Ethernet Network Cabling Solution for Office Buildings

In this modern world, efficient and reliable access to information has become an important factor to attain a competitive advantage. Networking is a blessing to business organizations that allows co-workers thousands of miles apart to share information with each other instantaneously and can help workers working at same location to review and update data maintained online.

          Ethernet network was first designed and tested by researcher Bob Metcalfe, in 1973, at Xerox Corporation’s Palo Alto Research Centre. Since then Ethernet has become the most widely used network technology in world. Ethernet is one of the most cheapest and flexible option that is used in almost all networks. As a result of Ethernet dominance, most vendors are using Ethernet cabling for their products. Most of the Ethernet varieties operate at a speed of 10mbps and every node on the network share this bandwidth.

Networks appropriate for connecting devices in a home or office building:

• Twisted-Pair Ethernets:

These are most common Ethernet wiring and are available in different grades like CAT-3, CAT-5, CAT-5e, CAT-6, etc. It looks like the traditional telephone wire and can connect any number of devices within about 100 meters.

• Coaxial cable Ethernets:

They provide a wider range, about 185 meters than twisted pair cables but they are harder to connect and require special adapters to connect to networking devices.

• Fibre-Optic Networks:

They support excellent data rates and longer distances up to few kilometres. But it’s not recommended as it can’t be used effectively without special training and at the same time it’s expensive too.

Networking requirements:

          Twisted pair Ethernet cables can carry 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps of data. In order to get a certain speed every network parts like type of wire and connectors, workmanship of wiring, Ethernet card, hub etc must support it. CAT-3 telephone wiring can provide 10 Mbps of data through it. CAT-5 parts can support 100 Mbps. CAT-5e and CAT-6 parts can support 1000 Mbps.

Materials required:

          Speed of the network depends on the worst-rated part it contains. So if CAT-5 cabling or higher is used make sure of the quality of parts used in the network. 

• The cable wire.
• Good quality ‘RJ45’ sockets for the equipment end of wires.
• Good quality modular plugs for the hub end of wire.
• Ethernet hub to plug all those plugs.

Ethernet cards are also needed for devices that don’t have them already. Ethernet patch cables are also needed to short from outlets to devices. For big projects a patch panel is needed at the hub end where all the wires come together.

The wiring process:

          Deciding the location for the hub is the first step. It’s preferred in centre portions and the basement walls are selected which are not too close to the electric panel. Then design the wiring plans. Wiring from the device to the hub may require painful vertical runs, drilling through walls etc. Leave some extra wiring at each end so that if any damage occurs there will be a chance of cutting down the damage and having enough to be useful for a short run. Labelling each wire on the hub end is important to avoid a painful sorting job later.

Long Outdoor Cabling:

If the cabling is required beyond 100 meters/325 foot lengths then several options are available:

• Switching to coaxial cables which provide a length limit of 185 meters.
• Switching to fibre optic cables which are available in different data rates, different length limits and different rates.
• Extend the range of twisted pairs. It can be done by hooking two electrically separate networks together.
• Extend the range of wireless network.

Recommendations for a small office network:

• Ethernet is more preferred than other networking technologies unless there are some other unusual requirements.
• Coaxial Ethernet of either the thick or thin-wire variety is not recommended to use.
• For increased performance use 100Base-T cabling.
• For lower prices use 10Base-T cabling.
• For small office networks Gigabit Ethernets should not be considered as an option.

Once the network is connected to the network a bug in any program can cause the entire system to get hacked. Installing a DHCP router and to have good virus protection, can provide protection to the networking device. 

Why Should You Upgrade Your Network Cabling...?

Communication sector is balanced by various types of cables and cabling technologies. Network Cabling is one among them which provides a strong underlying architecture for establishing an efficient communication especially for business people.

Network cabling provider should be selected very cautiously. In order to improve the business communications you can either install a new network cabling or upgrade the existing cabling system to newer network cabling. Upgrading or expanding network cabling is not an easy job. There are many things to be considered while upgrading your network cabling. Some follows a step by step procedure to upgrade their network cabling infrastructure. One among them is as follows;

1. Consider the structure of the new network cabling

Initial thing to be considered before going for upgrading cabling is the structure of the network cabling. An efficient cabling structure will contain separate cable for every room outlet. But the major thing is that only those outlets that are actually in use should be live. This is so because making outlets live is very expensive. Hence while upgrading your network cabling you should be very much care about the structure of the network cabling. Expert cabling technicians will enliven a room outlet whenever a new system is added to the network. This happens also in situation when an existing system is relocated.

2. A new way of cabling – Hilgendorf Cabling

The Hilgendorf cabling project requires two existing cabling racks which need to be completely rewired and a set of five racks to be installed. In order to take the new style of cabling connection terminations the racks needed to be rebuilt with your own modifications. In this style various trays are provided to carry the numerous cables coming into the cabinets. Then you should consider the routing and termination of each cable. A thorough planning and complete study of the cabling structure is required. Interaction with users will help us to formulate plans in the exact direction.

3. Burns Cabling

Next step is to burn the upgraded cabling and carry out a thorough consultation with the users. User consultation is very essential to get clear and proper idea about the upgraded cabling and its performance.

These steps are usually deals with the professional network cable upgrading team. For a simple and small sized network these procedure is seldom used. 

These steps are usually deals with the professional network cable upgrading team. For a simple and small sized network these procedure is seldom used.

Benefits of Upgrading Your Network Cabling

Upgrading your network cabling will help you to enhance a lot of benefits to your business communication system. Most of the business magnates are not aware about the merits of upgrading network cabling. The major reasons that make network cabling very cost-effective are as follows;

• Network Reliability and the Revenue –

Businesses are mainly focused on the network architecture and the network infrastructure for making the various aspects of their revenue-generating tasks. For every business a reliable network has a relevant part in conducting many activities via internet. Hence the productivity of the business and in turn the revenue generated is mainly relied upon the reliability of the network infrastructure used.

• Avoid contiguous upgrades –

Some may purchase lower quality cabling and equipments. Upgrading network cablingwith low quality equipments will degrade the quality of the network and in turn the communication system. This may leads to the continuous upgrading of the network cabling infrastructure in the nearby future. Choosing quality rich cabling for upgrading will provide you a reliable and efficient infrastructure for long time.

• Avoid Signal Degradation –

Network equipments and components are essential for producing and transmitting quality-rich signals over network. Signals are continuously generated from every device on network. Maintaining the quality of signals is a critical task. Cables with high quality will prevent the signal degradation and thus ensure the signal quality throughout the network. for long distance communication fibre optic cables are preferred because they can maintain the signal quality over longer distances. 

One can attain many more benefits by simply upgrading the network cabling infrastructure. The benefits and features that one can exploit to renovate the quality of the business communication is highly depended on the network cabling service provider. Selection of the right cabling provider will elevate your business growth and revenue. 

How to fix Network Cabling and Wiring Issues

Networkcables are the most important part of the Internet. A cabled network can provide high speed connection with fewer chances of failure. Errors like address not found, timed out connections, browser cannot display this webpage, and a little red X in the network connection icon etc indicate that some problems are there with the Internet connection. The main reasons behind connection problems are cables that are not connected properly, network connection setting issues, software or hardware problems, corrupted drivers, missing updates etc.

Problems in cable configuration:

          The selection of the cable should be decided based on the current and future needs and based on the budget. Usage of wrong cables can defeat the internet connection efforts. For directly connecting two computers cross-over cables should be used and if connecting devices with hub or router straight-through cables should be used. Troubleshooting network configuration may depend on the operating system, connection type and other factors. If there is any problem with the internet connection, the computers network icon might display a red X or other error message. If all seems to be working well, but network can’t be accessed then the problem may be with the Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Power Cycling:           

                                         

          Power cycling is a simple approach in which modem is just turned off, waiting for a few seconds and then turning it on again. If it doesn’t work, the same steps can be done more elaborately, by turning off every device in the network and then power on them in a particular order. Shut down the computer, unplug the power cords of the modem, router, hub and access point. While turning on, power on the modem first, and then router or hub, turn on the computer last. While turning on each device allow the devices to complete its boot-up sequence before turning on the next device.

Problems in wiring:

Ordering the wire according to the correct wiring scheme is very important. Eight wires are divided in to four twisted pairs. Double check the wiring order, because once a plug has been crimped on to cable, it then can’t be removed and reused.

It’s the easiest troubleshooting method in which all the cables and connections involved in the internet connection are checked. It’s not a time consuming process to make sure that nothing has changed. Start from where the cable connection starts in the building, check whether all the connections are secure, and not damaged by birds, bugs, or squirrels. If there is a router, check whether the cables are going to the correct point. There are three steps in wire checking: 

• Check the cable that runs from wall to the cable modem.
• Check the Ethernet cable that runs from modem to the computer.
• Check whether the modem is connected to power supply and power to the modem is turned on.

Driver update problems:

          Drivers which are incompatible, outdated or corrupted can cause network disconnections. Drivers become corrupted when there is an upgrade in the operating system, when had recent power outages, viruses or other computer problems. The problems can be resolved by downloading and installing the latest network adapter driver.

Router update problem:

          The router or network adapter may need a firmware upgrade, when it’s only able to connect using WEP security or no security. Firmware is the embedded software in any hardware device which controls how the device should interact with the operating system. If this problem occurs, download the firmware upgrade from the manufacturer’s website and install it according to the instructions given.

Problems with electrical interference:

          Electrical equipments can cause interference and can slow down the internet connection. Keep the router/modem away from electrical gadgets and keep experiments with turning off devices.

          

Design and Implementation of Network Cabling

Cable is a medium through which information moves from one network device to another. Network cable installation is a task which requires critical efficiency. A network design should incorporate aspects like bandwidth consideration, crosstalk, cable conformance, calculation of approximate transmission error rates, cable management etc.

Determining the bandwidth requirements:

The primary concern is to identify the current bandwidth requirements, which varies according to the size of the network or the number of workstations connected to the network. If the company plans to expand the business and to increase the number of employees over the next two years, then the network bandwidth needs also will increase accordingly. The most accurate assessment of your networks bandwidth requirements can be obtained by using a network analyzer. Failure in determining the future bandwidth requirements can end up in losing a lot of money.

Identifying the network environment  

                              

The network environment determines the type of cabling that should be selected. Optical fibre cables can be used for faster bandwidth requirements but at the same time it’s prone to transmission problems due to dirt and scratches on the fibre. Twisted copper wires can also be used for network cabling installations like CAT 5e, CAT 6 etc. These cables have more noise immunity than the older categories but they are susceptible to radio frequency and electromagnetic interference problems.

Cabling Installation

Selection of the correct termination tool enables to install CAT5e jacks 6 to 8 times faster. Future reworks can be reduced by using punch-down tools, to increase the accuracy and reliability of the network. It will increase the client confidence. The three types of commonly used punch-down tools are manual, impact and multi-wire. A basic impact tool has a spring-loaded head, the installer can compress it with very little force and when once the spring reaches its full compression it’s released automatically and the force is transferred to the head of the impact tool which then seats the conductor. Most impact tools helps to reduce hand fatigue. Other advantages of impact tool are ease of use, speed and consistency of termination. The tool helps to connect each wire in to the corresponding slot in order to make a permanent connection. Other newer features of tools include replaceable blade heads and wall-friendly designs to accommodate close-to-close wall installations. Faster and reliable terminations using efficient tools and less rework can minimize up to 80% of cost for cabling installation.

Fibre Optic Cables                 Unshielded Twisted Pair Cables         Coaxial Cables

For the development of a successful network it’s necessary to understand the characteristics of different types of cables and how they are related to other aspects of a network is necessary. The different types of cables used in cabling installations are: Unshielded twisted pair cables (UTP), Shielded twisted pair cables (STP), Fibre optic cables, Coaxial cables etc. Unshielded twisted pair cables are available in different categories with different properties.

Before delivering to the customer the job must be tested. Variety of test tools which vary in price, performance and application are available. Test tools can be verification tools, qualification tools or certification tools. Verification test tools can be used to find wiring faults like errors in wire pairing, opens, shorts or split pairs in the cable installation. Certification is the last stage required by the manufacturers to grant warranties for new cable installation. Certification testing guarantees cabling system compliance to industry standards. Qualification testing is a new category of testing that determines if an existing cabling link can support the requirements for fast Ethernet, VoIP, or Gigabit Ethernet. Cable testing assures that the installed cabling links will provide the demanded transmission capability to support the communication needs of the user.

Choosing the right Cable for Network Infrastructure– Will they Make Network faster?

While creating a network infrastructure, awareness about the pros and cons of different cable types are important. There are several networking cables like fibre optics or twisted pair cables are available. Network cabling installed incorrectly can cause various problems in the networking devices. Installing quality network cabling in an organization involves the installation of connectors, connecting hardware and cables using UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair), STP (Shielded Twisted Pair), F/UTP (Foiled Unshielded Twisted Pair), Fibre Optics (multimode or singlemode). 

Use high quality cable wiring:

Cabling systems are divided into different categories based on the data rates it can transmit. The cable specifications also include the type of material, the type of connectors, number of times each pair is twisted per meter, and junction blocks to be used in order to conform to a category. Based on the ISO international standard the category refers to the cable and class refers to the connector. 

 Standard categories of cables

• CAT 3 with 16 Mbps data rate (no longer used, mainly used in telephone cables).

• CAT 4 with 20 Mbps data rate (was only a standard and never widely installed).

• CAT 5 with 100 MHz bandwidth (Replaced by CAT 5E, common in most current LANs).

• CAT 5E with 100 MHz bandwidth (Enhanced Cat5, It offers better near-end cross talk than CAT5).

• CAT 6 up to 250 MHz bandwidth (provides more specifications for crosstalk and system noise).

• CAT 6E up to 500 MHz bandwidth: Published in Feb 2008. It supports for 10 Gigabit Ethernet. It can be shielded (STP, ScTP, S/FTP) or unshielded (UTP).

• CAT 7 up to 600MHz bandwidth. (Fully shielded cable).

It’s found that most of the new installations are using shielded twisted pair cables. Shielded cables can reduce the effect of closely placed power relays, electric gadgets and electric cables that run in parallel close to the installed cables.

  In traditional cabling the two most widely installed categories are CAT 3 for Voice and CAT 5E. In the newer installations the most common way is to use CAT 5E for voice and one high speed cable to support 10GBASE-T for long term use. CAT 3 is not used in modern cablings because it’s found that it can cause transmission errors if pushed to faster speeds. Good quality CAT 5 cabling can be used for gigabit networks. But it’s recommended to use CAT 5E or CAT 6 cabling for gigabit connectivity which can ensure that the cabling infrastructure is stable when the gigabit upgrade occurs. 

The CAT 6 specification was published in 2002. In terms of near-end cross talk and bandwidth it’s more improved than CAT 5E. According to the information from IEEE in 2004, 70% of new installations were using CAT 6. In 2002 CAT 7 or Class F cables were also published as a fully shielded system. A shielded cable ensures less noise and good performance. 

The best cable that can be selected for the organization depends on the facts like if you are newly installing a network cable or if the existing cable network is expanded. For new installations CAT 5 or better TP cables can be selected with fibre optic cabling for long backbone connections. Fibre optic cable offers best noise immunity, security and excellent speed in transmission. Choosing the best matching cable wiring for your organization’s needs can help to ensure long life of the entire system, boost its reliability and saves money.