OUR BLOG


Reasons Structured Cabling is Important for Business Phone Systems

Here are 5 reasons why structured cabling is essential for your business phone systems:

1. Faster transmission

When your team is on the phone waiting for an irate customer’s record to appear, every second can feel like an eternity. You’ll want to move data to the point of use as fast as you possibly can. Category 6A cable supports up to 10-Gigabits per second, while Category 5e supports 100 mbps. Most experts no longer recommend Category 3 for data transmission because of its slow speed and high volume of noise. Don’t slow down your business phone system and important data by using cables that won’t support the speed you need.

2. Less Noise

All twisted pair cable is susceptible to some degree of noise from nearby electronic equipment, but Category 5 is far superior to the older Category 3 at noise resistance. Category 5e, Category 6 and Category 6A each offers a big leap in noise reduction over its immediately preceding standard. Fiber optic cabling offers the best resistance to noise of any other cable system. Noise causes static and poor connections during phone conversations and corrupts data. Excessive noise slows down your network because the system has to resend corrupt data repeatedly until it gets through uncorrupted. It is a false economy to go with a lower quality cable, because you pay more in the hidden costs of slow response times and irritated customers.

3. Longer runs

The higher the quality of the cable that supports your business phone system, the longer the runs it can support without errors and artifacts creeping in. There are no restrictions on the length of fiber optic cable runs, and its superior noise resistance and speed make it an excellent choice for a business phone system or data center. Category 5 or category 6A wiring can support runs of up to 100 meters without noise, which gives you more flexibility in laying out your facility and reduces the number of repeaters or data hubs you’ll need to install. Eliminating hubs and repeaters as much as possible makes your network more reliable and reduces the investment in necessary equipment. Its reasonable cost coupled with the superior noise resistance over long runs makes Category 5e or Category 6A the cable of choice for Houston business phone systems.

4. Lower cost of maintenance

Fiber optic, Category 5e or Category 6 cables rarely go bad. On the rare occasion that they do, having a properly installed and carefully marked cable structure can make it faster to identify the problem and easier to replace the cable. Downtime equates to lost revenue, so you want to maximize uptime for your enterprise phone system in every way possible. In addition, instead of spending time tracing cables, your tech support or IT team can spend their time on more strategic initiatives than ensuring the integrity of your cables.

5. Position for growth

When they install NEC phone systems, Houston companies are making an investment in their future. By upgrading the structured cabling system that supports the digital phone system and the company’s data at the same time, these companies position themselves for growth with infrastructure that supports fast, error free transmission of voice and data. Houston business phone systems supported by fiber optic cables or the highest possible category of cable provide companies with superior speeds and voice quality that helps the company compete better in their industry. Better quality cabling is a better investment, because it will serve the company well for far longer than cheaper cabling, and it will be far less troublesome during its entire useful life.

Companies should install the best and most up-to-date data cabling they can afford to ensure that they get top performance from their digital phone system. Good quality cabling can reduce maintenance costs, increase data transmission speeds and improve voice quality.

Reference: http://www.ttihouston.com/blog/bid/324395/5-Reasons-Structured-Cabling-is-Important-for-Business-Phone-Systems

Cat5 vs Cat5e vs Cat6 – Which Should You Use?

Cat5 vs Cat5e

  • Network support – CAT 5 cable will support 10BASE-T and 100BASE-T network standards, that is it supports networks running at 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps.  CAT 5e is an enhanced version of Cat5 that adds specifications for crosstalk (see below). Cat5e cable is completely backwards compatible with Cat5, and can be used in any application in which you would normally use Cat5 cable. However, the added specifications of Cat5e enable it to support Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T), or networks running at 1000 Mbps.
  • Crosstalk – Crosstalk is the “bleeding” of signals between one cable into another, due to a process called induction. This effect can result in slow network transfer speeds, and can even completely block the transfer of signals over the cable. Cat5e cable has been improved over Cat5 cable in this respect, and crosstalk has been greatly reduced.
  • Bandwidth – The bandwidth of a given conveyance media is essentially it’s information carrying capacity. The greater the bandwidth of a system, the faster it is able to push data across a network. Cat5 is rated at 100Mhz while Cat5e is rated at 350Mhz. This coupled with other more stringent specifications makes Cat5e ideally suited for networks which plan to operate at Gigabit Ethernet speeds.
  • Bottom Line: If you plan on to implement Gigabit Ethernet, go with Cat5e. Also, the small increase in price of Cat5e over Cat5 is more than made up for by “future proofing” your network’s cabling infrastructure.


Cat5e vs Cat6

There is a great deal of debate among people about whether new cabling installations should use Cat5e or Cat6. Many people incorrectly assume that by running Cat6 they will then have a Gigabit Ethernet. However, in order to achieve true Gigabit Ethernet speeds, every single component on a network must be gigabit rated, such as the switches, hubs and network interface cards. This isn’t to say that there aren’t differences between Cat5e and Cat6, however. The general difference between category 5e and category 6 is in the transmission performance. While Cat5e can support gigabit speeds, Cat6 is certified to handle gigabit Ethernet. Additionally, the Cat6 specification is better suited toward environments that are generally unfriendly to twisted pair cabling. This includes areas that have lots of interference from things like power lines, lights, and manufacturing equipment. Still, for most applications, Cat5e is perfectly suitable and preferable to Cat6: it is more economical and performs almost as well. However, if you can be certain that all the components on your network are gigabit rated, and the volume of the data being transmitted calls for certified gigabit performance, then Cat6 is the way to go.

 

reference: www.networkcablingdirectory.com/articles/structured-network-cabling-id_1151.htm

Rhino 5200 Industrial Labeling Tool

Rugged, versatile, and packed with time-saving features, the Rhino 5200 meets key ANSI and TIA/EIA 606-A labeling standards – and labels up to 77% faster than the competition*. Just press a proprietary Rhino “Hot Key” to automatically size, space and format text for perfect patch panel labels – then press another to print matching cable flags or face plate tabs, without retyping. It’s just as easy to print module and fixed-length labels, horizontal and vertical wire wraps, terminal and 110 blocks and much more. Print Code 39 and Code 128 barcodes. Access 100+ industry symbols, fractions, and punctuation marks with a few quick keystrokes. Add the optional quick-charging lithium-ion battery for uninterrupted productivity.

Compatible Label Width: 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″, 3/4″
USB Connection: No

Specifications

Best for:
Print Code 39 and Code 128 bar codes on 3/4″ (19mm) wide labels – perfect for asset management
Meet key ANSI and TIA/EIA-606-A industry labeling standards
Exclusive, one-touch “Hot Keys” to automatically size, space, and format label text for electrical and patch panels, terminal and 110 blocks, wire and cable flags, horizontal and vertical wraps, vertical and fixed-length applications
Uses DYMO Industrial labels with chemical-heat-and UV-resistant materials; also prints heat-shrink tubes and non-adhesive labels
Labels up to 77% faster than the competition*
*Based on independent testing of Rhino™ 5200 vs. Panduit PanTher™ LS8, Brady®, BMP®21, Brother™ PT1650 measured in number of key strokes when making patch panel labels and all associated wire and faceplate labels
Package includes
Rhino Industrial 5200 Label Maker
IND Vinyl Label Cartridge, Black on White, 3/4″ x 18’
User Manual CD-ROM
Warranty Information:
1-Year Limited Warranty

Applications & Tips

Assets & Barcoding
Keep everything in its place – or make it trackable. With DYMO® labels, you can easily tag your inventory, supplies and more.
Facilities & MRO
Bins and beams. Tank management. Workplace safety. There’s a DYMO® label for nearly every task. Browse our selection of the items you need to get it done.
Wires & Cables
From cable wraps and flags to heat-shrink tubes, DYMO® label makers and labels help facilitate fast and easy wire and cable identification.
Networking Components
Labeling connectivity components isn’t rocket science, but it can be time consuming. See how time saving features from DYMO® can make your labeling life a little bit easier.
Price: USD 258 (including shipping cost) Delivery: 10 working days