old NIC cards had a BNC socket onto which a T-connector was fitted to join it into the loop, that maintained data integrity if the PC was taken for repair and had to be removed from the loop.

For a while there were COMBO cards which included both BNC and the more modern RJ45 sockets that are used in UTP systems.

UTP is the modern network cable (also called Cat5, Cat5E or Cat6) It operates at far higher speeds (10Mbps, 100Mbps and up to 1Gbps) and the twisting reduces the crosstalk that can affect the signal at such high rates of transfer. A single cable connects each computer to a central hub or switch. Computers can be up to 90metres from the hub. Data integrity cannot always be guaranteed above this distance so fibre optic modules are put in place to maintain the high speed between buildings on the same network.

Depending on the switch, you can connect up to 48 computers at one time. For a home network, a 4/5- or 7/8-port hub or switch is usually sufficient.

A UTP NIC usually has a single RJ45 socket and a selection of LED's to let you know that there is a successful connection and the operating speed of the card - dependent on the hub or switch.


Of course, if you are only ever going to connect 2 PCs together with NIC's, buy a X-OVER (Crossover) cable and it does away with the need for a hub or switch. The X-Over cable is usually marked X-OVER as it is manufactured to ensure that the computers talk and listen properly.

Don't use an ordinary Cat5 network cable. It won't work

Answer 2

An RS 232 wouldn't use a NIC, it would use a serial port.

Like many things in computing there are many ways of doing the same thing. Without going into to much technical detail, all of the cables you mention are "serial" connections.

RS232 is a somewhat outdated method of connecting equipment where multiple wires in the cable handle data, control dataflow etc.

Co-ax handles data, dataflow and associated control signals over i wire.

UTP is the current "standard" network protocol (Ethernet) where data is transmitted and received over two separate sets of twisted pair wires.

Answer 3

RS 232 is not a cable. It is a serial interface (plug) - see this entry in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS232

Co-axial is an electrical cable used to transmit high frequencies, and is used mainly for cable internet and TV or combination. The wires inside are shielded with plastic insulation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable

UTP is a thin ethernet cable used for computer networks, and the inside wires are not shielded by insulation as the name suggests.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unshielded_twisted_pair

Answer 4

Night and day.

RS232 - serial connection. Max speed is about 128k. Not used with a NIC

Co-ax - No longer used for computer networks, though is used for cable modem connections.

UTP - 8-wire cable used for modern networks. This is the only one you'll use to connect 2 computers together.

Answer 5

1. uses a serial interface, an aging technology still used widely in factories but rarely used for personal use these days

2. it's the cable used in your home for television or for cable internet

3. the standard cable for computer networking, what you would use for connecting two computers together

Answer 6

They look the same to me. 1/4" mono plug on one end and a standard RCA plug on the other. And yeah skip the monster brand name. These things were being made decades ago, there is NOTHING special about the Monster brand but their price and their hype.