Coaxial Cabling – Coaxial Cable Installation Virginia (VA), Maryland (MD) and Washington, DC
Oct 25th
Coaxial cable consists of central wire, tubular plastic dielectric insulator, metallic tubular shield and a plastic jacket. Coaxial cable has two conductors, the central wire and the tubular metallic shield. Coaxial cable differs from other cables because it is designed to carry radio frequency current. This has a frequency much higher than the 50 or 60 Hz used in regular electrical power cables.
When regular ordinary wire is used to carry high frequency currents the high frequency currents radiate off of the wire as radio waves. Coaxial cable prevents radio wave and power loss by using a conductor enclosed in another conductor. Both the central wire and the metallic tubular shield are conductors. AC or alternating current will travel through both of these conductors in opposite directions and reverse directions millions to billions of times per second.
The dimensions and spacing of the two conductors must be uniform throughout the length of the coaxial cable. Uneven spacing between the two conductors contained within the coaxial cable will reflect radio frequency power back toward the source, which causes a condition called standing waves that reduces the amount of power reaching the destination end of the cable. A semi-rigid tubular plastic dielectric insulator keeps the metallic shield (also a conductor) at a uniform distance from the central conductor.
The final component of coaxial cable is the insulating jacket, which can be made from many different types of materials. The most common choice for the plastic insulating jacket is PVC. Outdoor coaxial cables may require additional ultraviolet light and oxidation protection. For internal coaxial connections the insulating jacket can even be omitted altogether. And the final bit of coaxial cable that completes a connection from point A to point B is an RF connector.
Fiber Optic Cabling – Fiber Optic Cable Installation Virginia (VA), Maryland (MD) and Washington, DC
Oct 25th
The benefits of Fiber Optic Cable
Fiber optical cable can be used in telecommunications and networks where cabling space is limited. A single fiber takes up much less space and can carry much more data than most electrical cables, such as Category Ethernet cabling. Fiber Optic cable uses pulses of light instead of an electrical transmission to transmit data at the speed of light. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry data information. Fiber optic cable is not affected by electrical interference from cross-talk between signals or environmental noise pickup.
Since fiber optic cable uses a light based data transmission method instead of an electrical based data transmission method and does not conduct electricity it is an ideal solution for network cabling in high voltage environments. Fiber optic cable can be used safely in environments where explosive fumes, gases or other explosive elements are present, without being concerned about an ignition being caused by the fiber optic cable.
Fiber optic cable is flexible, but it does have its limitations. Bending fiber optic cable causes what is known as leaks, which translates to signal loss. The more you bend a fiber optic cable the more signal loss will occur. There are specially made bendable fibers for cable installations that require bending around corners or other objects during installation.
Network Cabling – Network Cable Installation Virginia (VA), Maryland (MD) and Washington, DC
Oct 25th
Category (Cat) cable – The diffent types, specs and uses for Category (Cat) network cable
Category 3 cable (aka Cat 3) is an unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable designed to carry data up to 10 Mbit/s, with a possible bandwidth of 16 MHz. Category 3 cable was used in computer networks in the early 1990′s. Cat 3 is still currently used in two-line telephone systems.
Category 5 cable (aka Cat 5) includes 4 twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. The maximum length for a Cat 5 cable segment is 100 meters. Category 5 cable has been superseded by the Category 5e cable. Cat 5 cable is rated for tranmission frequencies up to 100 MHz.
Category 5e cable (aka Cat 5e) includes 4 twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. The maximum length for a Cat 5e cable segment is 100 meters. Cat 5e cable is rated for transmission frequencies up to 350 MHz (this frequency capability is still currently under debate).
Category 6 cable (aka Cat 6) includes 4 twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. The maximum length for a Cat 6 cable segment is 100 meters. Category 6 cable (Cat 6) is a cable standard for Gigabit Ethernet. Cat 6 cable is rated for transmission frequencies up to 250 MHz.
Category 6a cable (aka Cat 6a) includes 4 twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. The maximum length for a Cat 6a cable segment is 100 meters. Category 6a cable (Cat 6a) is a cable standard for Gigabit Ethernet. Cat 6a cable is rated for transmission frequencies up to 500 MHz.
Category 7 cable (aka Cat 7) includes 4 twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. Shielding has been added for individual wire pairs and the cable as a whole. The maximum length for a Cat 7 cable segment is 100 meters. Category 7 cable (Cat 7) standards created to allow for 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Cat 7 cable is rated for transmission frequencies up to 600 MHz.
Category 7a cable (aka Cat 7a) includes 4 twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. Shielding has been added for individual wire pairs and the cable as a whole. The maximum length for a Cat 7a cable segment is 100 meters. Category 7a cable (Cat 7a) standards created to allow for 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Cat 7a cable is rated for transmission frequencies up to 1,000 MHz. Simulation testing results have shown that 40 Gigabit Ethernet is possible at 50 meters and 100 Gigabit Ethernet is possible at 15 meters with Category 7a cable.