Hardware (Core 1)

1 Gbps over 100 meters — the baseline for gigabit Ethernet runs.

Cat6 supports 10 Gbps but only up to about 55 meters; beyond that it falls back to 1 Gbps up to 100 meters.

Cat6a sustains 10 Gbps over the full 100-meter run and has better resistance to crosstalk (alien crosstalk).

RG-6 coax at 75 ohms, terminated with a threaded F-type connector.

Single-mode uses a tiny core and laser light for very long distances (kilometers); multimode uses a larger core and LED light for shorter runs, typically within buildings.

Fiber is immune to EMI, supports far longer distances, and offers higher bandwidth — but costs more and is harder to terminate.