Type of Cable Used for Cable Internet Service

By David Lipscomb

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Cable Internet services are widely used to deliver broadband to homes and businesses. From the distribution box somewhere in the neighborhood leading to the back of the computer, a host of cable types are used. All of these are necessary in delivering an error-free broadband experience to home and business owners.

RG-11

This thick and inflexible coaxial cable is rated for runs in excess of 400 feet. At or below this distance, RG-11 can easily deliver 3 gigahertz of data. This cable is used to deliver the cable internet feed from a local distribution box in your area to your home.

RG-6/RG-6U

Whether dual or quad-shielded, RG-6 is a thinner, more flexible coaxial cable. This cable runs from the outside box, taking over for the RG-11 feeding the business or residence. RG-6 can easily deliver broadband cable internet services with bandwidth to spare at distances up to 100 feet. These cables typically screw onto the back of cable modems.

Ethernet

Ethernet cables run from the back of cable modems to hubs, routers and Ethernet ports on the back of computers. Ethernet cables are made with some precision, and serve local area networks. This cable facilitates authorized users on networks to print from one PC to another, and modify documents remotely.

Universal Serial Bus

For users lacking an Ethernet card in their computer, a USB option still exists. For broadband, this is definitely option B if using USB 1.0, since USB 1.0 is limited in most applications to 6 megabits per second. USB 2.0 has bandwidth to 400 Mbps, limited in most by the broadband service itself. Contrast this to Ethernet, where speeds of 100 Mbps is the norm. USB cables route from cable modems directly to open USB ports on the connected PC.

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