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Structured
Cabling For Commercial Properties
From an investment point of view structured
cabling provides an exceptional ROI. A structured cabling system
will outlive all other networking components and will require only
minimal upgrades
Advantages of Using Structured Cabling:
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Consistency – Same
cables exist everywhere in the building |
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Support of multi-vendor
equipment - You can mix and match vendors |
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Simplifies moves
adds and changes – As
your company grows and/or moves locations with structured
cabling your network resources are always ready to
go. |
| • |
Simplifies troubleshooting – With
a wired structuring systems problems are easier to
isolate and fix |
| • |
Support of future applications – A
Cat 5 or even Cat 6 compliant system will support future
applications with little (if any) system upgrades. |
All
external data lines come into the property and are connected
directly to a central control box. This box is usually the
size of a large electric circuit breaker panel, and is placed
in a similar location, such as in the basement or a utility
closet. Within the control box, each incoming signal is split
and sent down wires to multiple rooms. In a
good quality central control box, the splitter will also
contain a signal amplifier. This device makes sure each outgoing
signal is as strong as the single incoming signal. Without
an amplifier, the power of the incoming signal gets split
among each outgoing wire, often resulting in significant
performance loss. In layman's terms, this means a snowy TV
or staticy phone line.
From this box, bundles of wires run through the walls to different
rooms. With a good structured wiring package, these wires will
be installed in a "home run" or "star
topology" configuration. This means that each set of
wires runs to only one outlet.
The wires included in the bundle vary by manufacturer, but
you should look for at least two coaxial cables of RG-6 quality
and two twisted pair cables of CAT-5 quality. Coaxial cable
is just a fancy name for the typical black cable you use
for purposes such as connecting your VCR to your television—the
type with the copper wire sticking out the end and the annoying
screw attachment. RG-6 is a rating of quality; some manufacturers
use RG-59 or lower grades, but you should avoid these as
your picture quality will not be as good. Twisted pair is
another fancy name, and refers to the telephone cable that
runs to the phone jack on your wall. It is called twisted
pair as it consists of two wires that are twisted around
each other. (As strange as it may seem, the twisting actually
improves the quality of the signal!) CAT-5 is a an abbreviation
for Category Five, another indicator of quality. Generally
higher numbers indicate better quality, although you should
note that CAT-5e is one step better than CAT-5. |
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