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From: Lyle Sharp
Category: Hardware
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Time: 00:27:06 -0400
Remote Name: 24.182.111.42
In the last year I've seen some pretty sad network cable installs. Poor network performance, additional troubleshooting hours, and broken hardware are the result. If your business is considering a DIY cable installation, please think again. The network cabling you install will likely be the basis for all your computer operations for years to come. Poor cabling and failure to follow industry standards both impacts any system you install onto it as well as makes your cabling plant worthless as a potential asset to your business. Properly installed network cabling will look good, last for as long as your building, and be a rock solid foundation to build your IT system on. Recently, a trouble call to one of our new clients resulted in re-cabling 70% of the plant and replacing 30% of the connected network interface devices including burnt out switch and laptop network ports. The system had run for almost a year before long straight through connections not wired using TIA/EIA standards began burning up network ports on various devices. I could explain why this happens, but it is simpler to say that the telcom cabling standards exist for a good reason. If you don't know the standards, then you should not be installing network cabling. If you are an employer, you should be aware that the accountant probably doesn't know network cabling well enough to wire your business professionally, or even effectively for more than an extremely short term.