Coax cable came to prominence in network installations during the 1980's 1980s and was part of the first specification for Ethernet. Coaxial cable will be familiar to those with cable or satellite television connections. It is heavily shielded and as such is much less susceptible to interference than standard twisted pair cabling.
Two types of coax are available. ''Thinnet'', also known as ''10Base2'' has a communication speed of 10Mbps, is limited in length to 185 meters per network segment and uses ''BNC'' style connectors. Each end of a 10Base10 network must be terminated by a special connector called a ''terminator''.
''Thicknet'', also known as ''10Base5'' has communication speed of 10Mbps, a maximum segment length of 500 meters and uses attachment unit interfaces and vampire clicks clips to connect devices to the network.
Coax cable has no inherent security. The linear nature of the coax network topology is such that the cable may be pierced or spliced at any point and a new device added to the network.
== Shielded and Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable (UTP/STP) ==
* ''Category 6 (Cat 6)'' - Suitable for Gigabit Ethernet
Twisted pair cables use RF-45 connectors and are harder to tap into than coax cable. The biggest risk for twisted pair cable is the ease with which additional devices and can be connected to spare ports on hubs, routers and switches.
