Advantages of UTP | disadvantages of UTP

This page covers advantages and disadvantages of UTP. It mentions UTP advantages or benefits and UTP disadvantages or drawbacks. UTP stands for Unshielded Twisted Pair.

What is UTP?

Introduction:
• It is one of the type of twisted pair cable, the other type is STP (Shielded Twisted Pair).
• It is most commonly used as copper telephone wiring.
• It is a medium which is composed of pairs of wires.
• Each of the 8 individual copper wires in UTP cable is covered by insulating material. In adition wires in each pair are twisted around each other.
• UTP cables are available in category-1 to category-6.

• UTP cable relies on cancellation effect produced by twisted pairs to limit signal degradation caused by EMI and RFI. Moreover number of twists in wire pairs are used appropriately to reduce the crosstalk.
• It offers speed or throughput of about 10 to 1000 Mbps.
• It offers maximum cable length of about 100 meters.

Benefits or advantages of UTP

Following are the benefits or advantages of UTP:
➨It is smaller in size. Hence installation is easier as it does not fill up wiring ducts.
➨It is less expensive compare to other networking media types.
➨It is thin and flexible which further makes installation easier.
➨UTP cables are used in most of the networking architecture.
➨It is designed to counter EMI, RFI and crosstalk.

Drawbacks or disadvantages of UTP

Following are the drawbacks or disadvantages of UTP:
➨It is more susceptible to interference compare to most of the other cable types. Twisting of pair helps to certain extent but it does not make cable impervious to electrical noise completely.
➨It can be used up to cable segment lengths of about 100 meters only.
➨UTP cable should follow specifications for number of twists or braids permitted per meter of cable to reduce crosstalk.

Also refer advantages and disadvantages of STP cable >>.

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