Home / Definitions / Vampire Tap

Vampire Tap

Webopedia Staff
Last Updated May 24, 2021 7:58 am
A cable connection used to connect transceivers to a Thicknet coaxial cable in an Ethernet network in a bus topology. Instead of cutting the cable and attaching connectors to both ends of the severed coaxial cable, a vampire tap pierces through (hence the name vampire) the insulating layer of the cable and makes direct contact with the cable s conducting core.

Also called a piercing tap.