Copper Ethernet (Cat 5–8)
TIA-568 defines categories used in most North American structured cabling. ISO/IEC 11801 adds shielded classes (often sold as Cat 7 / 7A) that are not identical to TIA naming. Distances are standard channel planning figures. 10GBASE-T reach depends on cable grade, installation quality, and equipment.
Shielding types (pair & cable)
The code is read left to right: outer cable screen, then “/”, then each twisted pair. F = foil, S = braid, U = none. Use the same shield class on patch leads and connectors.
Fiber optics
Glass fiber suits long runs, outdoor or between buildings, noisy electrical areas, or when you want headroom to go faster later without swapping cable. Below are the grades home labs, prosumers, and small businesses usually buy. It is not written for ISP backbone or hyperscale datacenter designs. Reach depends on the transceivers (SFP/SFP+) on each end.
Wi‑Fi generations
Figures are maximum link speeds between router and device. Real downloads and streaming are usually much lower. Range depends on walls, interference, and your hardware.
Bluetooth
Most phones and PCs today use Bluetooth 5.x. “Classic” is typical for older car and speaker links. “Low energy” covers most earbuds, keyboards, trackers, and smart-home gadgets.