100BaseTX vs 100BaseT

Dad, What is the difference between 100 Base T and 100 Base TX?

In the olden days, there were a number of 100 Base Standards :

100 Base T2,100 Base T4 and 100 Base TX

"10 Base T" . was the common term (generic term) which represents all of the above three standards.

After sometime, 100 Base T2 and 100 Base T4 died because of cancer :).

Finally, only 100 Base TX only is living now.

When there is only one person, where comes the need of generic term. So people started calling 10BaseTX and just 10BaseT. Because there is no ambiguity. Satisfied?

 

No Dad, What is 100Base T4?

I told you it is already dead.

But dad, just for the sake of knowledge I am asking you.

Ok. "T" stands for Twisted pair ("F" stands for fiber"). "4" stands for four pairs.

You can use 4 pairs of CAT3 cable and get 100mbps speed. But when they are able to change the design of the twisted pair by increasing the number of twists per meter(called as CAT5), we are able to use just two pairs to get 100mbps. So, 100BaseT4 became obsolete.

Satisfied?

No Dad, then where comes this 100BaseTX.

If you are able to use CAT5 cable for 100mbps, then it is 100BaseTX.

Satisfied?

No Dad, You told 10BaseTX needs only two pairs. I checked the CAT5 cable. It has 4 pairs. Why Dad?

Only two pairs are used. Other two are just dummy. Satisfied?

No Dad, Then what was the use of 100BaseT2?

They were using 2 pairs of CAT3 cable itself for 100mbps. As it is not going upto 100 meters, she is also dead.

 

 

 

 

 

No Dad, What is the difference between Ethernet and Fast Ethernet?

If the speed is 10Mbps, it is ethernet. If the speed is 100mbps, then it is fast ethernet.

There is nothing wrong, if you call fastethernet as just ethernet. But you should not call 10mbps ethernet as fastethernet.

Satisfied?

 

 

Pin	EIA/TIA 568A	AT&T 258A, EIA/TIA 568B	10Base-T 10Mbps Cat3	100Base-TX 100Mbps Cat5	100Base-T4 100Mbps Cat3	100Base-T2 100Mbps Cat3	1000Base-T 1Gbps Cat5+
1	white/green	white/orange	TX+	TX+	TX D1+	BI DA+	BI DA+
2	green/white	orange/white	TX-	TX-	TX D1-	BI DA-	BI DA-
3	white/orange	white/green	RX+	RX+	RX D2+	BI DB+	BI DB+
4	blue/white	blue/white	na	na	BI D3+	na	BI DC+
5	white/blue	white/blue	na	na	BI D3-	na	BI DC-
6	orange/white	green/white	RX-	RX-	RX D2-	BI DB-	BI DB-
7	white/brown	white/brown	na	na	BI D4+	na	BI DD+
8	brown/white	brown/white	na	na	BI D4-	na	BI DD-
BI=BI directional data