A specific type of cable is what connects the different PCs together in a LAN. Like our traditional telephone system which has every phone connected through a cable, the LAN also must use a cable. As mentioned previously, the three main cable types include: twisted pair, coaxial or coax, and fiber optic.

Twisted pair cable consists of two wires twisted around each other. It generally contains two pairs or 4 wires. This wire can be shielded or unshielded which refers the amount of insulation around each pair of wires.

Unshielded twisted pair or UTP is exactly the same cable as your telephone wire. Shielded twisted pair or STP looks like the electrical wiring in your house. Generally, UTP is used with ethernet cards, and STP used with token ring cards.

Coaxial or coax cable is the same as the cable that you use to connect your cable TV up to your television. This wire can be thick or thin and is called ThinNet and ThickNet. ThinNet is cheaper and easier to install, while ThickNet gives you a better signal.

Fiber optic cable uses light instead of electricity to send a signal. This cable is totally immune to interference. It consists of glass threads smaller than human hair which carry the light. This cable can carry more information than any other cable type. It can send it over large distances at very high speeds.