Importance of Structured Cabling in your Business

World has changed a lot and in this world of ever increasing expectations and requirements our urge to improve our life and business continues to grow forward. Modern business systems try to focus more on IT basics. Communication systems are the lifeblood of many organizations which enables frequent communication with the customer and can save a lot of time by avoiding long hours of driving. The process of installation of electronic telecommunication equipments like phones, the office network, VoIP, computers, broadband connections and even printers and faxes in an organized manner in a specific location is known as structured cabling or structured wiring.

To remain competitive in the market place utilization of all the available latest technologies is essential. So the office structure is also to be designed in a manner which makes the transition to the current trends smoothly. Structured cabling actually provides an infrastructure of the telecommunications cabling and handles all the communication needs of the organization. Nowadays structured cabling is the way to the best and most cost-effective solution to good and efficient networking system and all the organizations work seriously on installation of networkcables, telephone wiring, premises wiring, etc. for secure and uninterrupted flow of data and information.

Structured Cabling helps to save money

          Once installed, structured cabling infrastructure can handle any of the communication needs throughout the periodic growth of the business. Even if the staff doubled, the office equipments can be easily installed allowing the cabling to connect the office collectively. It adds up to direct savings. All the devices can share the resources as it’s a part of the main infrastructure. If the building is under construction as it’s much cheaper than moving to it in a later stage. The structured wiring will be able to adjust with the changing requirements as the technology changes better than traditional system of wiring. Also the quality of installation makes a huge difference in the longevity and safety of the install.

Benefits of Structured Cabling

          Structured Cabling is an inexpensive solution to complex communication infrastructures. By the use of structured cabling, moving, rearranging and upgrading costs can be reduced up to 25-40% for the labour and materials needed. It’s also very easy to support future requirements by requiring only minimal updates. Structured cabling infrastructure is simpler to manage, easy low cost moves and changes, provides greater flexibility and peace of mind. The cabling installation won’t get outdated in coming years and the solution will be able to handle emerging applications in the future. Installation of structured cabling also increases the resale value of the building. As newer technologies are being released nobody will prefer to buy buildings with wirings from 30 years ago.

Reasons to get structured cabling installed

          There are many reasons for the use of structured cabling system. For beginners, if they install cables using structured cabling terminology, they can use same cabling for all the electronic system installations. It avoids the installation of a new device in the network without spending hours of time on the device. The advantage is that if any device on the network fails the whole network most likely won’t fail. The device with defect will be isolated with other parts of network functioning properly. Troubleshooting and fixing errors is also very easy with structured cabling. Here are some reasons which show the importance of structured cabling in business:

• Network Speed: Most telecommunication consultants no longer recommend Category 3 cables for networking because of its poor performance and high noise. CAT 6 cables support 10gbps speed while CAT 5E supports 100mbps. Use cables that support the required speed and not slowing down the business process.
• Reduced Noise: All twisted pair cables are affected by noise from the cabling environment. CAT 5 cables are more noise resistant than the oldest version CAT 3 cables. Fibre Optics is the most noise resistant cabling. Excessive noise slows down the network performance and so installing low quality cabling increases the hidden costs due to network downtimes and customer dissatisfaction.
• Future Proof Cabling: As the quality of the cabling is high, the life of the network also gets increased. Low quality cabling will require more number of hubs and repeaters to maintain signal strength. As their number increases reliability of the network gets reduced and the investment in necessary equipments will increase. 
• Reduced Maintenance Cost: When the cable structure is properly installed and labelled, the troubleshooting and fixing issues become easier to perform. Structured cabling is a straightforward system which can grow along with the growing needs of the organization.

Today, the structured cabling infrastructure is the first priority of every business enterprises who give prior importance to communication needs. There are many networking consultants across Canada offering quality network cables of high quality. Wireguys Inc is a leading world supplier of communications and security products based in Ontario, Canada. Dedication towards the work and clients has made Wireguys the leader among network cabling providers in the greater Toronto area.

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. 

Network Cabling Overview from Wireguys

The Top 7 Mistakes you do When Installing a Network Cable

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. 

Best Network Cabling for Internet and How to Set up the Connection

Ethernet cable categories have technical and physical differences with each other. They look similar from outside characteristics, and any of them will plug in to an Ethernet port. But they differ in case of internal features. The differences between different cable types are very complicated and it also affects network standards. So what’s the difference and how the best selection is to be done is a very important decision to be made. Ethernet cables are divided in to certain categories which make it easier to decide which type of cabling is to be used in specific applications.

Basic types of cables:

          The common network cable types are Co-axial cables, Twisted-pair cables and Fibre Optic cables. The selection of network type will decide the speed of network, type of NIC’s installed and the capability of the network to meet the future requirements. Twisted pair cables are the most widely used and widely available network cable which is easy to install. But they are susceptible to interference and can cover only a limited area. They are the least expensive cables which can cover an area up to 100m and provides speed from 10mbps to 1000mbps. Co-axial cables on the other hand are less susceptible to interference and affordable cables which can cover up to 185m (Thin net) – 500m (Thick net). But it has less bandwidth and any damage to the cable can bring down the entire network. The third category is the most expensive type of cable called the fibre optic cables which can cover 10km and farther and can provide a bandwidth of 100mbps to 100gbps. It provides very high security than other types of cables and is less susceptible to interference. It also has a higher data rate than coaxial and twisted-pair cables.

UTP cable is a medium that consists of pairs of wires often installed using a registered jack 45 (RJ 45) connector. UTP was considered to be slower in transmitting data than the other mediums. But now UTP is considered as the fastest copper based transmission medium. There are over a dozen types of UTP network cables available, but the fact is that only three types of network cables are commonly used by home and small business users in their network installs. They are Category 3 (CAT3), Category 5 (CAT5), and Category 6 (CAT5) network cables.         
  
CAT 3:
Used in 10BASE-T networks and can transmit data at speeds up to 10mbps. It’s primarily used in telephone wire installation in home and offices. Nowadays CAT 3 cables are not much used but it can be used for other purposes like alarm system installs etc. CAT 3 cables may have 2, 3, or 4 pairs of wires inside it. CAT 3 cables are cheaper than other cable types as they use much less copper.

CAT 5:

It’s the most widely deployed network cable today. CAT 5 cables are not widely used nowadays as it was replaced by CAT 5E (CAT 5 Enhanced). It can transmit data at up to 100mbps speed and can be used for phone line use, 10BASE-T networks or 100BASE-T networks.



CAT 5E: 
Category 5 Enhanced cabling is an improvement of the CAT 5 cabling. It’s faster than CAT 5 cabling and can be used in networks running at speeds up to 1000mbps to support gigabit speeds with less cross-talk and interference.





CAT 6: 

It’s the widely used network cabling in both residential and business platforms. CAT6 is currently the fastest standard for UTP and is designed specifically for 1000BASE-T gigabit Ethernet. CAT6 is even faster than and has less interference but it’s not necessary to replace CAT 5E and upgrade to CAT 6. New network installations or buying a new cable can chose CAT 6 cables as it’s an improvement over its predecessor. 

Choosing the cable type

          If the current network speed is capable of meeting the requirements then there is no need to upgrade everything. Along with upgrading cables the old hardware parts are also to be replaced in order to get gigabit speeds. To attain gigabit speeds gigabit compatible hardware’s like routers and network cards are required. Modern PCs, routers or cards are already having these fast speeds, but older hardware parts can slow down the network. Also cables running more than 100 meters may also notice a decrease in the network speed.

Making Connections

          Tools required for setting up a connection are: cable type, RJ45 connectors, cable strippers, scissors, crimping tool. Steps in making a network connection: 

• Strip the end of cable to about 1 – 1 ½  inches without cutting the conductor insulation. 
• Untwist wire ends and sort wires by insulation colours.
• Arrange wires according to the wiring standards.

TIA/EIA 568A: GW-G  OW-Bl  BlW-O  BrW-Br

     TIA/EIA 568B: OW-O  GW-Bl  BlW-G  BrW-Br

• Trim all wires evenly to the correct size. Leave about ½ of wires exposed.
• Attach the RJ-45 connector. Maintain the wire order from left to right with RJ-45 tab facing downwards.
• Check whether all the wires extend to end and the sheath is well inside the connector.
• Using the crimp tool squeeze firmly to crimp the connector on to cable end.
• Test whether the cabling works correctly.

Choosing a right cable for your internet connection can ease the connection procedure as well as network connectivity. 

Cable Installations for Voice over IP

Voice over IP is a technology which provides an option to make calls using the internet connection. While switching from traditional telephone system to VoIP phone systems there should be sufficient bandwidth, quality switches and routers and a good back up power supply solution to protect from power failures.

                                           Fig 1: Residential network including VoIP

Requirements for VoIP installation:

• Bandwidth: Determining the bandwidth requirement of the organization is the first step. Internet connection is required to connect the analog phone adapter to the internet.
• Router: selecting low quality routers may degrade the network performance.
• AC power outlet: To connect the analog phone adapter.
• Ethernet Cable: To connect the telephone to router or modem.
• Quality of Service: Determine whether the voice traffic is separated from regular internet users or if both share the same line.
• VoIP Device: Various IP phones like digital office phones, soft phones, analog phones with adapters, headsets etc. are available in the market.
• VoIP Gateway: connect the VoIP equipments in the network to either the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or the building’s telephone switch to connect the calls from outside customers.
• Uninterrupted power supply: VoIP works using internet and so it can’t work when power goes off. So better battery backup installations are to be done prior to VoIP installation. If there is sufficient budget, Power-Over-Ethernet switches can also be tried.

IP Telephone instruments can be broadly classified in to three:

1. IP hard phones (IP telephone instruments):

These phones can be only used as a VoIP phone and cannot be used over a Public Switched Telephone Network. It can be classified as Vendor specific instruments and open standards based instruments. Open Standards based phones are widely available from a variety of manufacturers and are commonly referred to as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) phones.

2. IP soft phones:

They enable the personal computer to act like a VoIP phone. A soft phone is actually a software that can be downloaded from the internet, installed and can be used to make VoIP phone calls using a VoIP provider.

3. Analog phones used with adapters:

                      A VoIP system also allows connecting the ordinary telephone handsets to the Internet using an adapter called ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter). 

How to Install?

            Installing a VoIP phone is easier than installing a traditional analog telephone. In an ideal installation, VoIP can eliminate the need for two separate cabling for voice and data communications. There are three most common uses for VoIP. They are: to interconnect VoIP phones within same building using its Local Area Network, to interconnect VoIP phones between multiple buildings using its backbone network and to interconnect VoIP phones in different organizations using the Internet and/or the Wide Area Network.

To install VoIP phones the first step is to make sure that the internet connection is active. Then go to the router and connect the Ethernet cable to the ATA Linksys PAP2. After that connect the ATA to the power outlet and using a regular phone cable connect the standard telephone set to the ATA. A green light will blink. Depending on the ATA model follow the manufacturer’s instructions to configure the VoIP account and start making VoIP calls.

VoIP phones provide significant benefits compared to legacy phone systems. The migration towards VoIP will increase in the coming years. The use of VoIP can save a lot of money; it efficiently uses the bandwidth, and creates a more productive environment. 

How a Quality Network Cabling can Make your Business run Faster

The efficiency, reliability and performance of network cabling infrastructure in an organization will have a direct impact on the performance and productivity of a business. The installation of structured cabling system in an organization is an area where the decision makers should not compromise on quality and performance to save a few dollars. It can cost more money in the future to test, repair or replace the existing cabling. Any problem in the network can result in the interruption of the business process and so it’s very essential to take all measures to reduce outages in the implementation stage itself.

          To install a structured cabling infrastructure there should be 6 cabling subsystems. First thing is the entrance facilities which include the building interfaces and the devices room. Horizontal cabling connects the telecommunication equipments to the workstation outlets. The end-user equipments are connected to the outlets coming from horizontal cabling system using the work-area components. The user equipments like computers, printers, phones, etc. are connected to the work-area outlets using the Patch cables which should be less than 16 feet in length. Patch cables are also used to connect network switches to patch panels. The boxes like network racks or cabinets can protect the fibre optic strands from getting damaged at their end points.

Reducing Network downtimes saves money:

          Network downtime is a serious issue that causes a major loss for any public organisation. Nowadays nearly all works are processed and performed depending on LAN and so when network downtime occurs nobody can work anymore and most business operations are interrupted. Cable management can provide a clean environment and extends the cable life and its performance.

Improves the reliability of the network:

          The main reasons behind every network downtime are low quality cabling components, connectors and non-professional installations. As the cabling infrastructures become more and more complex, more time is required for finding the reason and also to repair it. Cabling not included under network management may require very difficult and time consuming trouble-shooting.

Structured cabling makes the network system future proof:

          Once network cables are installed in a structured manner using quality products changes and upgradations can be easily added to the system. When the business develops or when a new plan is implemented, devices can be easily added to the network without having to seek the help of a technician. Whether it’s an individual changing desks or an entire department moving floors, they can simply plug-in and get back to work straight.

Improves flexibility:

          Replace multiple wiring systems with a single wiring system. Unified infrastructure can carry data in any format and as a result a single socket can be used to connect different network devices by simply plugging in the desired adapter to the socket.

Only specialized and experienced professionals can guarantee high quality network solution:

          Today there are a lot of companies who provides network cabling design, implementation and maintenance. Professional planning, installation and design along with usage of high quality products can result in high quality network solution. Selection of a competent company is a very important decision to take. The company should be trained and certified by any international manufacturers which show good results for previous works. Selecting cheapest company is not a best solution. Low installation costs can only be reached by not meeting all the requirements for a quality network solution.

Better communication is critical for success. With proper structured networks information can be accessed faster and efficiently. Each business has different requirements. So it’s wise to install the networking solution using professional help and guidance from experienced ones.