• Coaxial cable is very useful but can have some disadvantages.coaxial cable image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
  
  Coaxial cable is used to connect many common household electronic devices as well as wire houses for cable, phone and broadband Internet services. Used to transmit electronic data over short distances, coaxial cable is is commonly used in many households and apartments worldwide. Although a well-respected product in many ways, its use does have some disadvantages.
  
  

Audio, Video and Internet Quality

• Coaxial cables transfer all sound, video and digital information using the same outlet. When used to connect a cable or video outlet to a television bends in the cable, loose connections and long cable length can cause loss of quality. Using a splitter on a coaxial cable can further degrade this information resulting in a lower quality output for Internet speed, picture and sound quality. Coaxial cable sometimes experiences problems delivering good signal quality in areas that feature large amounts of electrical noise.
  
  

Flexibility

• Coaxial cable can be thick and hard to bend and move. This poses a major disadvantage when trying to wire a structure with coaxial cable because the cable has to be pulled through walls and pre-existing conduits which are limited in size. This adds to the difficulty and expense of media installation.
  
  

Expense

• As a general rule coaxial cable is more expensive to purchase in bulk and install then twisted pair cable, which is a common type of household wiring that often can be used for the same purposes as coaxial. Because of the electrically conductive nature of coaxial cable it can make electronic equipment vulnerable to surge and lightning damage causing further damage and expense.