If you are looking to improve the performance of your office networks, you might be considering a cabling infrastructure upgrade. Upgrading your cabling infrastructure can improve the reliability and security of your office networks. This blog features tips and techniques on how to choose the right cabling infrastructure for your business.
Choosing the right infrastructure for your business requires you to consider the following factors: The type of building you are based in, the devices and applications you will be using, and of course, your budget. Based on these three factors, you will have to choose one of the many options of cabling infrastructures available.
But first, let’s understand what is meant by a cabling infrastructure. Cabling infrastructure is a complete and elaborate network of cables catering to the needs of different pieces of equipment. In this particular case, the cabling infrastructure is defined as an entire network of bulk ethernet cables connecting different electronic devices in a building.
Building
The primary factor that dictates the design of your cabling infrastructure is the type of building your business is based in. For example, if you are based on the 30th floor of a skyscraper your cabling requirements will be different from that of a business based on the ground floor of a 5 story building.
Cabling infrastructure requirements differ depending on different types of buildings because this factor determines the devices and equipment you will be using for your business. If you are on the ground floor of a building you are more likely to use metal-detecting walkthrough gates but if you are based on the top floor of a tall building, you might not use such security equipment.
Furthermore, if you own the building, you might want to install the best cabling infrastructure but if you are leasing it, you have to consider the duration for which you will be using the cabling infrastructure and then design it accordingly.
Equipment
The second factor that needs due consideration is the types of equipment you will be using for your business operation. And this factor, therefore, is the most important one. Because your whole business will be relying on it. The best way to go through this stage is to make a list of the equipment that you will be using and keep it consistent with the cabling infrastructure you will choose.
Budget
The third factor. It’s your budget. This is just as important as the previous three because it is the ultimate factor that determines the infrastructure you will choose. If you have a generous budget, you will be able to get the best cabling infrastructure and if you have a limited budget, you can still get the most out of it if you know the ins and outs of cabling.
The next part lists the different types of networking infrastructures based on the different features and budgets.
Cat5e
Cat5e cables are a great option for building a cabling infrastructure for relatively small-scale businesses. You can build one with a limited budget as well. Cat5e cables support a maximum data transfer speed of up to 1000 Mbps. You can use these ethernet network cables for voice streaming, video streaming, and other applications with a minimum speed requirement of 1gbps. These cables are also suitable for PoE connections.
Cat5e Ethernet Cables are largely used for network connections. But, as technology has evolved, Cat5e Ethernet Cables are slowly being replaced by the next standard Ethernet cables that are Cat6 Ethernet Cables. The article covers all the necessary information about Cat5e Ethernet Cables.
Cat5e is a type of twisted pair cable used in Ethernet. It was designed to replace the old Cat3 cable, and it offers better performance. Cat5e cable is capable of speeds up to 1 Gbps. Cat5e cables are backward compatible with Cat3, so you can use Cat5e cables to replace Cat3 cables.
Cat6
Cat6 cables are the perfect choice for both small and large-scale businesses. Of course, they are a bit more costly than Cat5e cables but they offer enhanced speed and other desirable features in return. These cables support a maximum data transfer speed of up to 10Gbps over a run length of 50 meters.
With a maximum bandwidth capacity of up to 550 MHz, Cat6 cabling infrastructures are suitable for most ethernet applications such as ANSI X3T9.5 TP-PMD (FDDI), ATM PMD 155 Mbps IEEE 802.3 Fast, Ethernet:10 Base-T, 100 Base-T4, 100 Base-X IEEE 802.5:4/16 Mbps Token Ring, and IEEE 802.12:100 Base-VG.
If you will be using the power over ethernet for your business operations, PoE, PoE+, and PoE++ connections also work perfectly in this type of cabling infrastructure.
Cat6a
Cat6a cables are mostly used by large-scale businesses. But it is not exclusive and you can even use them for small-scale businesses if your budget permits.
Cat6 cabling infrastructure can support maximum data transfer speeds of up to 10gbps over a distance of 100 meters and they can be utilized for almost all modern ethernet applications.
For the speed and compatibility options of cat6a cables, these are the most budget-friendly on our list. You get a bandwidth capacity of up to a whopping 750 MHz. They come with a bare copper conductor and last for very long periods.
You can choose cat6a cables to run the following applications seamlessly. 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet, 1000BASE-T (IEEE802.3), 100VG-AnyLAN (IEEE802.12), 550mhz Broadband Video Voice, T1, ISDN 155/ 622 Mbps, and ATM PoE
Conclusion:
To choose the right cabling infrastructure, consider the type of building your business is based in, the equipment you will be using, and your budget. These three factors are fundamental determinants for the right cabling infrastructure. Then you can decide on the right ethernet network cables that are most suitable for your business operations.
Cabling infrastructure has a significant impact on the connection quality of your network, and a business’ ability to deliver high quality service to its customers. In order to choose the right cabling infrastructure for your business, you need to know what your needs are.
