_____ are used to connect computers to hubs and switches

• A. Straight-through Ethernet cables
• B. Cross-over Ethernet cables
• C. Coaxial cables
• D. Fiber optic cables

Answer: (A)

Connecting a computer to a hub or switch uses a straight-through Ethernet cable because the devices have opposite signal roles (the computer’s transmit lines should go to the hub/switch’s receive lines). Keeping the same pinout on both ends ensures the NIC’s TX pins align with the other device’s RX pins, allowing proper communication. Cross-over cables, by contrast, swap the transmit and receive pairs and are used to connect like devices (computer-to-computer, switch-to-switch), not a computer to a switch or hub. Coaxial cables are older Ethernet media used in different topologies, and fiber optic cables require different transceivers and aren’t the standard way to connect a typical computer to a hub or switch.