As discussed in Part 1, the performance issues of your company’s network may be directly related to improper cabling. Part 2 will discuss Compatibility, Patch Cords, and Poor Installation.
Issues occasionally arise when coupling cabling and connectivity from various manufacturers. The use of jacks from one manufacturer with cabling from another, and then patch panels from a third firm is an example. This combination may result in compatibility problems. When components that are not intended by design to function together are used, network performance issues will likely result.
Purchasing top of the line high-performance cables, while utilizing lower-quality connectivity components, will produce a weak link in the chain. Cable of the highest quality will be unable to attain its full performance potential when it is married to jacks, patch panels, and plugs that are not rated to support its capabilities.
Patch cords may be the top reason why there are issues in network performance.
Your company may have installed a high performance cabling infrastructure of the highest quality, but if low-quality patch cords were purchased to economize, network speed, signal quality, and overall performance will be compromised.
Vetting the cabling services team you hire is perhaps the most important factor in the prevention of network performance issues. Check that the company you are considering has technicians that are properly trained and certified to install the cabling system you have chosen.
When cable installers are not properly trained, it will greatly increase the probability that your company’s structured cabling system will not be properly installed. Incompetent installation can result in problems such as improper pulling, excessive bending, and cable being installed too near sources of signal interference like large motors and machinery.
Poorly trained technicians will leave cabling that is not properly terminated or correctly polished. Sloppy work and insufficient attention to detail during installation will usually result in poor network performance, along with costly and time-consuming efforts to address the problems the substandard work caused.
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 teams get cabling installed and operating as fast as possible while minimizing disruption and downtime. Call our toll free number (800) 614-4560 today.
The crossover cable connects two Ethernet network devices to each other. They were invented for temporarily supporting host-to-host networking when a network router or another intermediary device is not available. Although crossover cables appear the same as a standard straight-through (patch) Ethernet cable, their internal wiring structures are different.
A straight-through cable is used for connecting two different kinds of devices, such as a network switch to a computer. In contrast, a crossover cable is for connecting two devices that are identical.
The straight-through cable’s ends can be wired in any manner, but both ends must be identical. This is different from the crossover cable’s internal wiring, which reverses the signals for receiving and transmitting. The first and third wires and the second and sixth wires are crossed.
High-quality Ethernet crossover cables have special markings which allow users to distinguish them from straight-through cables. They are often red in color and the word "crossover" will appear on its casing and packaging.
Crossover cables came into use during the 1990s and 2000s because the most common types of Ethernet were unable to support direct cable connections between hosts. Intended for using specific wires for both receiving and transmitting signals, the original and Fast Ethernet standards required the communication of two endpoints through an intermediary device to avoid conflicts.
The Ethernet feature MDI-X has auto-detection for the prevention of signal conflicts, enabling the Ethernet interface to automatically determine and negotiate the expected signaling convention of the device at the other end of the cable. The majority of home broadband routers and Gigabit Ethernet adopted MDI-X.
As a result, crossover cables are only necessary for the connection of two Ethernet client devices if they are not configured for Gigabit Ethernet. Nowadays, Ethernet devices are compatible with crossover cables because they can automatically detect them.
Crossover cable usage should be limited to direct network connections. When a user tries connecting a computer to an antiquated router or network switch via a crossover cable rather than a standard cable, the link can be prevented from working.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A structured cabling system is a type of open network structure utilized by data, telephony, access control, building automation, and other systems. Its advantages are operational flexibility and economy. A structured cabling system is typically divided into these six subsystems: 1) Entrance Facilities, 2) Equipment Room, 3) Backbone Cabling, 4) Telecommunications Room, 5) Horizontal Cabling, and 6) Work Area.
Structured cabling is the design and installation of a cabling system that can provide support to several hardware use systems, and be suitable for both the needs of the present and the future.
Governed by international standards regarding the wiring of data centers, offices, and apartment buildings for data or voice communications, structured cabling design and installation utilizes several types of cable. These are typically CAT5e and CAT6, along with fiber optic cabling and modular connectors.
Defining methods and specifications for the laying of cabling in various topologies for meeting customer needs, standards typically require the use of a rack-mounted central patch panel from which modular connections can be used as required. Every outlet is then patched into a network switch for network usage or into a PBX (private branch exchange) or IP telephone system patch panel.
The use of color code patch panel cables is common for identifying the type of connection. However, it is not required by structured cabling standards with the exception of the demarcation wall field.
Cabling standards require that all eight conductors of CAT5e, CAT6, and CAT6A cable are connected to discourage "doubling-up" or the use of one cable for both data and voice. However, IP telephone systems are capable of running both telephone and the computer on the same wire.
When copper cabling, CAT5e, CAT6, or CAT6A is used, the maximum distance is 90 meters (98 yards) for the permanent link installation, along with an allowance of 10 meters (11 yards) for patch cords at the combined ends. Both CAT5e and CAT6 are capable of running Power over Ethernet (PoE) applications up to 90 meters. Due to power dissipation, CAT6A performs better and more efficiently.
Part 2 will summarize each of structured cabling's six subsystems.
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.
The selection of proper cabling has become more crucial and also more complicated, but the process can be made easier by knowing about the choices available and updates regarding the development of Category 8 (CAT 8).
There are several organizations that determine the standards for cabling, such as the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association), and CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization). However, our discussion will primarily focus on ISO/IEC and TIA.
As its standard calls for 10Gb/s rates of transmission, 10GBASE-T cabling is the fastest in the market. Unable to support 10Gb/s, Category 5e does not receive 10GBASE-T standard recognition. In addition, advisories by the TIA and ISO/IEC and TIA state that new class E/category 6 cabling should not be installed to support 10GBASE T. As a result, the cabling options for new installations that meet the 10GBASE-T standards for carrying data up to 100 meters are only found in the class EA/CAT 6A, class F/CAT 7, or class FA/CAT 7A.
Regarding data centers that are newly built, ISO, along with other standards organizations, have determined that CAT 6A should be the minimum grade. The task force overseeing IEEE 802.3 40GBASE-T have drafted the baseline objectives for the future 40 Gb/s standard, which is well beyond the capabilities of CAT 6A.
Cabling of a higher category traditionally matches and surpasses the electrical and mechanical standards of what preceded it. In addition, it is backwards compatible. Although TIA calls for cabling systems to perform at CAT 6A minimum, it will not be adopting CAT 7 or 7A as determined by ISO/IEC. TIA is naming its next class of cabling, Category 8, to differentiate it from ISO/IEC standards for CAT 7 and CAT 7A.
Interestingly, the proposed performance for CAT 8 will not be meeting or exceeding CAT 7A standards for up to 1 GHz. For example, regarding parameters for internal crosstalk, CAT 7A is superior to CAT 8 by more than 20 decibels.
When work requires a unionized cabling group, call on Progressive Office Inc. for your commercial Cat5e/6/6a and fiber cabling projects. Specializing in cabling for data, voice, security and even the latest WiFi and LiFi solutions. Phone: (202) 462-4290