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Every type of cable has a maximum distance. These distance limits can vary greatly from one type of cable to the next. Along with determining whether a cable will work, distance limits will also determine how well a cable works. Knowing the fundamentals behind cable distance limits is the first step in selecting the best cable for your needs.
Cables will always have some sort of “maximum signal” rating, depending on the type of the cable. For Ethernet cables, it will be the maximum upload/download speed. For HDMI cables, it will be the maximum resolution of the video. And so on and so forth for other cables. Any type of “maximum” rating should be taken with a grain of salt.
Those ratings are the best possible rating the cable is capable of under theoretical, perfect conditions. For example, modern HDMI cables are all rated for 4k. But if the HDMI cable is running through a coupler, users will almost certainly not get 4k. Each time a signal passes through a connection, even just connecting
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Posted: September 26, 2018Read more »
Computer cables (data cables) are somewhat similar to audio and video cables. Instead of transmitting sound or images, they send data for your computer to use. This can be anything from sending over a Word document to streaming movies and TV shows. Technically Ethernet cables fall under this category, but Ethernet is such a broad topic it needed its own independent article. Common types of computer cables include:
Key Takeaways
- Computer data cables transfer information between computers, peripherals, networks, storage devices, displays, and other equipment.
- Common technologies include USB, Ethernet, serial, HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, DVI, and VGA.
- The correct cable depends on the connector, standard, data rate, distance, and application.
- USB-C describes a connector type and does not automatically indicate a specific data speed or capability.
- Ethernet cables are designed primarily for wired networking.
- HDMI and DisplayPort are commonly used for digital
