Drag and drop the cable types and transceivers on the left to their corresponding distance limits or interface diagnostics on the right.
Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
100 meters maximum segment length
550 meters maximum segment length
5 km maximum segment length
300 meters over multimode fiber
Displays interface errors, speed, and duplex
⚠ Common exam trap
Be careful not to confuse the distance limits of multimode vs. single-mode fiber. Remember: SX = short reach (hundreds of meters), LX = long reach (kilometers), ER = extended reach (tens of kilometers). Copper is always 100m.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Cat5e: 100 meters
Each cable type or transceiver has a specified maximum distance based on IEEE standards and fiber-optic characteristics. Cat5e UTP supporting 1000BASE-T is limited to 100 meters due to signal attenuation and the 1000BASE-T standard. Multimode fiber OM3 with 1000BASE-SX (short wavelength) reaches up to 550 meters because of modal dispersion and the SX transceiver's power budget. Singlemode fiber with 1000BASE-LX (long wavelength) can transmit up to 5 kilometers due to lower attenuation and reduced dispersion in single-mode fiber. The SFP-10G-SR (short-reach 10 Gigabit) transceiver over OM3 multimode fiber has a maximum distance of 300 meters per the 10GBASE-SR standard. The 'show interfaces' command displays critical interface diagnostics such as input/output errors, speed, duplex settings, and CRC errors, which are essential for troubleshooting link issues.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Cat5e: 100 meters
Why this is correct
1000BASE-T uses twisted-pair copper cabling (Cat5e or better) and has a maximum segment length of 100 meters per IEEE 802.3ab.
Cat6: 55 meters for 10GBASE-T
Why this is correct
1000BASE-SX uses multimode fiber and typically supports distances up to 550 meters (with 50/125 µm fiber) or 220 meters (with 62.5/125 µm fiber), not 10 km.
Single-mode fiber: 10 km
Why this is correct
1000BASE-LX can operate over both single-mode and multimode fiber; over single-mode fiber, it supports distances up to 10 km (or 5 km depending on standard), not 550 m.
Multimode fiber: 550 meters for 10GBASE-SR
Why this is correct
1000BASE-ER (Extended Reach) supports distances up to 40 km (or 30 km depending on standard) over single-mode fiber, not 300 m.
Go deeper
Learn chapter
IPv6 Address Types
Key term
Cyclic Redundancy Check
A Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) is an error-detecting code used to verify that data transmitted over a network or stored on a device has not been corrupted.
Key term
UTP
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) is a copper cabling type with pairs of twisted wires and no shielding, used for Ethernet networks.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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