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5 Network Cabling Types: Choosing The Right One for Your Company

Network Cabling Types for Your Business

If you’re wondering how to improve the performance of your office network, you came to the right place. This article will help you find the infrastructure that matches your needs.

Before you pick out the cable network type, you should look at several factors, such as if your company leases its headquarters or owns them. If you own the space, then you should focus on your primary usage and what are the company’s speed requirements. If you are leasing the space, then you should consider how long you will be staying in that space. That way you can determine what kind of network will get the job done.

Check out our neat guide to find the network cabling types that suit your needs!

What is Cabling Infrastructure?

To understand what kind of cables your business needs, you need to understand what cabling infrastructure is.

Cabling infrastructure is a complex network of cables that fulfill the requirements of various equipment. To be more precise, the network cabling infrastructure is a network of bulk Ethernet cables or fiber optic cables that connect different electronic gadgets and appliances of one building.

Picking the correct cabling infrastructure depends not only on leasing or owning a property. Here are some essential questions to ask yourself and a verified IT professional when choosing a correct network cabling type:

  • Do you need a conference room with high-speed internet?
  • Is there an employee or department in the company that needs the opportunity to do problem-solving skills that involve making IT decisions with wide impact?
  • Are you in the business of manufacturing that requires sturdy cables that can persist in extreme environments?
  • Do you plan to use PoE (Power over Ethernet) devices?

Now, let’s take this last question and expand upon it, as it serves as a great introduction to the need to be meticulous with listing out your needs. PoE devices are, for example, the VoIP phone system, security cameras, door access, WI-FI, and devices that work best when connected to a minimum category 6 cable.

network cabling types guide

5 Most Commonly Used Network Cabling Types

Category 5 and Category 5e Network Cabling Types

Just like Category 6 types, Category 5 and Category 5e cabling types are UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) cables. They are the most used cabling equipment for businesses as they can double for both computer networking and traditional telephone lines.

Category 5 (Cat5)

Category 5 cabling was a popular choice in 1995. As you can assume, technology has surpassed it by now. But don’t stray away from this choice if it soothes your lower IT needs.

Category 5e (Cat5e)

For any kind of advanced technology, you should go for Cat5e or beyond. It became standard to use in 2001 and consists of a copper cable that has a new standard. That reduces interference and speeds up the transfer. For now, Cat5e is the most used cabling type since it satisfies a lot of needs – it supports up to Gbps of speed and is not expensive as other cable types. Bear in mind that its bandwidth is just 100MHz, tho.

Category 6 and Category 6e Network Cabling Types

For current uses, systems using category 6 cabling will have more errors than systems using category 5e cable due to enhanced transmission performance and improved immunity to external noise.

Category 6 (Cat6)

If you own or plan to stay in your building, Cat6 cabling should be your choice. This cable provides more than twice the bandwidth of Cat5e while maintaining the same speeds. If your company employs PoE devices, you’ll need at least a Cat6 cable to manage the power. The main difference between Cat5 and Cat6 cabling is not only faster speeds but also less crosstalk, which causes mistakes and other problems.

Category 6a (Cat6a)

The Cat6a network cabling type has a higher specification that allows for transmission frequencies to be doubled to 500MHz. When compared to Cat5e and Cat6 cabling, this connection provides a significant increase in both speed and bandwidth. Without sacrificing 100 meters of cable length, this cabling architecture provides full 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds. If you intend to expand or relocate the facility in the next 5-10 years, Cat6 or Cat6a are advised since they provide adequate transmission quality.

Network Cabling Types

Fiber Optic Network Cabling Type

Companies nearing capacity restrictions with Cat6 cables are increasingly turning to fiber optic cable infrastructure. Fiber optic cable is used to connect network segments, and to connect buildings and floors, but not for total network wiring. Fiber optic cable can transmit data at speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second.

Final Word

While technology is always changing, and no one can anticipate precisely what will happen next, your cable should be able to work at its best for at least a decade. Your company’s cabling infrastructure should survive as long as your company’s electronics and your next equipment upgrade.
If you are unsure which route to venture on, enlist the help of experts and highly-skilled engineers that can provide support for your project. No matter the size and complexity of the business, there is an end-to-end cabling solution for everyone.

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