What is the difference between shielded and unshielded cables?

The difference between shielded and unshielded cables

1. The difference in appearance: The visual difference between shielded and unshielded cables is that the shielded cables have metal mesh and film; Non shielded cables are not available.

Each pair of wires in a shielded twisted pair cable (STP) is wrapped in foil to reduce radiation, and then wrapped again to provide dual protection;

Unshielded twisted pair cables (UTP) twist each pair of wires together, consisting of multiple cores and a plastic sheath, and then wrap these wires in pipes without any other protection.

2. The combination of shielded cables and shielded crystal heads can effectively prevent electromagnetic radiation interference from other high-power electrical appliances and strong power sources around, greatly reducing the error rate of signal transmission.

Unshielded cables have varying levels of interference due to the different materials used for their jackets and conductor structures.

3. The ease of installation varies: shielded cables can reduce interference, but their installation requires special connectors that support shielding functions and corresponding installation techniques. Therefore, the installation of shielded cables is more difficult than that of unshielded cables.

4. Different applications

(1) Shielded cables only function when the entire cable has a shielding device and both ends are properly grounded. Therefore, the laying of shielded cables requires the entire system to be equipped with shielding devices, including cables, sockets, crystal heads, and distribution frames. At the same time, the building needs to have a good grounding system.

Due to its usefulness in any environment with high potential for electronic interference, shielded cables can be used in wireless radio cable assemblies and airport cable assemblies.

STP cables are also used in stability systems to protect them from power frequency and radio frequency interference, and can also be used in box buildings with multiple closely adjacent components.

(2) Unshielded cables (UTP) do not use shielding to reduce interference, and because they are lightweight, flexible, easy to install, and inexpensive, they are suitable for use as office LANS and similar network cabling systems.

The above is the difference between shielded and unshielded cables. I hope everyone has a simple understanding of these two categories of cables. In practical applications, it is necessary to select appropriate cables based on the actual situation to avoid interference with cable signals during signal transmission and prevent them from functioning properly.