10 Important Things to Take Care While Installing Ethernet Cables
There are some common mistakes people do make while working with the Ethernet cables like Cat5e plenum cable and others. These mistakes negatively impact their network performance and investment. They are not such mistakes that cannot be rectified. It is just the lack of knowledge or carelessness that can cause these mistakes to happen.
Therefore, if you think and work wisely before investing in Ethernet cables it will benefit you big time. Firstly, gaining proper knowledge of the product you are going to buy is very important. Secondly, analyzing your needs properly is an important task as well in this investment. When you accomplish these two steps efficiently then you become able to make the right decision and can avoid these common mistakes.
Let’s discuss some common mistakes that people make and how you can avoid them.
1. Not Thinking About Future Needs
The most common mistake people make while purchasing Ethernet cables is not understanding their future network needs. They just see their present needs and purchase the cables according to it. After some time when the workload increases on their networks, they start realizing that these cables are not sufficient to fulfill their needs. Therefore, they have to invest in it again to upgrade them.
This increases their network cost and with that, the trouble they have to face is on top of it. Now the point is how they could avoid this mistake? The answer is very simple. If they analyze their needs in the first place before installing them. It could be avoided. Therefore, forecast your network needs before investing in the networking cables. This will save your investment from getting ruined.
2. Using Old Variants of Ethernet Cables
Sometimes people ignore their network needs and give priority to the amount of money they are going to put in designing their networks. In this scenario, they opt for old versions of network cables that are less expensive in comparison to newer versions.
This could save their money at that time but when these old versions of cables do not fulfill their needs then they realize that they have made a big mistake. They get forced to invest in them again to upgrade them. This doubles their networking cost which they were trying to minimize. Thus, choosing the right option is the only way to make your network cost-efficient and effective. A one-time investment is better than investing again and again in its up-gradation.
3. Disregarding the Cable Management Tools
The use of cabling management tools may increase your initial network structure cost but it benefits you a great deal in the look run. These tools keep the cables protected from any kind of damage that may occur to the hanging naked cables. Therefore, opting for these management tools is the best way to design a network.
4. Testing Of Cable Infrastructure
You must check your network performance once you have finished your installation process. Sometimes cables do not support the infrastructure and it may negatively impact its performance. Therefore, before buying an Ethernet cable, you must check your infrastructure thoroughly and then decide according to it.
5. Planning Infrastructure with Future Planning
It is a known fact that today’s network infrastructure will not support your tomorrow’s network needs. Therefore, it is important to design an infrastructure that supports your needs for a long time. It needs good planning and vision from your network engineer to better understand your networking needs for the future.
They will guide you to the best available Ethernet cable in the market according to your needs and requirements. Nowadays, Cat5e is highly in demand due to its effectiveness and quality features.
Without bothering about this planning issue and investing in network designing is not a good idea. As it may cost you heavily in the future. Most people do not take this issue seriously and they pay for it later.
6. Regular Maintenance and Inspections
A very common mistake made by the individuals is they ignore the importance of regular maintenance and inspections of network structures. A network structure consists of delicate devices and cables. If they do not get regular maintenance and inspections, it may damage them or decrease their efficiency ratios.
This is why you must acquire the services of a good network engineer to care for your company’s network maintenance. Paying him will not cost you as much as if your network breaks down and you need to invest in its repair.
An Ethernet cable is very sophisticated and delicate by structure. If you leave it unattended for too long and it comes out of its actual place then it could get damaged very quickly. Therefore, regular maintenance and inspection of a network is a must thing to do to keep it running smoothly.
7. Unused Patch Cables
People get lazy during their work. They do not bother to take off the unused patch cables from the connectors. They leave them unused under the tables or on the floor. As we know, these patch cables are very delicate by structure. A little misuse will damage them instantly.
Therefore, it is important to take off the unused patch cables quickly from the infrastructure. This keeps them safe and secure. With that, the keystone jacks attached with these cables are also very delicate and fragile by nature. They can get damaged very quickly as well. Therefore, it is recommended to take off these cables till they are not required.
8. Disregarding Installation Protocols
Some people are not knowledgeable about the specifications of their device like what kind of speed and cable type they supported? Similarly, they are also unaware of the Ethernet cables specifications that they are going to buy for those devices.
Therefore, less awareness may cause many network issues. It could be in the form of wrong cable purchasing that does not support the devices on which they are going to be used. In some cases, individuals buy the cable that comes with lesser features than the required ones. It also impacts badly on the performance of the networks.
The purchase of an Ethernet cable also depends on the place of its installation. There are various types of cables available in the market. Each of them is manufactured to be installed at specific places of the buildings. For example, plenum cables are normally used to be installed at the plenum spaces of the buildings. Although, they can also be used in vertical spaces and outdoors it is not recommended due to their high cost.
Similarly, riser cables are manufactured to be installed at the vertical or riser spaces and PVC cables are used in the outdoors. Now, the customers need to understand their usage and installation specifications before buying them. Otherwise, their whole investment gets ruined. A right cable with the right specs is necessary need for efficient networks.
9. Wrong Selection of Keystone Jacks
Every Ethernet cable needs a specific type of keystone jack. It is an important piece of information that every buyer should understand. The selection of wrong jacks makes their cables useless for them. RJ45 jack is mostly used with most of the Ethernet cables. With newer versions of cables, we see some new jacks as well. Therefore, select the right jack to save money and time.
10. Choosing the Right Supplier
You will find several different Ethernet cable suppliers in the market. It is hard to find a reliable and trustworthy supplier out of them. Check with your network engineers or friends who have to buy cables in the past. They will guide you to the right place.
In this scenario, iTechCables from the US is one of the most reliable and trustworthy names. We are the manufacturer and supplier of all types of Ethernet cables such as Cat5e riser and others. We provide these cables at the best market competitive prices. Our top-quality products make us superior to our competitors. This is why we have regular customers who are buying from us for years now and are very satisfied with our products.