10Base5

• 10Base5 was the first type of wire used in Ethernet networks. It transmitted its signals at a rate of 10 megabits per second (Mbps) and used a five-millimeter wire on the inside of the cable. It is the least flexible and most expensive coaxial cable networking option.
  
  

10Base2

• 10Base2, also called thinnet, looks like a scaled down version of the cable that runs into your television from your cable or satellite provider. It provided greater flexibility than 10Base5 at the cost of a slightly more susceptibility to signal interference.
  
  

100Base2

• 100Base wiring technology simply means that the wires can support speeds of up to 100 Megabits per second. (NIC cards that support Fast Ethernet transmit at this speed.) Newer networking cable can often support both 10 Mbps speed and 100 Mbps speed.
  
  

Networking Cards Must Match Cable Type

• The Networking card for any equipment on the network must support the type of cable in use. 10Base5 cables look like the old style printer cables, while 10Base2 looks similar to the cable hook up on the back of a television set.
  
  

Most Common Networking Use for Coaxial Cable

• Cable Modems use the cable company's network already in place to receive data through television grade coaxial cables. This is the primary use for coaxial cable in computer networking today.
  
  

Not as Popular as Category 5

• 10Base2 overcame one of the biggest problems with using coaxial cable as a medium for network cables, but the category 5 technology quickly replaced it in popularity. Category 5 cable is easier to install and more importantly costs less. The difference in price between the two technologies relegated coaxial cable to networks to use in places where a longer distance is required between devices or in areas that are prone to high signal interference.