What is the standard number of wires in a 10BASE-T cable?

The standard number of wires in a 10BASE-T cable is four. This type of Ethernet over twisted pair cable uses a single RJ-45 connector and typically consists of four twisted pairs of copper wires within the cable. However, only two of the pairs are actively used for the transmission of data.

In a 10BASE-T Ethernet architecture, one pair is used for transmitting data, while the other pair is used for receiving data. This setup allows for full-duplex communication, meaning that data can be sent and received simultaneously over the same cable run.

The four wires grouped into two pairs make it possible to meet the requirements for the 10 megabits per second (Mbps) data transfer rate that 10BASE-T is designed for. The remaining two pairs are not utilized in a typical 10BASE-T configuration, but they are present in the cable, making it a common choice for networking applications where more advanced Ethernet standards may also be implemented, which can make use of all four pairs.