Network
cabling is one of the last things a company thinks of prior to its construction
or relocation. Improper installation of cables can affect the network
performance and may create hidden expenses. Some mistakes happen over and over
again which may cost organization’s cost, time and valuable customers. A
smoothly running network can deliver high performance and decreases the network
downtime. Some common pitfalls in network cable installation are described
here:
1. Selection of hardware
and software needed for the cabling:
Network cabling can be done with different combination of hardware and software. Choosing
the first available option is not a right choice. Sometimes setups that work
perfectly for some organizations may not work for others. For best results
consider the factors like, how many devices are to be connected, the operating
systems running on the computer, the type of Internet service used,
requirements and the purpose of the network, etc.
2. Not using cable
management or bad cable management design:
Cable
management is an important step during the installation and its purpose is to
support the cables while being routed between buildings and to make safer
hardware installation, repair or removal. Including rack based cable management
will increase the cost, but it can also reduce the ongoing maintenance cost and
all cabling systems will look neat and organized. Proper labeling of cables or
color-coding them is necessary to identify them later.
3. Construction without
keeping standards:
In
2005, the Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) published the TIA 942
standard that sets the necessary requirements for network architecture and
installation. TIA 942 covers security, system redundancy; file backup, hosting,
power management and many other procedures. It covers not only the requirements
of the network but also about the supplemental services. TIA-942 standard helps
to ensure quality of network cabling and produces a network with high
reliability, consistency and security.
4. Lack of design before
implementation:
Detailed
specifications about the project can help to compare between the cabling contractors. The design document should specifically define the requirements
and the qualifications of the contractor to do the job. After a thorough
comparison select the best cabling contractor and proper communication is
needed with them mentioning the needs and other options that they recommend.
5. Interruption from
electric cables:
Most
of the network cabling is made up of UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) cables. Electric
wires will generate a magnetic field around them. Since the cables are
unshielded, the magnetic field will generate interference problems in the
network cables. This creates the connection distorted and noisy, which can
completely break the transmission or slows down the connection because of the
constant interruption.
6. Lack of technical
support:
It
creates a lot of problem when in the middle of a busy business day the network
goes off and the support staffs is not available to fix it or unable to deal
with the problem. If network is vital for the daily operations of the business
then they should have experienced technical support staffs that are available
24/7. It can make the network environment more efficient and cost effective.
7. Lack
of future planning:
While installing network cables the expensive part
is the labour expenses. So when the company is relocating or installing a new
cable, avoid the yesterday’s best technology and opt to install something that
will meet today’s needs and can meet the needs of the future.
The need for a network is virtually indispensable in
today’s business environment. There are many ways to decrease the downtime and
improve the efficiency of the network.
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