The way we watch TV has changed thanks to advancements in technology, but one thing hasn’t changed: You still need to deal with the occasional wire cable. That’s true regardless of if you stream exclusively or still subscribe to cable TV. For this piece, we’re going to focus on demystifying coaxial cables.

A coaxial cable is a type of electrical cable. You’ve seen them sticking out of TVs, Internet routers,and other electronics around the home. You can recognize it by the metallic connector at the end. This connector is usually silver-plated, though it can also be gold. Inside of the connector is a little prong.