Tips For Running Network Cable

Purchasing network cables maybe a simple thing, but choosing and running them maybe knotty. There are too much things that should bear in mind in case one day you have to do this task but without adequate knowledge and training. For example, telephones cables can sometimes tolerate quite a lot of error, so data cabling is less forgiving. This post will focus on five tips to follow while running network cables.

Maybe your organization are satisfied with 100 Mbps network connections to the desktop for now, even though 1 Gbps has become a standard. But what if you are moving to a new place and need to install new cables? Will you still choose the old data rate which may suffice for a while or install something that meets today's needs and your needs for the following years? I guess everyone will choose the latter since the labor is the most expensive part of installation project.

Noise counts as a latent hazard to cabling for it may attenuate signal. Noise can be produced not only by electrical wires, but also fluorescent lighting, motors, and similar items, which will shed electrical or magnetic interference and cause great damage to cabling infrastructure at the same time. So make sure to stay away these hazardous devices and fixtures while running network cables.

The typical distance limitation for Unshielded Twisted Pairs (UTP) cable up to 1Gbps is 100 meters. However, if you want to upgrade to 10 Gbps or 40 Gbps, then you should pay attention to the distance limitations related to the type of cabling you are going to use. For example, Cat6 cable can support up to 10 Gbps and distances of 37-55 meters (depending on crosstalk). Cat7 can support 10 Gbps over 100 meters, and can transmit up to 40 Gbps at 50 meters and even 100 Gbps at 15 meters.

Once the cabling installation is done, you should test every cable with appropriate testing tools to ensure that it will work smoothly. This includes verifying length and cable specifications matched to needs. If you need 10 Gbps transmission speeds, make sure that the cable's properties will support that need.

It’s known that there are eight individual wires inside a cabling jacket. So should we terminate them at random? Definitely no. There are standards in place for a reason. Always take cabling standard into consideration how the Ethernet cables are twisted and placed in the jacket. If you violate the standards, you may bring about damage like noise and inefficiency into your cable and what’s worse, wreaking havoc on the whole network performance. The standard is known as EIA/TIA 568A & 568B Standard. If you are making a crossover cable, you will construct the cable using the 568-A standard on one end, and the 568-B standard on the other.

This post summarized some tips worth noticing before planning cabling infrastructure or while running network cables. Make sure you have the right cable in hand and right installation methods. I hope this post will be of a bit of help to you.