The Real Role of Cabling when Upgrading the Network Infrastructure

Cabling is the base of different networks like local area networks, wide area networks, cable TV, intranets and the internet. How well the cabling infrastructure is installed in an organization decides how fast the information and data needs in the future can be accessed. The performance, efficiency and reliability of the network are all tied in strongly to the systematic implementation of cabling infrastructure. No matter how much you spent, if the cabling structure is not adequate, the required performance can’t be obtained.

Before planning for an upgrade to the existing network consider these issues:

• Requirements of the organization today and the requirements in the coming 5 years.
• Activities to be done today to minimize the possible future charges.
• Professionally certified installers are to be included or not in the cabling from the beginning.
• The equipments to be used in the installation and their space requirements.
• How the space in the building can be used much more efficiently.
• Warranty protection on the products and also on their performance.
• The connections of current cabling and should newer version cables are to be used.

A good cabling contractor should provide an answer for all these issues and if they fail then go for looking other ones. Service providers certified as a Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) will be the right choice for selecting cabling contractors. The RCDD certification is offered by BICSI which is a professional association that supports the Information Technology Industry (ITS).

Selecting the right cabling 

      

          It’s a general fact that more than 70% of network downtimes occur due to lack of quality cabling. It may happen due to poor selection of wires, terminations and connections. All types of Category 5 cables can meet the requirements of today’s network. But these cable types differ in the performance factor. So Category 5 is to be considered as a minimum benchmark and it’s wise to buy components that exceed these minimums.

          Category 5 UTP can be used in Fast Ethernet (100BASE-T) which can provide 100mbps speed. It’s mainly used for connecting servers and also for 100mbps dedicated port switching where high bandwidth is required. There are some limiting distance factors in the use of fast Ethernet for backbone technologies relating to collision domains. Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) which provides 1000mbps speed will take some time to mature enough to use as backbone.

The common cables used in voice and data networks today are the following:

CAT5E: reach up to a maximum length of 100 meters and handles data transfer up to 1000mbps. It’s the most common cabling used for voice and data cabling.

CAT6: new technology which is growing in popularity nowadays. It’s backward compatible with CAT5E. It can attain Gigabit Ethernet speeds. But it can only be attained if every single device in the network is Gigabit enabled. So it’s more suitable for new installation projects.

Fibre Optic: Fibre can carry more data than copper wires with less signal loss to greater distances. But it’s not selected as the first choice for a new installation as it’s more expensive to purchase, install and support.

          If the networking devices are installed in an electrically noisy environment where electromagnetic interference generating devices are present it’s more suitable to select shielded cabling. The metallic shielding will prevents corruption of data by the electromagnetic interference. In addition to shielded cables, other devices like patch panels, surge protectors; etc can also be used, which must be shielded as well to be truly effective at blocking the interference from electric wires.

          It’s interesting to look back at the history of network cabling to find how rapidly telecommunication technologies changed in the past few years. Ten years ago 100mbps speed was unattainable on copper cabling. Today we talk about 1000mbps Gigabit Ethernet. To install the cabling infrastructure, past installation methods should be re-examined, and in most cases adapt to the new methods and techniques.