Tag Archives: Fiber Optic Cable

If it has been a while since your company has upgraded your network cabling, you and your team may not be achieving your potential. As you know, an organization’s IT network is the very heart of its operations. Lacking a network that is up-to-date, staff members will not be as efficient and productive as possible.

Updating from Point-to-Point Cabling

The update that yields the most benefits is having your network make the transition from an outdated point-to-point cabling system to a far more effective structured cabling system. As you may know, there are only two ways for transmitting data over network cables. Numerous companies persist on using point-to-point cabling. Unfortunately, it tends to become problematic, especially when a company needs to significantly expand the network’s size and capabilities. Let’s dig deeper to understand the reasons.

Point-to-point cabling directly connects a switch, device, network, a server, or network, to another network component via fiber optic cable. For the last few decades, this wiring method provided an innovative way to swiftly build a network. However, during that period, the majority of networks at IT departments were not large.

Nowadays, as networks expand and speedy transmissions of massive data amounts become routinely expected, the maintenance of outdated point-to-point cabling systems, along with the thousands of cables required for operations, becomes a large burden on a company’s IT resources.

As a result, organizations have transitioned to structured cabling systems. Rather than directly connecting every single network component to another, a structured cabling system directly links storage units and servers to a communication backbone.

Installed in every part of a facility, local cabling panels are linked to the communication backbone with only one cable. This enables users to easily connect their devices to the whole network by connecting a cable to the nearest cabling panel.

Part 2 will discuss the advantages of upgrading to Structured Cabling.

Progressive Office Cabling

Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking solutions on behalf of our clients in the Washington, D.C. and New York City areas. Efficiently working together, Progressive Office teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.

If your organization is considering a new VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) system, you should think about the structured cabling system needed to support it and maximize its potential. The following summarizes the advantages your digital phone system will have with a well-designed structured cabling system.

Decreased Noise

CAT 6 and CAT 6A cable provides more noise reduction than older cables. Fiber optic cabling is even better. Less noise resistance results in more static and faulty connections during phone conversations. Higher levels of noise also decrease network speed because the system is forced to retransmit data until it is no longer corrupted. Although purchasing lower quality cable saves money in the short run, it may result in long term business losses because of slower response times and annoyed customers.

Lengthened Runs

Higher quality cable will be capable of supporting longer runs that are free of artifacts and errors. Fiber optic cables are not restricted by the length of runs. It is the superior option for a data center or business telephone system because of its excellent noise resistance and high speed. Although second choices, CAT 5e to CAT 6A cabling are capable of supporting runs to 100 meters without noise. Cables that can support long runs provide greater flexibility for layouts, decreasing the need for data hubs or repeaters and increasing reliability.

Maintenance Savings

CAT 5e, CAT 6, and fiber optic cables are highly dependable. However, if they ever become faulty or the network needs to be reconfigured, a structured cabling system that is well organized and diligently marked will save time spent on maintenance. While a company’s network is down, business may be impacted, resulting in lost revenue. Tracing faults is made much easier by a sound structured cabling system.

Transmission Speed

Business is often time-sensitive, and you will want to use the highest quality cable your company can afford. CAT 6A cable is capable of supporting a maximum of 10 Gigabits per second while CAT 5e can only achieve 100 mbps. Older, less capable cables are not recommended because their slow data transmission and high noise levels cannot meet current VOIP demands.

Progressive Office Cabling

Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking solutions on behalf of their clients in the Washington, D.C. and New York City areas. Efficiently working together, their teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call their toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.

Whenever there is an IT systems issue, the resolution can often be delayed by poorly structured cabling. Enterprises often turn to their IT staff or an electrical contractor for cabling, but they would be wiser retaining a professional cabling service with years of experience. The following are important cabling tips for data center management.

Highest Quality for Budget

As expected, higher quality cabling materials are more costly, but have superior performance. For example, gold connectors have greater resistance to corrosion, but they will also be more expensive than lower-quality connectors. If your firm’s cabling will be difficult to access or located in a corrosive environment, cables with gold connectors will be the right choice.

Cabling Capable of Company Volume

Category 5, 5E and 6 are cable types and each has its own capabilities in terms of the amount of data carried, speed of transmission, and distance covered. Consult with a professional network cabling service to discuss your present and future requirements in order to select the proper cabling.

Fiber Optic for the Future

Companies expecting large data volumes in the future or requiring longer distances should select fiber optic cables. Retain expert cabling professionals because fiber optic installation will entail particular requirements that can be complex.

Accurate Measuring for Planning

When the recommended span is exceeded, cable becomes more vulnerable to distortion, degrading data quality and speed. IT staff with limited experience may not properly measure the entire distance by not accounting for corners or obstacles.

Margin for Future Modifications

The office may be reconfigured or cable connections may be moved in the future. Thus, it would be wise to allow some margin for future modifications by providing plentiful slack for each cable installed.

Labeling for Organization

An IT team should know precisely where a cable starts and terminates. Clear labeling enables faster tracing of faults, minimizing downtime and resulting losses in revenue. Cabling service professionals carry out proper labeling as a matter of routine.

Progressive Office Cabling

Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking solutions on behalf of their clients in the Washington, D.C. and New York City areas. Efficiently working together, their teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call their toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.

As mentioned in Part 1, a structured cabling system is a type of open network structure that can be used by data, telephony, access control, building automation, and other systems. Its advantages are operational flexibility and economy. Part 2 will describe each of structured cabling's six subsystems below.

The Six Subsystems

1. Entrance Facilities

Entrance facilities house the protection devices, network demarcation points, cables,  connecting hardware, and other equipment that connect to private network cabling or the access provider. Connections between the inside building and outside plant cabling are included.

2. Equipment Room

Featuring environment control, the centralized area for telecommunications equipment is typically more complex than a telecommunications room. Usually containing the main cross-connect, it may also house the horizontal and intermediate cross-connects.

3. Backbone Cabling

Backbone cabling provides the interconnections between entrance facilities, telecommunications rooms, equipment rooms, etc. Typically, backbone cabling is comprised of fiber optic cables, intermediate and main cross-connects, mechanical terminations, and patch cables utilized for backbone-to-backbone cross-connections.

4. Telecommunications Room

Housing the terminations of backbone and horizontal cables to connecting hardware with patch cords or jumpers, a telecommunications room may also house the intermediate cross connects or main cross connect for different portions of the backbone cabling system. This space is a controlled environment containing telecommunications equipment, connecting hardware, and splice closures.

5. Horizontal Cabling

Extending from the work area’s telecommunications information outlet to the telecommunications room, the horizontal Network Cabling consists of horizontal cables and mechanical terminations, along with the jumpers and patch cords located in the telecommunications room. The system may also incorporate consolidation points and multi-user telecommunications outlet assemblies.

6. Work Area

The work area’s components typically extend from the telecommunications outlet/connector end of the horizontal cabling system to the work area equipment. At least two telecommunications outlets should be installed in every work area. If utilized, multi-user telecommunications outlet assemblies (MUTOAs) are a component of the work area.

Progressive Office Cabling

Founded in 1986, Progressive Office’s success has been a direct result of years of commitment to seeking solutions on behalf of their clients in the Washington, D.C. and New York City areas. Working together, their cabling teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call their toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.