The role of structured cabling has changed since the introduction of Category 5 data cable. CAT5 was a natural progession from CAT3 which is telephone cable.
Through the last few years the cabling standards have evolved to keep up with network speed demands:
Current wireless access points are capable of network speeds well above 1000Mbps, or 1Gbps so it is imporant to make sure your structured cabling system can support these speeds.
CAT8 is still being developed by standards bodies and not available for installation currently.
PARTS OF A STRUCTURED CABLING SYSTEM:
Data Cable
8 solid wires of copper laid out in 4 pairs which are twisted together (hence the name twisted pair). These cables run between patch panels or 110 frames and outlets located in the field, e.g. at a desk location.
Data Outlets
These outlets are mounted onto face plates for computers or access points or other network devices to access the network. They terminate the data cable and will have patch leads plugged into them.
Patch Panels
All the cables from around the office come back to a single location where a patch panel is located. This allows individual outlets to be ‘patched’ into specific ports on switches or routers. The patch panel is almost certainly located in a 19″ network rack which is either wall mounted or floor mounted.
110 Frames
Like KRONE blocks, 110 frames are an alternative to patch panels and are located inside network cabinets. They are much higher density and often used in very large structured cabling installations.
Patch Leads
Used to link computers, AP’s or other network devices to the outlet in the field and also at the patch panel to link the port to a network switch or router. Patch leads are made from stranded data cable and are just as important as the structured cabling. A faulty patch lead can cause many problems on a data network.
Other Parts
There are many other parts to a structured cabling network including face plates, cable tray, catinary cable amongst other thing.
To find out more about how Direct Networks can help you with your structured cabling network CONTACT us or complete the contact form below.