Multi-Gigabit Ethernet – Beyond 1000BASE-T

Multi-Gigabit Ethernet – Beyond 1000BASE-T
Multi-Gigabit Ethernet – Beyond 1000BASE-T
White Paper
November 01, 2017

Multi-Gigabit Ethernet – Beyond 1000BASE-T

With billions of ports deployed around the world, 1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet is the most successful networking technology in history.  Delivering Gigabit performance over up to 100 meters of twisted pair cabling, it is ideal for a wide range of enterprise and embedded networking applications.

In some cases, however, Gigabit's performance is not enough. New applications, like autonomous vehicle navigation, need faster networks to connect multiple high-performance sensor devices, such as LIDAR and multi-spectral cameras. Building these networks using fiber optics can be expensive, and is particularly challenging in environments that require rugged connections.

The IEEE 802.3 standard for Ethernet has recently added new physical layer specifications for 2.5G and 5G links over twisted pair cabling. These “multi-gigabit” links use sophisticated signaling to provide increased levels of performance over the “Category 5” (Cat 5) cable plant commonly installed in both enterprise and embedded networks.

Multi-Gigabit Ethernet – Beyond 1000BASE-T

Figure 1: High-performance sensors such as LIDAR drive the need for faster network connections.
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration & Research

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  • Ethernet PHY Standards
  • nGBASE-T and mGig Ethernet
  • Ethernet cabling