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Why You Should Value Structured Cabling?

Nowadays, all businesses need to focus on the IT basics more than ever, be it small startups or middle and large-sized enterprises. Companies rely heavily on a good communication system to distribute their vital business information globally. Therefore, businesses are always looking for the best solutions for their telecommunications systems, which need to be effective, yet low-maintenance. In this case, structured cabling systems come in as a feasible and efficient solution, and their benefits cannot be underestimated.

What Is Structured Cabling?

Structured cabling forms the basis of the telecommunication system of modern business. It offers a general environment for data transmission by integrating telephone networks, video surveillance, security, local computer and other systems together. A structural cabling system supports multiple voices, data and multimedia systems. It basically means crafting a cabling infrastructure that comprises of sockets, cables and cable distributors.

structured cabling

To make it simple, structured cabling is the infrastructure that supports any LAN (local area network). Your LAN supports all of your telecommunications – phone, email, file sharing, data transfers, video surveillance and anything else that requires the transfer of information. Together, they enable you to connect to wider networks. It helps businesses or enterprises to improve the workflow and downtime issues.

How to Build Structured Cabling System

In a structured cabling system, patch panels and trunks are used to create a structure that allows for hardware ports to be connected to a patch panel at the top of the rack. That patch panel is then connected to another patch panel via a trunk (multi-fiber assembly designed for use in conveyance) in the MDA (main distribution area). The MDA is the key aspect of structured cabling. This is where all the MAC’s (moves, adds, and changes) can be made with short length patch cords.

structured cabling system

A properly designed and installed structured cabling system, therefore, provides a cabling infrastructure that delivers predictable performance. It has the flexibility to accommodate moves, adds and changes to maximize system availability. Besides, it is also able to future-proof the usability of the cabling system.

However, there exists several risks if NOT switching to a structured cabling system:

Mistakes are commonly made with an unorganized messy cabling infrastructure. Like incorrect ports are unplugged. Even worse is the messy cabling that gets in the way. Trying to remove a single cable from a large tangled mess can inevitably cause stress on the other cables. This stress can lead to network errors in the hardware that are very difficult to trace.

Another risk lies in the airflow. If a point to point method is used, the front and potentially the sides of the switch are congested with cabling bulk. This impedes the airflow that the switch needs to operate. This also translates to underfloor cooling, cabling congestion in this space hinders the airflow of the CRAC unit and can cause cooling issues.

Benefits of Structured Cabling System

Basically, structured cabling system consists of the following five advantages.

Simpler to Manage

You only need minimum staff to administer and manage your data center cabling. And changes of the system can be done in a faster, more efficient way, with minimal disruption.

Higher Return on Investment

Data, voice and video are unified in a structured cabling system. That unified structure reduces the need for updates thus lowers your maintenance costs. Besides, any adds, moves or changes can be made within the system with ease, which saves your company both time and money.

Better Prepared for Expansion

High bandwidth often comes with structured cabling. That means it will be able to support future applications you may add, with little interruption to your current system. As a result, you can rest assured knowing your system won’t become dated after just a few years. Instead, your system’s vast infrastructure will adapt with your telecommunication needs.

More Flexibility Within Your System

Multiple wiring systems can be troublesome. A structured cabling system, however, consolidates your wiring system into a single infrastructure that transfers data in multiple formats. And it allows for efficient changes and upgrades. This flexibility also makes it easier for the system to move to a new location if needed.

More Aesthetically Pleasing

For each and every data centers, aesthetics matter, too. Structured cabling enables a cleaner, less cluttered look than a point-to-point cabling system. Meanwhile, this system is more efficient and easy to use. And the reduced congestion decreases the chances for blocked airflow and crushed cables.

structured-cabling

Conclusion

Your cabling is the backbone of your IT network, a complex system of routers, switches, and servers. A structured cabling system efficiently meets all your communications needs, and streamlining your entire IT network in a way that the traditional point-to-point system simply cannot do. If you want a simplified system that maximizes functionality and saves your business both time and money, structured cabling is the way forward.

Introduction to LC Uniboot Fiber Patch Cables

In the past years, to meet the growing bandwidth needs, data center technologies and cabling structures have changed a lot. High density apparently becomes the trend. Data center has to install more and more fiber optic jumper cables in a given space, which makes cable management a more and more difficult problem. New products and technologies are applied to achieve high density in data centers. To find an easy-to-manage and space-saving method for high density cabling becomes an urgent issue for data center managers. In this post, a favorable high density fiber cabling solution—LC uniboot fiber patch cable, which is born to solve problems during high density cabling, will be introduced.

benefits of lc uniboot patch cable

LC Uniboot Fiber Patch Cable vs Standard LC Fiber Patch Cable

LC fiber optic connector can offer higher density and performance in many different environments compared to other types of fiber optic connectors, which makes it a more popular choice for many applications. That is why uniboot fiber patch cables terminated with specially designed LC fiber optic connectors have been invented. With its unique structure, LC uniboot fiber patch cable has more advantages over traditional LC to LC cable in high density cabling environments. Differences between LC uniboot fiber patch cables and standard LC fiber patch cables are noticeable. The following picture shows an LC uniboot fiber patch cable (left) and a standard LC fiber patch cable (right) separately.

Uniboot VS Standard LC Fiber Patch Cable

Less Cable Count to Cut Space Requirements

A traditional LC duplex fiber patch cable usually uses a two-cable design with two fibers separately enclosed in two different cables, and it is terminated on each end with a standard duplex LC fiber optic connector. LC uniboot fiber patch cable uses only one cable even it has two fibers. It has a single boot at the back of the duplex LC fiber optic connector. Two fibers for duplex transmission are firmly enclosed in a single cable, which can cut down the cable count up to 50% compared with traditional LC duplex fiber patch cords. Space requirements of data center cabling can be reduced significantly by LC uniboot fiber patch cables.

uniboot-vs-standard LC Fiber Patch Cable Space Requirements

Easier Polarity Reversal to Increase Efficiency

For LC duplex fiber patch cables, polarity change can be really inconvenient, especially in high density cabling environments like data centers. Additional tools and fiber cable re-termination are usually required to change polarity of traditional LC duplex fiber patch cables, which wastes both time and money. And sometimes, improper handling could result in various faults. But the polarity reversal for LC uniboot fiber patch cables is much easier, which can be easily changed by several simple steps without additional tools. Currently, there are several different versions of LC uniboot fiber patch cables, and the polarity reversals of them might differ from each other. Two commonly used versions of LC uniboot fiber patch cables polarity reversal steps are shown in the following picture.

LC uniboot patch cables polarity reversal steps

Special Feature to Achieve More Possibilities

With LC uniboot fiber patch cables, fiber optic network design can be more flexible without worrying about spaces and polarity problems. Other than space-saving and easy polarity reversal, LC uniboot fiber patch cable can also achieve more possibilities with its great features. Fiber optic cabling provides faster speeds with reliable quality, which saves a lot of time and money. And, the design and improvement of uniboot fiber patch cables have never stopped. LC uniboot fiber patch cable with push-plug tab has already been available in the market. This little change can make easier finger access and quicker latch release available, and it can also help to connect or disconnect a single fiber patch cable without affecting other surrounding links.

Conclusion

LC uniboot fiber patch cable can help solve problems in high density cable management with high efficiency. It is a more favorable solution compared to standard LC fiber patch cable. LC uniboot fiber patch cable can cut down fiber cabling spaces up to 50% and provide much easier polarity reversal solution. Different kinds of LC uniboot fiber patch cables are available for your applications, such as different cable lengths, different fibers and different cable jackets. You can choose the right one for your needs.