Thicknet and Thinnet (sometimes called ThickWire and ThinWire) are commonly used terms for the larger and smaller size of coaxial cable used in Ethernet local area networks. Thicknet, also known as Thickwire, is 0.4 inches in diameter and has 50 ohms of electromagnetic impedance. Thinnet, also known as Thinwire and Cheapernet, is 0.2 inches in diameter with the same impedance as Thickwire. Thicknet was the original Ethernet wiring, but Thinnet, which is cheaper and can be installed more easily, is the more commonly installed Ethernet wire. Thicknet continues to be used for backbone wiring. An alternative to Thinnet on an Ethernet network is twisted pair.
Contributor(s): Regina Klug
This was last updated in July 2000