Cabling Installation & Maintenance articles from April 2003

Cabling Installation & Maintenance archives from April 2003

Getting testy about testing. .(Editorial)
April 1, 2003... Two issues related to the testing of horizontal cabling systems have been bugging me lately. In one case, the frustration comes from the failure to use available technology, while in the other, the frustration comes from the lack of a certain...

Cat 6 promises go beyond the baseline. (Perspective).
April 1, 2003... While manufacturers of gory 6 cable stand by their promises about certification and testing at frequencies well beyond the TIA-standardized 250 MHz, some believe current marketing steps are injecting a level of confusion into the marketplace....

Testing for acceptable link attenuation. (Ask Donna).
April 1, 2003... Q: I have two questions regarding optical-fiber certificates. Is a "traceable to..." certificate required for the optical-fiber test equipment? And is the technician who operates the fiber testing equipment required to have a "fiber...

Wireless LANs: complement to or replacement of network wiring? (Design).
April 1, 2003... Cabled systems fare well in cost, security, and throughput considerations. Wireless local area networks (WLANs), specifically those based on 802.11x technologies, have already reached mass-market acceptance for home networks and public hot...

Keeping the bits, and the passengers, flying: a government-mandated equipment installation meant several assignments and round-the-clock work for a New England contractor. (Installation).
April 1, 2003... Manchester (NH) Airport is in the minority among U.S. airports in that its passenger load has grown steadily in the past couple of years. The airport set passenger and cargo activity records in 2002, with 3,363,243 passengers (a 4% increase)...

The Siemon Company.(Company Profile)
April 1, 2003... 27 Siemon Company Drive Watertown, CT USA 06795 860-945-4200 www.siemon.com GLOBAL OFFICES UK: (44) (0) 1483 480040 France: (33) 1 46 46 11 85 Germany: (49) (0) 69 97168 184 Italy: (39) 02 64 672 209 China:...

Copper weighs in as choice for 10-Gigabit Ethernet: pending standard seeks to give installers and end users a viable alternative to optical-fiber cable. (Standards).
April 1, 2003... A Category 6 Consortium study group faces an uphill battle as it looks at the technical feasibility of running 10-Gigabit Ethernet over UTP cable. Its exploration is coming at a time when there is still confusion or even apathy in the...

Two companies make acquisitions, head for residential cabling market: Ripley Company gets tooled for 'next wave' of cabling. (Industry Spotlight).(Ripley Company acquires Amherst FiberOptics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Ripley Company (www.ripley-tools.com) has acquired the products and assets of Amherst FiberOptics. The company made the acquisition so it could add Amherst FiberOptics' optical-fiber tools to its Miller product line, and ready it for what...

Leviton, OnQ Inc. poised to become leading home cabling distributor. (Industry Spotlight).(Leviton Manufacturing Company acquires OnQ Technologies Inc.)
April 1, 2003... Leviton Manufacturing Company (www.leviton.com) has acquired OnQ Technologies, Inc., a supplier of structured wiring and home networking technology. The company made the acquisition to bolster its position as a supplier of home networking...

Small-form-factor connectors: where are they now? (Product Update).
April 1, 2003... Devices continue to gain market acceptance with new features and improved performance. Five years ago, following the ETA/TIA decision to not establish a standard small-form-factor (SFF) connector, manufacturers campaigned to position their...

Homeland Security Solutions Conference & Exhibition.(Advertisement)
April 1, 2003... April 23 & 24, 2003 Baltimore Convention Center Baltimore, MD Systems Solutions for Counter-Terrorism We all knew that our jives would never be the same after terrorist attacks wiped out the World Trade Center in New York and left the...

One-hand crimping solution. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... The Patriot PAT644-18V crimping tool offers a dieless latch head, versatile head rotation, and audible and visual crimping indicators. Designed as a one-hand crimping solution, the tool includes patent-pending pump, transmission and piston...

Fixed on precision polishing. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Designed for optical-fiber installers, the Model 45-342 is a long-life plastic polishing fixture for use with ST, SC, and FC connectors with 2.5-mm ferrules. To assure the ferrule is kept perpendicular to the polishing surface, the manufacturer...

Wall-mount cable management. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... The FW SMART line of optical-fiber distribution wall-mount panels is designed to provide improved cable management and flexibility. A patch cord slack manager, for example, allows for slack storage within the unit and also protects the fiber's...

Flexible fabric innerduct. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Designed to maximize duct space and cut installation time, CableGuide is a textile fabric innerduct that takes on the shape of the cable in the conduit to conform to the available space. The manufacturer says the fabric eliminates the problem...

Schedule productivity for one or many. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Visual Group Planner scheduling system helps you coordinate staff, increase scheduling communication, and boost productivity. According to the manufacturer, you can view multiple schedules simultaneously; view schedules by time, position, or...

Chopping time off the old block. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... In use in Australia for the past seven years, the Terminator terminal block system features 3- and 10-position modules in feed-through and disconnect versions. No cable stripping or unscrewing is required. Connections are made by inserting the...

Fiber network fallback switch. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... QuickSwitch Model 4181 is designed to automatically detect a faulty line in an optical-fiber network and to switch to a backup or secondary network. As a fallback switch, the 4181 monitors its environments for signal detect (SD) to determine...

Fiber cleaning system. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... The QbE cleaning system is a precision wipe method for cleaning optical-fiber cable endfaces, eliminating separate cleaning mechanisms or refills. Designed to rid fiber ends of contaminants or environmental particles that can increase...

Cabinets that can't be rattled. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Two seismic cabinets are designed to protect mission-critical LAN/WAN and voice/data equipment located where the risks of seismic activity or heavy vibration could cause equipment failure or poor performance. Each of the 7-foot cabinets can...

Cat 5e angled patch panels. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Available in a modular, component-rated Category 5e version, or an empty, field-configurable panel, the angled patch panel design lets cables flow directly into vertical cable managers, eliminating front horizontal wire management and freeing...

Residential cabling distribution centers. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Twenty-eight-inch and 18-inch tall residential structured cabling distribution units feature a gloss white finish, and locking door that can open from either left or right. Designed to fit between standard 16-inch studs, the units feature...

Scrub water-friendly poke-thru device. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Beginning in June, new standards under Underwriters Laboratories UL514A will require that power components of poke-thru devices meet a carpet test for scrub water exclusion. The Walker RC4 device is designed to meet this forthcoming standard,...