Cheap networking cables are now included in almost every building.
In older buildings, a retrofit will probably require cheap networking cables to be installed as more electronic devices are being assembled into home networks.
In the very near future, there will likely be communication between most, if not all of the electronic devices in your or office and this will be enabled by networking.
The telephone, TV, PC and others will no longer operate separately, but will be networked, and all this communication can be enabled with cheap networking cables.
The most commonly used cables are the category 5, or cat 5 as they are commonly called.
They are made primarily of copper, and because of the volatility in the price of copper.
The price of cat 5 cables may vary.
Manufacturers are also aware of the price volatility, and frequently adjust their practises to include less copper and introduce other metals such as aluminum to create alloys.
Cheap networking cables labelled as CCA, or copper clad alloys may or may not perform as well as expected, and may be due to the amount of copper that is used in manufacture.
If you intend to use CCA cables in networking, there are few tests to determine if the cable can be installed and can be expected to work with a minimum of problems.
• The first thing you can easily test is the quality of the jacket and insulation.
You simply bend and twist the cable.
There should be no splits in the jacket, and if there are, the cable is of inferior quality and can be a fire or electrical hazard and should not be used.
• A 1000 feet spool of cable should weigh at least 15 lbs.
If it weighs less, it is an indication that it does not contain enough copper, and will not perform satisfactorily.
• Try stripping some of the jacket off the cable.
It should take a bit more effort to remove more copper to get to aluminum-coloured core.
It should not take less that 2 or 3 deft strokes with the stripping knife.
If it does, it can be an indication that the cable does not contain enough copper.
• You can use a network tester or try connecting a computer over a relatively long length of cable of approximately 500 feet.
Inferior cables will not perform well in the speed and distance tests.
It is extremely important to test the quality of your network cables before installing them.
Testing will not only ensure that your networked devices perform properly but the risks of hazards are also eliminated.
In older buildings, a retrofit will probably require cheap networking cables to be installed as more electronic devices are being assembled into home networks.
In the very near future, there will likely be communication between most, if not all of the electronic devices in your or office and this will be enabled by networking.
The telephone, TV, PC and others will no longer operate separately, but will be networked, and all this communication can be enabled with cheap networking cables.
The most commonly used cables are the category 5, or cat 5 as they are commonly called.
They are made primarily of copper, and because of the volatility in the price of copper.
The price of cat 5 cables may vary.
Manufacturers are also aware of the price volatility, and frequently adjust their practises to include less copper and introduce other metals such as aluminum to create alloys.
Cheap networking cables labelled as CCA, or copper clad alloys may or may not perform as well as expected, and may be due to the amount of copper that is used in manufacture.
If you intend to use CCA cables in networking, there are few tests to determine if the cable can be installed and can be expected to work with a minimum of problems.
• The first thing you can easily test is the quality of the jacket and insulation.
You simply bend and twist the cable.
There should be no splits in the jacket, and if there are, the cable is of inferior quality and can be a fire or electrical hazard and should not be used.
• A 1000 feet spool of cable should weigh at least 15 lbs.
If it weighs less, it is an indication that it does not contain enough copper, and will not perform satisfactorily.
• Try stripping some of the jacket off the cable.
It should take a bit more effort to remove more copper to get to aluminum-coloured core.
It should not take less that 2 or 3 deft strokes with the stripping knife.
If it does, it can be an indication that the cable does not contain enough copper.
• You can use a network tester or try connecting a computer over a relatively long length of cable of approximately 500 feet.
Inferior cables will not perform well in the speed and distance tests.
It is extremely important to test the quality of your network cables before installing them.
Testing will not only ensure that your networked devices perform properly but the risks of hazards are also eliminated.
SHARE
