Copper and fiber-optic cable solutions still needed for effective networking strategiesCreated: 8/30/2010 7:03:18 PMThe expansion and advancements in WiFi technology have put copper cables on the back-burner. However, cabling experts say it is premature to rule out the use of Ethernet and effective cable solutions for network infrastructures, Processor relays.
“It’s short-sighted to say you’d never need Gigabit Ethernet, even in the office environment,” says Andrew Graham, a cabling expert.
Although new cabling projects can be challenging and often chaotic for companies, the benefits of introducing new high-speed products can improve overall business productivity and make an organization more competitive in its respective market.
Many businesses’ first experience with unshielded twisted pair cabling was CAT 5 cables, which were then replaced by the CAT 5e standard, the report relays. The next generation of high-speed solutions included CAT 6 cables, which use a thicker wiring with more insulation. Companies across the globe use CAT 6 cables to connect their networks because they can transfer high volumes of data over longer distances than previous Ethernet solutions. Companies installing a new office or network, CAT 6 cables are the baseline, according to the report.
Businesses looking to upgrade from the recommended base level cables can opt for CAT 6a, which expands 10Gb operation over the full 100m copper range. The newer cables also prevent crosstalk interference that occurred with previous versions, when adjacent bundles would negatively interfere with each other. These cables have been labeled as “future proof” by numerous experts, though they are more expensive than normal CAT 6 products, the news provider reports.
The newest line of CAT cables, the CAT 7 and CAT 7a, are not as effective as a solid CAT 6a solution, many experts say. Although they are the newest option, they provide no useful benefits over CAT 6a cables and are much more expensive.
Many companies will use CAT 6a cables for their in-office networking but will deploy fiber-optic cable solutions for connections that need to cover long distances. Fiber cabling comes in multimode fiber or single-mode fiber. The latter is more expensive, thinner and capable of transmitting larger volumes of data over longer distances. Cabling experts advise businesses to use single-mode fiber - despite the large upfront costs - when constructing new networks because they offer greater flexibility.
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