Network cables are a type of cable used for transmitting data and power, and can be divided into shielded and unshielded network cables according to whether they have a shielding layer. Shielded network cables refer to network cables that have a shielding layer inside, and the shielding layer refers to aluminum foil and braided mesh. The function of shielded network cables is to reduce external electromagnetic interference and signal leakage and improve the stability and confidentiality of transmission.

Cat5e UTP Lan Cable

Shielded network cables can be divided into single-shielded and double-shielded network cables. The shielding layer of single-shielded network cables only has one layer of aluminum foil paper, and double-shielded network cables have a layer of aluminum foil wrapped around the twisted pair and a layer of metal braided mesh. Double-shielded network cables have a better shielding effect, but they are also more expensive and more difficult to install.

According to the performance and frequency of transmission, network cables can also be divided into different categories, such as Category 3, Category 5, Category 5e, Category 6, Category 6a, Category 7, etc. Among them, Category 3 and Category 5 are generally unshielded network cables, Category 5e and Category 6 can be shielded or unshielded network cables and Category 6a and Category 7 are all shielded network cables.

Cat6 SFTP Lan Cable

If you want to distinguish whether the network cable is shielded, you can use the following three methods:

Observe the appearance of the network cable, if the network cable is marked with STP, SFTP, FTP, etc., it means that it is a shielded network cable, if it is marked with UTP, etc., it means that it is an unshielded network cable.

Peel off the outer skin of the network cable, if you see aluminum foil or metal braided mesh wrapped around the twisted pair, it means that it is a shielded network cable, if not, it means that it is an unshielded network cable.

Use a multimeter to measure the resistance of the network cable, if the two ends of the network cable have resistance values, it means that it is a shielded network cable, if not, it means that it is an unshielded network cable.