UTP

acronym

networking

Stands for: Unshielded Twisted Pair

Unshielded twisted pair - the copper cabling that carries almost every wired office connection.

UTP bundles four pairs of wires, each pair twisted to cancel interference - no shield, just geometry. It is the default medium of structured cabling: cheap, flexible, terminated on RJ45, and specified by category (Cat 5e, 6, 6A) for what speeds and distances it supports. When shielding is added for noisy environments, the cable stops being 'U' and enters shielded-twisted-pair territory.

Also known as: utp, unshielded twisted pair, twisted pair

Sources

TIA (ANSI/TIA-568 family)

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