Ethernet Standards

Here’s a breakdown of each of those Ethernet standards, what they are, and how they correlate to media type, speed, and cable requirements:

✅ 1. 1000BASE-T

• Speed: 1 Gbps (Gigabit Ethernet)
• Media Type: Twisted-pair copper (Cat 5e or better)
• Max Distance: 100 meters
• Connectors: RJ-45
• Common Use: Most widely used Gigabit Ethernet standard in homes and offices
• OSI Layer: Layer 1 (Physical)

✅ 2. 1000BASE-TX (Less common)

• Speed: 1 Gbps
• Media Type: Twisted-pair copper (Cat 6)
• Max Distance: 100 meters
• Connectors: RJ-45
• Difference from 1000BASE-T: Uses 2 pairs of wires instead of 4; was designed to reduce complexity but lost popularity due to higher cost and lack of compatibility
• Status: Rarely used; considered obsolete in most environments

✅ 3. 1000BASE-FX (Actually a mix-up — likely meant to be 1000BASE-LX or SX)

• Speed: 1 Gbps
• Media Type: Fiber optic cable
  • 1000BASE-SX for short-range (multimode fiber)
  • 1000BASE-LX for long-range (single-mode fiber)
• Max Distance:
  • SX: ~550 meters
  • LX: ~5–10 km
• Use Case: Data centers, inter-building links, or environments requiring high EMI resistance

✅ 4. 100BASE-TX

• Speed: 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet)
• Media Type: Twisted-pair copper (Cat 5 or better)
• Max Distance: 100 meters
• Connectors: RJ-45
• Use Case: Older networks (still found in legacy systems or very basic setups)

🔁 Quick Comparison Table

✅ OSI Layer Correspondence

All of the following standards — 1000BASE-T, 1000BASE-TX, 1000BASE-FX, and 100BASE-TX — operate at:

📍 OSI Layer 1: The Physical Layer

Why Layer 1?

Because these standards define:

• Electrical signaling
• Media type (copper/fiber)
• Connector types
• Cable lengths
• Bit transmission mechanics

They don’t handle addressing (Layer 2) or routing (Layer 3), just the actual movement of bits over physical media.

✅ Networking Categories

These Ethernet standards fall under the category of:

📂 Wired LAN Technologies (Local Area Network)
And more specifically:

🧠 Summary Cheat Sheet: