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Network Cabling, Data Cabling ,Cat5e, Cat6/6a Cabling

Basic Structured Cabling

4 Apr 2013

Cables,Network Cabling, Data Cabling, Cat5e ,Cat6/6a Cabling

"Structured cabling” is a complete system of cabling and associated hardware which creates a telecommunications infrastructure. This infrastructure can serve a range of tasks, such as providing telephone service or data transmission through a computer network.

Every cabling system is unique. Variations in the structure of the facilities housing the installation, the specific cabling and connections needs, use and function, as well as customer needs requires standardization to ensure acceptable system performance from increasingly complex systems. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the responsible organization

A Guide to Network Cabling

22 Mar 2013

Stu Kushner

Cat 6 While WI-Fi and other wireless network technologies have improved greatly over the years, nothing beats the reliability and performance of a wired network in your home or business. One challenge that people face is what kind of cable they need for their needs.

Although there are dozens of network cable types, the fact is only 3 types of network cable is commonly used in home and small business networks: Category 3 (Cat3), Category 5 (Cat5), and Category 6 (Cat6).

Shielded or Unshielded Cat6 cable?

22 Feb 2013

Stu Kushner

cat6-cabling,data cabling, With high bandwidth applications and network systems venturing into factory environments, the need for shielded Cat 6 cable has increased. In these new areas of installation, the environment where the network cable is run has large amounts of EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference). Although Cat 6 cables have improved cable twist to reject noise and handle gigabit Ethernet this by itself is not enough for high EMI environments. A shielded Cat 6 cable helps in high EMI installations. These high performance cables ensure the data within the cable will be protected from EMI, resulting in higher speeds and better data transmission.

Grounding Necessities for Shielded Cat 6 cables

Shielding helps protect the data from electromagnetic interference from outside sources that could alter or weaken the signal traveling through the copper in the cable. The shields of the two connectors are electrically tied together by the drain wire. However, they will only become grounded if the jack they are placed in has its shielding tied to ground. If you are setting up a network with Category 6 shielded cables, you should use Cat 6 shielded couplers and jacks.

Installation caveats

Category 6 and 6a cable must be properly installed and terminated to meet specifications. The cable must not be kinked or bent too tightly (the bend radius should be at least four times the outer diameter of the cable). The wire pairs must not be untwisted and the outer jacket must not be stripped back more than 1/2 inch (1.27 cm).

All shielded cables must be grounded for safety and effectiveness and a continuous shield connection maintained from end to end. Ground loops develop when there is more than one ground connection and the difference in common mode voltage potential at these ground connections introduces noise into the cabling.

Data Cabling, Cat5e Cat6/6a Cabling, Washington DC

Cat6 Q&A

4 Feb 2013

Stu Kushner

What is Cat6? Cat6 components are interoperable between different vendors and are fully backward compatible. Cat6 has the same nominal Impedance of 100 Ohms as Cat5 and 5e components, but with tighter tolerance on Impedance variations. Transmission parameters are specified to 250 MHz, compared to 100 MHz for Cat 5/5e.

Do Cat6 components behave differently? The diameters of Cat6 cables range between 0.21 to 0.25 inch (5.3 - 5.8 mm) compared to Cat5/5e’s range of 0.19 to 0.22 inch (4.8 – 5.5 mm). Cat6 also has a tighter twist length to reduce crosstalk interference.

What about installation? Cat6 cables and components are installed similar to Cat5/5e. There are design and installation issues that contractors and installers must pay greater attention to; including cable terminations and the pathway fill.

Will Cat6 supersede Cat5/5e? Yes. The only question is when. The installed cost for Cat6 cabling can be about 20 % higher than Cat5e, but prices will decrease as usage increases.

Will Cat6 deliver what is promised? Yes. There are no technical obstacles. Test parameters and procedures to qualify Cat6 components to ensure interoperability between different vendor’s products are in place and detailed.

What about the installed performance compared with Cat5/5e? The biggest benefit is much-improved Signal-to-Noise Ratio at the Receiver: Cat6 provides about 16 times better Signal-to-Noise Ratio compared to Cat5/5e over a wide frequency range.

Why do we need Cat6? The real question is “is Cat5e good enough for today and in the foreseeable future?” The answer is “Yes, but…”. Network switch ports are often at the “marginally compliant” limits of the IEEE standard and susceptible to cabling and temperature variations. Cat6 provides fewer bit errors than Category 5e for 100BASE-TX and 1000BASE-T applications.

Network Cabling Issues

4 Jan 2013

Stu Kushner

Cat5 ,Cat6 ,lan cable Given that labor costs for installation are much higher than the material cost for cable; your first requirement is to use the highest grade cable available. Cat5e is the most common, but Cat6 is becoming the standard as it is rated for a higher frequency signal, a somewhat higher cable quality, and has tighter specifications for noise and crosstalk. Both Cat5e and Cat6 can handle gigabit speeds.

Both Cat5e and Cat6 use 10BaseT “twisted-pair” cabling, because it is ideal for either small, medium, or large networks that need flexibility and the capacity to expand as the number of network users grow. In a twisted-pair network, each PC has a twisted-pair cable that runs to a centralized hub. Twisted-pair is generally more reliable than thin coax networks because the hub is capable of correcting data errors and improving the network's overall transmission speed and reliability. Also known as “up linking” hubs, they can be chained together for even greater expansion.

Should you install the cabling yourself, or hire a contractor? The smaller the office network, the more tempting it is to install cabling in-house. While this will save installation costs, it is important to be sure that all the cabling is installed and tested to professional standards. If your network encompasses multiple rooms-and/or floors, then hiring a professional cable installer that has experience with data communications networks is the safest and most practical route. General electricians may not be familiar with all the requirements. Experienced cable installers such as Progressive Cabling will know the right grades of cables and connectors and have the knowledge and equipment to install and test a cabling system.

Cat5, 6 and 7 – What the Numbers Mean

2 Jan 2013

Stu Kushner

Category 6 Network Cable Twisted Pairs Category (Cat)5, 5e, 6 and 7 are different standards for cables used to transmit data through networks. All are twisted copper cables. The difference is based on their performance level.

Cat5 has become the world standard for connecting Ethernet devices. It is inexpensive and very effective; making it the most commonly used cable for connecting Ethernet devices. There are two types, the Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP), and the Screened Twisted Pair (SCTP). SCTP adds a protective covering to protect against interference. Cat5 is ideal For long distance communications as it is rigid and has the capacity to support 10-100 Mbps and 100MHz.
The gradual shift from standard 10/100 networks to gigabit networks has challenged Cat5 as it cannot support high speeds. This led to an upgraded version, Cat5e.

Cat5e was developed to makeCat5 compatible with gigabit networks and provide extra protection from interference. However Cat5e does not completely remove interference, which results in slow and often poor performance, but Cat5e does makes networks more reliable and faster.

Cat6 is more advanced than Cat5 and Cat5e. Like Cat 5 and 5e, it uses 4 twisted pairs of copper cables, but with much better performance. The difference comes from a longitudinal separator that keeps all 4 wires separate from one another, reducing interference or “cross talk”, and a faster rate of data transfer. Cat6 can be used in any network that employed Cat5 and Cat5e. Cat 6 is the next level standard for Ethernet connection.

Cat7 is the next generation cabling device for Ethernet connections. It improves internal signaling and exterior protection over Cat5 and Cat6 and can support 10gigabit connections adaptable to standard Ethernet connectors.

Awareness Lacking on Smart Grids

21 Dec 2012

Stu Kushner

Office Cabling, Network Cabling Results from a collaborative research study by the Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) has found that the concept of a “connected home” provides great benefits in terms of controllability, energy saving and security for homeowners. However, it also found a lack of awareness and also confusion regarding what products and services are best suited for consumers, and the lack of defined cost benefits are key issues that have kept the industry from moving forward.

Only 39% of consumers had even a small level of understanding of what is a “smart grid” is, or any awareness of “smart” and “green” home technology possibilities. Of the consumers who had even a general awareness of smart grids, only 34% attribute this awareness to marketing campaigns by local utilities. Yet, energy efficiency will be the major concern for homeowners in the near future; and demands for reduced expenses and connected, energy saving products and services will increase. The need for manufacturers and utilities to team with telecommunication companies is obvious, as consumers will anticipate and expect these technologies to provide solutions in the near future.

A number of world-class companies and organizations, including Comcast Communications, Consolidated Edison of New York, IBM, Microsoft, Samsung Telecommunications America, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, and Qualcomm, among others, have teamed to support this project. Their research determined the potentials of connected home technologies and strategies that companies can adopt to capitalize on the emerging “smart grid” in North America.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Cabling Lessons Learned

14 Dec 2012

Stu Kushner

A magnetic field when running low voltages. Unfortunately, when this unshielded cabling creates a magnetic field created. Any electrical cabling bear by disrupts communication, slowing transmission or preventing Network cabling is a tricky. Even with a solid background, technicians without adequate knowledge and training can make mistakes that may shut down an entire system. Here are some typical mistakes seen in network cabling.

Plan for the Future. Cat5 may be the cheaper option, but can cause problems when upgrading is needed. Install Cat5e or Cat6 cables with options for upgrades to save labor costs.

Don’t Mix and Match. Twisted pair cabling was often out of the price range for many companies, so priority was given to data, while voice had with cheaper cabling. Now, VoIP has made voice equal to data in importance and need. Fortunately, a typical VoIP phone has a built-in Ethernet connection or pass-thru that is compatible with almost any data cable, which decreases installation costs.

Don't put Electrical Cables Next to Data Cables. Data cables use twisted pairs of wires inside that help produce transmissions altogether. This generally happens when the cables are running parallel, so if your cable is near a power line, lay them perpendicular to the power line.

Not Laying New Cable When You Need To. Ethernet switches are convenient, but can be misused. Mini-switches are often added to provide a few extra ports; but this can cause bottlenecks and instability. Add extra cable instead, if more network resources are needed.

Forgetting Cable Management. “Ladder racks” add extra cost to an installation, but they also make the installation look better, run better, and easier to maintain and update. Also, don't forget to color code or label your cables, so technicians can actually find the right cable later.

Pulling cable through a basket tray via remote control tank

30 Aug 2012

Stu Kushner

This video demonstrates how we used a remote control tank named Brutus to pull cable through a basket tray that is installed above the ceiling tiles in an office. For large cabling projects it is typically useful and necessary to install a ladder tray above the ceiling tiles to carry the large bundles of cables along the corridors of a floor. At this project, the General Contractor installed basket tray. Basket tray does not provide for easy access underneath which made it especially difficult to pull the cable along. Even getting a pull string through this tray was challenging. So, we bought a remote control tank. We named him Brutus. And we attached the pull string to his back and had him drive the string along the entire length of the tray.

Go Brutus!

International Cooperating Ministries – Cabling Project Notes

20 Aug 2012

Stu Kushner

Project Objectives and Details based on site survey by Richard Elbe

Number of Drops: 110 total cable drops

47 double network drops

1 single network drop

3 network printer drops

3 media box wallplates with (2 HDMI, 2 VGA and 3 RCA Jacks)

Ceiling: Non-plenum, separate ducting allows for Cat6 PVC cable rather than the more expensive plenum cable.

Racks: 6' x 19" Relay Rack

Switches: Five 24,port Netgear Gigabit switches that will leave room for 4 ports per switch for future expansion of the network.

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