there are different types of connectors

types of connectors

the different types of connectors that are used in networking and these connectors will vary  depending upon the type of network and the cable that they are attached to. Whether that cable is  twisted pair, coaxial, telephone, or fiber optic. And the first one we're going to talk about is  the RJ-45. Now the RJ-45 is by far the most common network connector. Now this is an eight pin  connector that's used to connect computers and  other network devices in a local area network. The  RJ-45 is used with unshielded twisted pair cable. Twisted pair cable has eight wires and these wires  are arranged in a certain order and then the wires are inserted into an RJ-45 connector and then they  are crimped on both ends using a wire crimper. And  then one connector would be plugged into the  computer's network card and then the other end  would plug into a device, such as a switch, modem,  or a router. Then once that is done, the computer  will be able to connect to a network. The RJ-45 has  a single locking tab that locks itself into place.  Now this is a UTP coupler. Now this is not  really a connector. This is used for connecting  UTP cables with RJ-45 connectors to each other.  This is typically used when running a longer cable  is not an option. It's just used to extend a  network cable by joining two cables together using  

types of connectors

their RJ-45 connectors. So you would just plug one  end of the cable into the coupler and then you  would plug in another cable on the other side. And  now you have successfully extended your UTP cable. And another type of connector that is similar  to the RJ-45 is the RJ-48. Now the RJ-48 looks very similar to the RJ45, but the difference between  the two is that the RJ-48 is used with shielded  twisted pair cable instead of unshielded  twisted pair that's used with the RJ-45. The RJ-48 is primarily used with T1 lines and  it's also wired differently than the RJ-45. And this is the RJ-11 connector. This is a four  wire connector that's mainly used to connect telephone equipment. But as far as networking, the  RJ-11 is used to connect computers to a local area network through the computer's modem. The RJ-11  locks itself into place by a single locking tab and it resembles the RJ-45 but it's a little  bit smaller. The BNC connector is a type of RJ connector that is used with coaxial cable.  BNC stands for Bayonet Neill–Concelman. , . Now these  connectors are not very common anymore but they  can still be found on older networks. Now there  are many different kinds of BNC connectors.  So or example here is a BNC-T connector which  

types of connectors

connects three coaxial cables together. And there  is also the BNC coupler, which is used to connect  two coaxial cables together. And there is also  the BNC terminator, which is used to terminate the ends of a cable. Now this connector is called the  F-type. Now this is a threaded connector typically 

used on coaxial cables. These are primarily used  by cable providers to attach to cable modems. So if you have broadband cable like I do, you  will have a modem with a coaxial cable attached to an F-type connector that screws into the back  of your modem that attaches with a nut. And in addition to being used with broadband cable,  they are also used with satellite internet.  And there is also the USB connector. The USB is  very common on desktops and laptops. And because 'universal' is in its name, it can be used for many  different purposes, including networking. So for example many manufacturers make USB wireless  adapters that plug into a USB port on a computer  to give the computer wireless network access.  And there is also wired network adapters like this one here, where you would plug an ethernet  cable at one end and then the other end into a  USB port on a computer and then the computer will  be able to access a network through its USB port. now we're getting into fiber optic connectors.  Now fiber optic networks use pulses of light to send data. And there are many different types of  fiber optic connectors, but I'm only going to talk about the most popular fiber connectors. But the  main differences between these fiber connectors, are the size and the method they use when  coupling. So the first fiber optic connector  is called the SC or standard connector. And this  is often called the square connector. And this was 

types of connectors

one of the first connectors to be used in the  marketplace. This uses a push pull connector, similar to audio and video plugs and these are  commonly used between floors in a building. This connector is called the MRTJ which stands for  mechanical transfer register jack. And this is a fiber optic connector that uses a latched push  pull connection. It has a small form factor that's used for high pack density and it was designed to  replace the SC connector. The MRTJ uses two fibers in a single design and it resembles the RJ-45.  This connector is becoming increasingly popular in fiber networks today. And our next fiber  connector is called the LC or local connector or Lucent connector, since it was developed  by Lucent. Now this type of connector is also  commonly used between floors in a building and  it was designed to compete with the SC connector. It's about half the size of the SC connector  which makes it better for highly populated racks and panels and this also uses a latch that  locks itself into place similar to the RJ-45. And our last fiber optic connector is called the  ST or straight tip. Now this uses a half twist  bayonet type of lock and is commonly used with  single mode fiber optic cable. Now this is a 

types of connectors

large size connector that was developed by AT&T.  And because of its large size, its usage has declined in favor of smaller connectors, such as  the LC and the MTRJ. Now just like UTP couplers, there are also fiber couplers. So if you  wanted to join two fiber optic connectors, you would use a fiber coupler. Now fiber couplers  are used to join or couple two of the same fiber optic connectors and the two connectors have to  be the same. Now these are not to be confused  with fiber adapters, because fiber adapters  are used for joining two different connectors together. So here we have an example of a fiber  coupler joining two ST connectors together.  So now we're going to talk about the difference  between UPC and APC end faces or tips on fiber optic connectors. And as examples we're going to  use a group of ST fiber connectors equipped with UPC and APC end faces. Now when fiber optic  connectors make a connection to each other,  the point at which the connection is made is  not perfect, because of the small imperfections of the flat surfaces. So what happens is at  the point where the connectors join, light  

types of connectors

is transmitted from one connector to the other  connector. But at the point where light passes to  the other connector, the light will reflect back  in the opposite direction towards the light source  and when this happens, there is signal loss. And  this is what happens in UPC connectors. The light  is reflected directly back. So as technology  progressed, a new connector was developed to  decrease the signal loss. And this new connector  is called the APC connector. Now the difference  between the UPC and the APC is the angle of the  end face or tip where the connection is made. So  as I said before, with the UPC, the light reflects  back towards the light source. But with the APC,  with its angled connection, the light doesn't  reflect back towards the light source,  it reflects back at an angle into the wall of  the cable. And as a result, this greatly reduces  the signal loss.