Voice and Data Cabling Networks are crucial to modern enterprise. The structured cabling system, though it may represent only 20% of network investment, may account for up to 80% of network efficiency. Compared to the five-year average lifespan of active equipment, the 10- to 20-year lifespan of structured cabling systems means a weak system will command company operations far into the future.
If the structured cabling system is strong, providing high performance and designed to handle future needs, it will be transparent and no one will notice it. If the structured cabling system is weak, the network will under- perform and fail to give targeted data throughput; costly reworking of the whole buildings cabling infrastructure may be required when introducing the next generation of active equipment.
Choosing the Right Cable
When discussing voice cable, different applications and cable grades can come into play. With the advent of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) the future of telephone cabling may change dramatically. But the fact of the matter is, we are still seeing over 90% of companies wiring for voice the same way it's been done for the last 20 years: using voice grade wire and standard RJ11 jacks at the user end. In the wiring closet, the terminations of choice are still 66 blocks, 110 style terminal blocks (developed by AT&T), Bix blocks and Krone fields.
Cat 3 Solution Still Has Longevity
These configurations give companies, and the majority of phone vendors, all the flexibility they need at a very reasonable cost. When voice cable is being installed in conjunction with your network cabling, the labor cost is greatly reduced. When voice and data cables originate from the same closet (and when the data cable is purchased from Abacus IT ), The cost of Category 3 cable, whether plenum rated or non-plenum, is very reasonable in relation to Category 5, and the jacks, usually 6 conductor USOC, are inexpensive. We generally split the 4 pair voice cable at the user end, and install 2 RJ11 jacks. This is possible because the large majority of phone systems on the market today require only 1 pair of wires, some others require 2 pairs. This gives our customers the option and flexibility to install any combination of phones, modems and analog lines at any location.
Cat 3 & Cat 5 Dual-Purpose Jacks
For some customers we will install multiple Category 5 or 5E cables to each user. Their intention is to use one or more of these cables for their telephones and/or modems. Obviously this configuration lends itself to great flexibility, because if they need a third or fourth network connection the network cable is already in place, but at a lesser cost. Each cable is Category 5 rated and needs a separate CAT 5 jack at the user end and a separate port on a rated patch panel in the wiring closet, all more costly than the Category 3 alternative. Unless the individual company has many heavy network users (those with more than 2 networked computers on their desk) we usually recommend the Category 3 solution.
Data Cabling Cat 5, Cat 6 Cable
Today, your network cabling system carries the lifeblood of your organization - information. The installation, material, quality of cable and testing procedures are all much more critical in data wiring than in voice. The main reason for this is that networks today are designed to carry large amounts of information at incredible speeds. To accomplish this over unshielded twisted pair cable (UTP), many different criteria must be met.
Who sets the criteria and standards for network cabling? Well, the three major players are The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE - commonly called I-triple-E ) who work on developing new protocols, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the Telecommunications Industry Association / Electronic Industry Alliance (TIA/EIA) who issue the standards and testing procedures.
Suffice it to say that these people have been busy over the past 12 years - as we've seen network speeds increase from 10 million bits of information per second, over Category 3 wire, back in 1991 to 1 billion bits (called Gigabit Ethernet) today. With bandwidth increasing and reliance on the network at an all time high, getting information to where it needs to be is becoming more challenging than ever. Ask any IT Manager what their most common network problem is and you will most likely hear them rant about cabling issues. In fact, cabling problems, which account for over 50% of network problems, cost companies millions annually. The most common problems are:
Low attenuation
Poor NEXT (near-end crosstalk)
Poor ACR (attenuation-to-crosstalk ratio)
Poor delay skew (data arrives at different times)
Impedance
Poor return loss (also known as "echo")
Poor ELFEXT (equal-level far-end crosstalk) numbers for cable, connecting hardware and channel
Splices in cable
Mis-labeled cables
All of these problems can be avoided if the cabling is installed and tested properly. The cable must be installed following strict and specific guidelines and the testing must be done using the right equipment calibrated for the latest standards (called certification). Abacus IT provides this with each cabling installation
Twisted Pair Cabling
Unshielded Twisted Pair
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) has been designed for use in voice applications and local area networks. Because of the comparatively low cost this cable is widely used and is available in several different performance categories (Categories 3, 4, 5 and 6). Over 99% of our copper installations are UTP versus shielded twisted pair (STP), which is rarely used.
Electromagnetic interference is present in all types of cabling to some degree. There are two basic types of electromagnetic interference (EMI) that cable engineers worry about-electromagnetic emissions and electromagnetic immunity. Emissions refer to energy that is radiated by the cable, and immunity is the ability of the cable to reject outside signals. In local area networks (LANs), failure to properly manage EMI can have an adverse effect on the integrity of the signal being transmitted.
In an unshielded cable, careful design of the cable and the associated electronic equipment results in a "balance" of the currents in the two conductors of a pair. That is, the currents in the two conductors are equal in magnitude but flowing in opposite directions. Proper installation and termination of the cable is also critical to maintaining this balance.
In a balanced system, there is very little radiation of EMI since the external field from one conductor is effectively canceled by the external field from the other conductor of the pair. Generally, the more twists per foot of cable, the better the cable is electrically balanced. Category 5 cable has more twists per foot than Category 3 or 4 cables and, therefore, offers better protection from EMI problems.
Wireless Network Cabling
Outdoor Optical Wireless Link
Optical wireless links are fast becoming the communications solution between two locations where a clear line of sight, up to a distance in excess of 1.24 (2km) miles exists. In such cases, they offer extensive cost savings over leased lines. They also offer the ideal solution where fixed cabling may not be possible. They offer better security than other wireless link options like Radio or Microwave and require no special licence for installation and use.
Their ease of set up makes them cost effective not just for permanent links but also for temporary installations.
Laser Based Free Space Optical Wireless Links
Laser Based Free Space Optical Wireless Links are robust and maintenance free (requiring only an occasional clean of the glass window on the head) and offer speeds in excess of 1Gbps. They are also capable of duplex voice and data links and high quality analogue video transmission.
Indoor Wireless Local Area Networks
In buildings where fixed cabling is not an option, for example a listed building, there exists an option to create a networking infrastructure based purely upon wireless technology or a mixture of both wired and wireless.
Abacus IT can design and install the complete wireless networking cabling infrastructure for both 11Mbps (IEEE802.11b) and 54Mbps (IEEE802.11g) wireless networks.
Server Room Installation
Servers are the brains of most corporations. The rooms and racks that house these servers are a critical part of a company's cabling infrastructure. Since servers, racks and the required cabling usually account for a large part of an IT manager's budget, they must be assured that this environment is built correctly.
In many cases, servers are located separately from a company's wiring closet. In such instances tie cables, either copper or fiber, must be installed to provide connectivity between the network equipment, which provides the pipe to the end user, and the company's servers, which store the important information. We then label and test all connections
Cable Testing Certification
Testing and Certification are the most important steps in any cable installation. Because today�s Fast Ethernet transmission speeds "push the envelope" of any cabling system, it is critical that all components be thoroughly tested. Plugging the network equipment together and verifying that it "works" is not enough. Certification is especially important to prevent expensive upgrades to your cabling system when upgrading to faster networking technologies in the future.
Cable Certification Reports
Category 5 and Category 6 certification requires special test equipment called scanners. Every cable and connector that we install is scanned and a printed report is provided verifying compliance to the Category 5 and Category 6 standards. Accept no less in your network cabling installations.
Abacus IT provides cable installation, testing and certification services. Our cabling systems are installed to meet Category 5 and Category 6 performance standards. These standards insure that your network cabling can accommodate the bandwidth requirements of today's100Mbps Fast Ethernet as well as tomorrow's faster technologies.
All components of the cabling system that we install including the cable, modular connectors and patch panels are rated for Category 5 and Category 6 performance. Installation of these components is performed in accordance with the recognized standard TIA 568-A (Telecommunications Industry Association).
Abacus IT can assist in the design and engineering of a complete end-to-end structured cabling system to meet any communication need. We can assist in providing the development of cable management records for your facility as well as comprehensive documentation to aid the network engineering team with valuable information during critical network management decisions.
Please contact one of our technical sales professionals at
for more information.
Copyright 2005 Asellus Integration Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Voice and Data Cabling Networks are crucial to modern enterprise. The structured cabling system, though it may represent only 20% of network investment, may account for up to 80% of network efficiency. Compared to the five-year average lifespan of active equipment, the 10- to 20-year lifespan of structured cabling systems means a weak system will command company operations far into the future.
material, quality of cable and testing procedures are all much more critical in data wiring than in voice. The main reason for this is that networks today are designed to carry large amounts of information at incredible speeds. To accomplish this over unshielded twisted pair cable (UTP), many different criteria must be met. 
of a company's cabling infrastructure. Since servers, racks and the required cabling usually account for a large part of an IT manager's budget, they must be assured that this environment is built correctly. 
All components of the cabling system that we install including the cable, modular connectors and patch panels are rated for Category 5 and Category 6 performance. Installation of these components is performed in accordance with the recognized standard TIA 568-A (Telecommunications Industry Association).