10BASE2

10BASE2 cable showing the BNC connector end.
10BASE2 cable with a BNC T-connector.
10BASE2 cable end terminator.
EAD outlet
Different types of T-connectors, with AAUIs (an AUI variant specific to Apple computers)

10BASE2 (also known as cheapernet,[1] thin Ethernet, thinnet, and thinwire) is a variant of Ethernet that uses thin coaxial cable terminated with BNC connectors to build a local area network. During the mid to late 1980s, this was the dominant 10 Mbit/s Ethernet standard.

The use of twisted pair networks competed with 10BASE2's use of a single coaxial cable. In 1988, Ethernet over twisted pair was introduced, running at the same speed of 10 Mbit/s. In 1995, the Fast Ethernet standard upgraded the speed to 100 Mbit/s, and no such speed improvement was ever made for thinnet. By 2001, prices for Fast Ethernet cards had fallen to under $50. By 2003, Wi-Fi networking equipment was widely available and affordable.

Due to the immense demand for high-speed networking, the low cost of Category 5 cable, and the popularity of 802.11 wireless networks, both 10BASE2 and 10BASE5 have become increasingly obsolete, though devices still exist in some locations.[2] As of 2011, IEEE 802.3 has deprecated this standard for new installations.[3]

  1. ^ Alex Djenguerian (June 1986). "Ethernet/Cheapernet Physical Layer Made Easy with DP8391/92" (PDF). National Semiconductor. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  2. ^ "L-com Introduces Commercial-Grade Thinnet (10Base-2) and Thicknet (10Base-5) Converters for Legacy Installs". L-com, Inc. 2012-06-11. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
  3. ^ IEEE 802.3-2012 10. Medium attachment unit and baseband medium specifications, type 10BASE2