Structured cabling systems provide comprehensive, integrated infrastructures of cabling, products and connections for all data networks and are therefore vital for many organisations’ day-to-day activities. Each structured cabling system is unique so must be planned meticulously (e.g. subsystems architecture) with a bespoke design that suits specific needs, usages and settings. Without this or a professional installation, structured cabling systems can cause poor or broken performance, corrupted or even lost data, downtime, and further maintenance and costs.
Structured cabling design, supply, installation, upgrade and support/maintenance is Fibrelight Communication Networks’ core service through which it customises and optimises network infrastructures. Effective structured cabling systems dictate how effectively other systems work (e.g. CCTV), so Fibrelight Communication Networks ensures your structured cabling works optimally today and well into the future. Below is a brief overview of the different cabling services we usually offer.
Fibre Optic Cabling
Using thin glass wires to transport data signals via light rays, fibre optic cables are the great information carrier. A fibre optic cable is typically used for backbone cabling and has numerous qualities:
- offers options for jackets to suit different installations (internal and external)
- carries great bandwith and hence has great capacity
- covers great distances
- suffers little data loss
- gives speedy data transfer
- provides great security
- offers immunity from things such as crosstalk.
Also, a fibre optic cable is…
- hardly susceptible to magnetic or electrical interference
- extremely durable and highly resistant to damage
- lightweight, thin and flexible so is very easy to handle.
Fibrelight Communication Networks offers installation services for single mode and multimode fibre optic cables with full fusion splicing and OTDR testing services for a complete fibre optic cabling installation. Our experienced engineers devise the best fibre optic set-up for you and their expert installation ensures it works optimally.
Copper Data Cabling
Copper cabling’s twisted-pair copper wires transmit data between equipment to give you access to your internal and external networks and the internet. Many organisations rely on copper cabling (aka LAN cabling or Ethernet cabling) for their voice and data networks. Although it has a maximum length of 100 metres to maximise its speed and overall performance, it still suits certain budgets and requirements (where fibre optics can be excessive). Fibrelight Communication Networks provides you with the most suitable copper cabling infrastructure for your setting and your usage from the various standards that now exist.
Cat 5e: Category 5e Enhanced Structured Cabling
Cat 5e – the recommended minimum specification for copper cabling infrastructures – is an enhanced version of Cat 5 that comes in STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) and UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) and offers a full-duplex transmission. It supports 10/100/1000 BASE-TX and runs at 100MHz (or higher) so is suitable for phone systems, data networks and computer set-ups that transmit modest amounts of data. Although it is structured cabling’s most commonly used copper cable as it suits many systems and offers a certain cost-effectiveness, sometimes you will need more.
Cat 6: Category 6 Structured Cabling
With at least twice as much bandwith as Cat 5e (200+MHz), increased reliability and greater data transmission speed, Cat 6 is the structured cabling option for many installations, particularly Gigabit Networks. Besides having Cat 5e’s STP and UTP forms, it has FTP (Foiled Twisted Pair) forms to reduce crosstalk and system noise. It is backwards compatible with Cat 5 and Cat 5e standards and has stricter specifications but shorter cable lengths: when used in 10GBASE-T, the maximum recommended cable length for Cat 6 is 55 metres in an alien crosstalk environment but only 37 metres when used in a hostile alien crosstalk environment.
Cat 6a offers even greater performance (up to 500MHz) and speeds by transferring data up to 10 gigabits per second (transmitting 10GBASE-T up to 100 metres) so can cope with greater network demands, sometimes way beyond Gigabit Ethernet. It has backwards compatibility to Cat 3 and is specifically designed to reduce crosstalk further. Many find that Cat 6a installations suit their immediate and anticipated data requirements.
Cat 7: Category 7 Structured Cabling
Targeting greater reductions in crosstalk and system noise through the dual shielding of its twisted pairs and the overall cable, Cat 7 offers extremely high performance, great durability and the futureproofing of your building as it can accept greater demands. Cat 7’s dual shielding gives higher frequencies (600MHz) than previous standards so you get vast amounts of bandwith.
Cat 7a: Category 7 Augmented Structured Cabling
Cat 7a cables provide much more bandwith than Cat 7s with a frequency up to 1000MHz. Cat 7a’s stricter specifications once again improve the benefits of previous standards to offer greater performance – for example, it offers 40 Gigabit Ethernet at 50 metres and 100 Gigabit Ethernet at 15 metres – and, particularly with such a high frequency, Cat 7a cables are ready for any new high-bandwidth technologies that emerge.
Analogue, Voice/Multicore Voice and Digital Cabling
Voice and multicore voice cabling is an integral aspect of our telephony services and allows your daily discussions with the outside world. Although such cabling is popular with many, some have to retain older systems (legacy analogue) while others can embrace new technology such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).
Legacy Analogue
If, for whatever reason, you have to rely on legacy analogue voice cabling for voice traffic then we can maintain, upgrade and enhance your existing system.
Voice/Multicore Voice Cabling
Traditional voice and multicore voice cabling permeates many environments and provides the lifeblood to numerous telephony systems. Fibrelight Communication Networks installs, terminates and tests CW1308 from 2 pair to 200 pair and more: we cater for the number of phone lines you require.
Digital: Voice Over Internet Protocol Technology
As voice and data converge, new technologies are possible. In telephony, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technologies have emerged but please see our telephony service for more information about these.
Coaxial Cabling
Coaxial cables are mainly used for aerials and radio/television networks (hence their importance for multimedia such as smart/high-definition televisions and audio systems) but also in security systems (e.g. CCTV) and for high-speed internet connections/broadband (green box to router). They are rigid or flexible, come in various types (although Flexible Coax is most common) with each having its own specific properties (e.g. sheath, dielectric) and use different connectors (e.g. BNC for CCTV, RF for aerials), so Fibrelight Communication Networks ensures you have the most suitable materials and most effective set-up for your purposes (e.g. a new installation or signal propagation) in your specific setting. Coaxial cables nowadays form a minor part of our work but they still give effective performance for specific functions and remain essential for many integrated systems.
To discuss your structured cabling requirements, contact Fibrelight Communication Networks now.
Our Office
Wigan Investment Centre
Waterside Drive, Wigan, WN3 5BA
Contact Us
01942 705704 or 07841 040492
Enquiries@fibrelight.org.uk
Office Hours
Mon-Fri: 9am – 5pm
Sat-Sun: Closed