A patch cable is a general term used to describe a connector cable that joins two electronic devices together. Common devices that use patch cables or patch leads include computers, appliances, hardware and systems in a network. The connection allows patch cables to carry signals back and forth in the form of audio, video or even telephone signals.
Patch cables are fundamental in providing connections and reliable connectivity so that systems can quickly transfer information and communicate with other systems in the network. They are called patch cables or patch leads because they “patch” two devices together, with connectors on both ends of the cable. However, they are not used for long-distance connections but mainly for connecting devices over a short distance, somewhere less than two metres long. Ethernet cables may be the most common patch cables you know about, and they are used to build home computer networks.
Common Types Of Patch Cables Used In Australia:
Copper and fibre optic cables are the two popular patch cable materials used in the country. They are explained in a little more detail below:
- Copper: Most patch cables are used for general anxnr.com purposes, and ethernet cables are made of copper. Copper has the necessary tensile strength to withstand a considerable amount of torsion, has enough ductility to bend at any angle without distorting its physical makeup, has a high degree of thermal expansion properties and is resistant to corrosion, able to last long without worrying about replacement and maintenance. Copper patch cables can be as short as a few inches long or long enough to be over a metre. Do understand that various manufacturers make copper patch cables differently according to the needs of the devices and for functional purposes. However, customers need to select a patch cable according to the use or application if they want to achieve optimum performance.
- Fibre: Fibre patch cables are those with fibre optic connectors on each end, allowing them to be connected to a wide range of telecommunication devices. The fibre optic cables will connect a terminal box with a receiver and an optical transmitter. Fibre patch cables come in either single-type or multi-type cables along with other fibre optic connectors, which vary with each device and manufacturer.
Between copper patch cables and fibre optic patch cables, fibre cables provide way more advantages for the user:
- Fibre cables have a higher transmission speed than copper cables, and multimode cables offer the highest speeds for data transmission.
- Since fibre optic cables use optical fibres to transmit information, fibre cables can transfer data from far away and even in the air or underwater. This is not possible for copper cables owing to their physical characteristics. Fibre cables have been used to connect devices even 160 kilometres apart under certain conditions.
- Another big advantage of fibre optic patch leads is that they are immune to interferences from electromagnetic fields and radio frequency interruptions. Add lower attenuation loss to that, and you will have the best reliable patch cables.
- Fibre cables are tiny, some having the thickness of human hair. Copper patch cables are about four times thicker than that and can only transmit a fraction of the data that fibre optics can transfer. Due to their small size, fibre optic cables take up less room; hence, they help design compact, ergonomic and efficient devices.
