Why is it wise to call in an expert?
Structured cabling is the design and installation of a cabling system that will support multiple hardware uses that takes into consideration both today’s needs and those of the future. With a correctly installed structured cabling system, current and future requirements can be met; and hardware that is added in the future will be supported.
Structured cabling design and installation are governed by a set of standards (ISO/IEC 11801 and ANSI/TIA 568) that specify wiring data centres, offices, and apartment buildings for data or voice communications using various kinds of cable, most commonly:
- Category 5e (Cat 5e cable) – Maximum Distance 100m including leads, Gigabit speeds at 100Mhz
- Category 6 Cable (Cat 6) – Maximum Distance 100m including leads, Gigabit speeds at 250Mhz
- Category 6a (Cat 6a) – Cat6 lan cable wiring has a maximum Distance of 100m including leads, Ten Gigabit Speeds at 500Mhz
- Category 7 Cable (Cat 7) – Maximum Distance 100m including leads, Ten Gigabit Speeds at 600Mhz. Category 7 cabling offers better shielding due to stricter specifications to reduce crosstalk in wiring looms.
- Category 7a (Cat 7a) – Maximum Distance 50m at Forty Gigabit speeds at 1000Mhz and 15m at One Hundred Gigabit speeds at 1000Mhz
- Category 8 (Cat 8) – Maximum Distance 40m at Forty Gigabit Speeds at 2000Mhz
- Single Mode Optic Fibre – OS1/2 are utilized for long-distance and higher bandwidth applications operating in the 1310nm and 1550nm wavelengths
- Multi-Mode Optic Fibre – OM1/OM2/OM3/OM4 are utilized for shorter distance and operates in the 850nm and 1300nm wavelengths.
Keeping this in mind every structured network cabling installation is ‘unique’. This is due to variations in:
- The architectural structure of the building
- The cable and connection products;
- The function of the cabling installation;
- The types of equipment the cabling installation will support — present and future;
- The configuration of an already installed system (upgrades and retrofits);
- Customer requirements; and
- Manufacturer warranties.
How does this benefit your organisation?
When an appropriate structured cabling solution has been actioned, it has the potential to:
- Reduce the risk of downtime by minimizing the opportunity for the wrong connection to be pulled (whether it be staff or a technical professional that is not familiar with the system).
- Support business growth with reliable, high bandwidth.
- Provide your business with a network that is scalable and reliable.
- Reduced power costs.
- Reduced maintenance costs by finding and resolving issues more swiftly.