What cable type is primarily used to communicate binary data across wires?

The choice of copper cables as the primary type for communicating binary data stems from their widespread use in networking and telecommunications. Copper cables, specifically twisted pair cables like Cat5e, use electrical signals to transmit data. This makes them suitable for digital communications where binary data (composed of 1s and 0s) is transmitted as variations in electrical voltage.

Copper cables have advantages such as cost-effectiveness, the ability to support high data rates over short to medium distances, and ease of installation. Their popularity in both home networking and business infrastructures is largely due to these properties.

In contrast, while fiber optic cables also communicate data effectively, especially over long distances with greater bandwidth and less signal degradation, they utilize light signals rather than electrical signals to convey data. Coaxial cables are used primarily for cable television and internet services but are less common for standard binary data communication. Each of these alternatives has specific use cases, but for the general context of transmitting binary data, copper cables are the most prevalent choice.