Thursday, 17 April 2014

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.







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