- 10Base2, also called thin Ethernet, thinwire, or thinnet, uses light coaxial cable to create a 10 Mbps network with cable segments that cannot be more than 185 meters in length. 10Base2 cables connect with BNC connectors. The NIC uses a T-connector where the cables from two adjacent nodes connect. Ethernet requires that any unused connection must have a 50 Ohm terminator.
- 10Base5, also called thick Ethernet, thickwire, or thicknet, is the original cabling standard for Ethernet using coaxial cable. The name comes from its 10 Mbps speed and its maximum cable length of 500 meters between nodes. 10Base5 connects with BNC or AUI (attachment unit interface) connectors, which are the big connectors found on many NICs and hubs.
- 10BaseT,where the T represents "twisted", uses UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cable to create a 10 Mbps network with cable segments limited to 100 meters. Because it is least expensive and easiest to work with, 10BaseT Ethernet networks are quite common.
- 100BaseT, is also called Fast Ethernet and uses STP (shielded twisted pair) cable to create a 100 Mbps network.
- 10BaseF, uses fiber-optic cable (the "F" in 10BaseF) to create a 10 Mbps network. Fiber-optic-based networks use special connectors, hubs, and NICs to create a network. Fiber-optic cable is commonly used to interconnect between buildings on a network, with copper (UTP/STP) used to connect the nodes to the network. In network tech talk, this arrangement is "fiber to the halls and copper to the walls."
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