Cabling Installation & Maintenance articles from March 2005

Cabling Installation & Maintenance archives from March 2005

Bits from BICSI.(Editorial)(Building Industry Consulting Services, International)(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... Here is a rundown of some of the goings-on at the most recent BICSI Conference, held in late January, that either impressed or annoyed me, or otherwise caught my attention. In the case of annoyances, I will keep everyone anonymous to protect...

Bigger, better, faster; bigger, better ...(Ask Donna)
March 1, 2005... In the beginning, there was 10Base-T, and it was good. Then in the early 1990s, we were all "abuzz" about 100Base-T; and then in 1999, 1000Base-T (Gigabit Ethernet) was the application to support. More recently, copper cabling has begun its...

Advanced cabling system is biotech company's lifeblood: meticulously planned and executed construction of Genzyme Corp.'s communications systems allows information sharing among 6,300 workers.(design)(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... The Genzyme Corporation's (www.genzyme.com) cutting-edge headquarters in Cambridge, MA reflects a forward-thinking company's vision for being a global leader in biotechnology, dedicated to making a major impact on the lives of those who are...

Getting ready to respond to Voice-over-IP demands: LAN upgrades and updates will become necessary as end users seek applications.(installation)
March 1, 2005... Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is arguably straining at the leash, with the growing technology most likely opening up opportunities for cabling contractors as the year progresses. VoIP calls for the convergence of voice, data, and...

Customer feedback prompts change in 10GBase-LRM standard: link length minimum raised to 300 meters, now in line with U.S. and ISO structured cabling standards.(technology)
March 1, 2005... At its most recent meeting in San Antonio, TX, in November, the IEEE 802.3aq Task Force, responsible for developing an electronic dispersion compensation (EDC)-based mechanism for upgrading Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) multimode-fiber (MMF) links to...

Tools and tactics for testing the untethered: ensuring wireless LAN performance requires testing before, during, and after installation.(wireless)
March 1, 2005... Wireless networking has been around for several years now, and as it continues to mature and grow in popularity, installers and end users are seeking tools and tactics that will help them test their wireless systems to ensure they perform as...

Not all cable testers are created equal.(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... In today's competitive cable test market, there are new test tools emerging at a rapid rate to perform various tasks at various price points. While all cable test toots are useful for specific applications, not all meet TIA/ISO standards and...

Newly merged Belden CDT unveils first power distribution, structured cabling products.(Industry spotlight)(Belden CDT Networking)
March 1, 2005... Belden CDT, fresh out of last year's merger with Cable Design Technologies Corp., hit the ground running at the BICSI Winter Conference with the introduction of new technologies. "These are based on synergies, an effect of the merger,"...

Corning Cable Systems, 3Com team up to promote fiber-to-the-desk.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Corning Cable Systems (Hickory, NC; www.corning.com/ cablesystems).and 3Com (Santa Clara, CA; www.3com.com) have come up with a joint solution that they believe will improve fiber installations. "It's a joint alliance that will promote...

Probing the challenges of cable-tracing tools: high-density connection points require highly capable toners and probes.(product update)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... The cabling industry's general trend toward higher density of terminations has been lauded on many fronts, particularly as a means of allowing more networking ports per unit of rack space than ever before. Whether it is a conventional...

Four-Post Rack.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The Four-Post Rack is designed to offer an open, accessible and unrestricted architecture for cable-dense network and telecommunications equipment. The rack is suited for use in the main distribution frame (MDF), intermediate distribution frame...

Audio via Category 5.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The MonoPRO XLR for professional audio adapts a single AES/EBU balanced analog or digital audio signal to Category 5 cable in a point-to-point configuration. In the pro-analog environment, MonoPro XLR supports distances up to 5,000 feet, and...

Integrated raceway system.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Kwikpath is designed as an integrated raceway system, comprising 3/4-inch to 2-inch UL-listed conduit and fittings, and built especially for optical-fiber cable management. The raceway is available for plenum, riser and residential...

Getting around difficulties.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Compared to difficult-to-route flat ribbon cables, the MPO round jacketed ribbon cable assembles are designed for parallel transceiver interconnection applications, patch panels, optical switches and routers, and data communication centers. The...

Remote Ethernet management.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The COE-8 (Contacts over Ethernet) switch system is designed to provide a link between older systems that commonly use relay alarms, converting them to IP messages and re-converting them to relay closures at the other end. The technology is...

48-port 1U patch panel.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... GigaBand Category 6 and MegaBand 5e patch panels support 48 ports in 1 rack unit (1U). The patch panels are designed to provide high performance in half the space of a typical 48-port panel. They feature built-in rear cable management that...

Rack-mount PDU.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Supporting rack-mount applications with either single-phase or three-phase power, the HP Power Distribution Unit (PDU) is built to provide full-rack power from a single unit, ranging from 7,300 watts up to 22,000 watts. Single-mount models...

Handheld test sets.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Three handheld test instruments are designed for installation and maintenance applications in optical-fiber networks. The FOT-600 Optical Loss Test Set features pass-fail indicators, designed to provide on-site analysis to speed up and simplify...

Mini-mini terminal blocks.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Sub-miniature, DIN rail-mounted terminal blocks are designed to meet the needs of high-density wiring in a compact design. The devices are available in screw clamp and spring clamp versions, and snap-mount on to a 15-mm standard DIN rail. The...

Portable Ethernet tester.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The MD1231A1 is a portable, self-contained Ethernet performance test system with support for two 10-GbE ports and Layer 3/IP testing (for troubleshooting sophisticated real-time IP applications transporting voice and video). The unit is...

Decorative residential faceplates.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Triple- and quad-gang faceplates in almond, ivory and white have been added to the Decorex line of home cabling faceplates. The products are especially suited for home theater systems and are capable of holding all audio and video connectors....

End-to-end FTTP solution.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Pathways is a complete line of independently-tested passive optical-network (PON) components and connectivity products designed for installing fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks--including home, business and multi-dwelling unit applications....

Singlemode angled contact connectors.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Independent third-party laboratory tests, according to the manufacturer, indicate that SENKO's SC APC connectors and adapters exhibit a desired level of suitability and interchangeability with other SC connector products. The line of...

Quick-disconnect cabinet bus bars.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Designed especially for crowded electronics and telecommunications cabinets, 120-amp and 350-amp bus bar contacts mate with the company's Powerpole 120, SB 120, and SB 350 connector families. These bus bar contacts attach directly to a copper...

Overhead cable management system.(New Product)
March 1, 2005... An overhead cable management system, designed for use with the company's Paramount and Vantage 2 lines server enclosures, is built to eliminate the need for inflexible overhead ladder-rack systems by letting you route cables directly on top of...

Tester for cabling bandwidth.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The CableIQ qualification tester is billed as the first bandwidth tester for network technicians. The handheld tool shows what speeds can be supported by existing cabling and helps technicians quickly solve network connectivity problems....

Cat 5e patch panel with jack protection.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The PowerCat Category 5e line of patch panels feature the manufacturer's DataGate Plus RJ-45 jack designed with an automatic shutter that protects from dust and contaminants, and pops out improperly seated patch cords. The panels are available...

Cable harness mounts.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Waytek now carries cable harness mounts from HellermannTyton in push-mount and fir-tree-mount styles. Tape or a cable tie can be used to mount the harness in place, then simply push into a hole in a solid panel, such as sheet metal or wood. The...

Thermal management for enclosure design.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The Center for Airflow and Thermal Technologies (CATT) offers thermal management and analysis for telecom enclosure design, such as determining airflow and temperature requirements for an enclosure, selection and placement of fans, layout for...

Put a hook into cable management.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Snake Hook is a cable manager for walls, overhead, or under floors. Its wide arch design is built to relieve stress on cables and eases cable pulling. A built-in mounting system allows for quick installation. Qualified for plenum environments,...

Temperature and humidity logger.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The HOBO LCD Temp/RH Logger monitors temperature and humidity levels in server rooms, data centers, and server cabinets. It records and displays temperature ranges from -4[degrees] F to 122[degrees] F, and humidity ranges of 15 to 95%. The...

Universal marking system.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The upgraded EZ-Mark universal marking system can mark terminal blocks, wire markers (wrap-around adhesive and tube-insert), as well as panel and pushbutton nameplates. Software lets you import spreadsheet format documents and CAD files. The...

Rotary hammer drill.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... For cabling installations requiring penetration through masonry, stone or other difficult surfaces, the TE 16 and TE 16-C rotary hammer drills are designed to provide an increase of up to 50% in drilling speed and chiseling. The TE 16 compact...

Structured cabling mounting brackets.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Three types of mounting brackets are available for Leviton Integrated Networks' Structured Media Centers (SMCs). The brackets are designed to let you expand the capacity of the company's 14-, 28- and 42-inch SMC enclosures to accommodate a...

Small-form-factor pluggable devices.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... In expanding its line of small-form-factor pluggable (SFP) devices, Molex has introduced ganged cages, stacked multi-port connectors, and pluggable multi-port stacked cage assemblies. All are designed to meet higher packaging density needs for...

High-volume 110-block cable management.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The ChannelMax System is designed to manage high volumes of cable, patch cords and cross-connect cabling in a typical 110-block installation. The increased channel size is built to double or triple the available space behind 110 blocks to...

Fiber-to-the-home fusion splicer.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Swedish manufacturer Future Instrument Fiber Optics AB is offering a handheld mini-splicer for simplified fiber-to-the-home fusion splicing. Available in North America through 3SAE Technologies, the EFS-150 FTTx arc fusion splicer works with...

Handheld tools for FFTx applications.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The FS-1318 Tri-Wavelength Fiber Source and FM-1318 Optical Power Meter are handheld optical-fiber test devices for FTTx applications. The Fiber Source is a single-port device employing a SC/ UPC connector port, providing 1310, 1490, and...

Stackable gigabit backbone switches.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... TigerStack 10/100/1000 48-port and 24-port stackable managed gigabit backbone switches are both available with optional 10-Gigabit uplink. In both switches, four of the ports can be upgraded with optional mini-GBIC expansion slots for fiber...

Fusion splicer thinks really small.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Billed as the smallest portable fusion splicer on the market--30% smaller than competitors and designed to fit in a toolbox--the SpliceMate is built especially for limited access and hard-to-reach spaces found in many fiber-to-the-home and...

Welcome to the 2005 Buyer's Guide.(telecommunications cables)
March 1, 2005... Cabling Installation & Maintenance's 2005 Buyer's Guide features product information on Cabling Media, Connection & Crossconnection Devices, Active Infrastructure Devices, Splicing & Termination Equipment, Distribution & Routing Equipment, Test...

Cabling media.(data cables)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... As data rates continue to surge ahead and user mobility remains a strong consideration for many, cable and other media choices continue to challenge buyers and users of structured cabling systems. Many in the industry are talking about speeds...

Connection & crossconnection devices.(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... A connecting two or more cables together requires any number of connection-hardware types. The products detailed within the following pages are used to join similar (e.g., UTP to UTP) or dissimilar (e.g., UTP to coaxial) cable. * Coaxial...

Active infrastructure devices.(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... Sometimes, there's a blur in the lines between the network-model layers developed by the Organization for International Standardization (OSI). For the most part, Cabling Installation & Maintenance resides on layer 1--the physical layer. Most of...

Splicing & termination equipment.(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... In this section of the Buyer's Guide, you will find tools and devices used to terminate cables. Some of these products, like mechanical splices and fusion splices, are specific to optical-fiber cable. Others, like boxes and outlets, may be used...

Distribution & routing equipment.(telecommunications cabling)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... Distribution and routing equipment are designed to support cabling systems installed in such architecturally challenging places as equipment rooms and plenum air-handling spaces. * Cable-support devices include rings, clamps, clips, hooks,...

The advantages of staying flexible: the degree of your success often depends on your materials.(News in Technology)(innerducting for cables)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... There are many instances during a network construction project where owners and builders are challenged to balance current and future capacity needs against existing budget constraints. Increasingly, managers, engineers and contractors are...

Test equipment.(telecommunications cables)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... If you're a cabling professional who deals with multiple media types, and who installs systems intended for several different applications, you'll need a wide range of test equipment. products listed in this section of the Buyer's Guide...

Cable Protection & Management.
March 1, 2005... While a cabling installation project has specific dates on which it is supposed to start and end, cabling-system management is completely the opposite. In some cases, unfortunately, it never begins. But most often, it begins during the...

Training and education services.
March 1, 2005... With change being a constant in the cabling industry, access to education and training services is essential. Instructors and contractors agree that installers need to be able to focus on much more than just one cable. Optical fiber, for...

Manufacturer directory.
March 1, 2005... A 'N D CABLE PRODUCTS INC 1460 Washington Blvd, Suite A-103, Concord, CA 94521 800-394-3008, Fax 925-672-0317, E-Mail sales@andcable.com, URL www.andcable.com. Provides cable identification and cable management products for...

Distributor directory.(Directory)
March 1, 2005... A 'N D CABLE PRODUCTS INC 1460 Washington Blvd, Suite A-103, Concord, CA 94521 800-394-3008, Fax 925-672-0317, E-Mail sales@andcable.com, URL www.andcable.com. Provides cable identification and cable management products for...

Services directory.(Directory)
March 1, 2005... ACCU-TECH CORP 200 Hembree Pk Dr, Roswell, GA 30076 770-740-2240, Fax 770-740-2260, E-Mail sales@accu-tech.com, URL www.accu-tech.com. Distributes networking and cabling systems. Stocks structured cabling system components,...