"no-name" <no-name@false-address.net> wrote:
>silly question perhaps
>I always assumed 100-Base-T with UTP - ie Unshielded twisted pair
>
>I now see that cat 5e patch cables are available in STP for the same price
>
>is this a case of:
>"won't make any real difference but 'shielded' is *theoretically* better
>than 'unshielded' so get the shielded version..."
>
>OR
>
>have I made a mistake and they aren't interchangeable ???

Shielding has certain advantages... and even more disadvantages.

The capacitance between the shield and the conductors has a
significant effect on the length of cable you can use at any
given frequency. Hence, you'll do fine if you have no long
cable runs.

With patch cords, which are typically short, it would appear
that STP would be insignificantly different that UTP.

--
FloydL. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@barrow.com