Cabling Installation & Maintenance articles from November 2004

Cabling Installation & Maintenance archives from November 2004

Word problems.(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... It was seven years ago when I first wrote an editorial that appeared in this magazine. I was a staff editor at the time, and my boss, who traditionally wrote the monthly editorial column, gave me the opportunity to voice an opinion to the...

Wiring for wireless.(Ask Donna)(installation of wireless communications equipment)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2004... A wireless infrastructure can simultaneously support cellular voice, 802.11 voice and data, pager, and video services offered by both enterprise and commercial wireless service providers. Current wisdom offers two different schools of...

Optical fiber should have a standard connector: the Fiber Optic Association is pushing for a standard small-duplex connector that is easy to terminate and mate, and inexpensive to manufacture.(design)
November 1, 2004... The early days of fiber optics were times of rapidly changing technologies. New ideas popped up weekly, especially for connectors. One of the earliest connectors was the Deutsch 1000, which featured a bare fiber inside a large stainless...

System-testing products raise the issue of certification: think you know what it means to certify a cabling plant? You may have to think again.(installation)
November 1, 2004... A cabling-system tester that hit the market in September claims to certify a network and its cabling. Another product uses a version of the word "certify" in its name. Yet neither one measures all of the performance characteristics at all of...

Long-range VCSELs take aim at putting zap into structured cabling: vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers in the 1310-nm range could lower attenuation and achieve greater distances for singlemode fiber transmission--if reliability, affordability, and marketability hurdles can be overcome.(technology)
November 1, 2004... Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are the laser-based light source used in fiber. While VCSELs are currently available for 850-nm transmission only, and are used exclusively with multimode fiber at 1 and 10 Gbits/sec data rates,...

For some security applications, fiber is the sensible choice: long-distance video transmission, intrusion detection prompt use of the optical medium.(security)
November 1, 2004... Optical fiber is often recognized as the medium that can carry high-rate data traffic over long distances. While it can do that in ways that have been chronicled in this and other publications for years, fiber can also be the medium of choice...

International Firestopping Council on a mission to educate contractors: firestopping problems from the installation and inspection side can involve anything from the 'fly by night' installer to the poorly informed building inspector.(Industry spotlight)
November 1, 2004... The International Firestopping Council is on a mission to educate both contractors and building inspectors about the importance of proper firestopping. The IFC (Chelmsford, MA, www.firestop.org) is a non-profit organization of industry...

CommScope, Ortronics gear up for alleged connectivity product patent infringement.(Industry spotlight)
November 1, 2004... CommScope (Hickory, NC; www.commscope.com) has filed suit against Ortronics (New London, CT; www.ortronics.com), asserting infringement of U.S. Patent No. 5,997,358, which is directed to electrical connectors that have improved crosstalk...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2004... In our story "Rugged industrial cabling flexes its muscles" (September 2004, pg. 42), a caption for a drawing of an encapsulated plug/jack should have been identified as Hubbell Premise Wiring's HI-IMPACT jack. The story also referred to...

Outside plant singlemode fiber making its mark in the dark: with its bandwidth capabilities and recent innovations, OSP singlemode fiber on campus is getting a second look.(product update)
November 1, 2004... In customer-owned campus applications, outside plant-grade (OSP) cable creates the backbone for connecting buildings. As part of that backbone, singlemode fiber is chosen for its distance, bandwidth, and/or futureproofing capabilities. On...

Industrial Ethernet patch cord material.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... DataMax IE cable features a polyurethane jacket designed to provide better mechanical, weathering, oil resistance, and aging in industrial installations when compared to PVC-jacketed cabling. The Category 5e cabling, when assembled as...

Network analyzer.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... SoftPerfect Network Protocol Analyzer 2.0 is intended for analyzing, debugging, maintaining and monitoring LANs and Internet connections. The software captures data passing through the connection and, according to the company, presents it in an...

Connectors add LC version.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... AMP Netconnect has added LC type optical-fiber connectors to its line of LightCrimp Plus. The no-epoxy/no-polish connectors feature a factory-polished ferrule for a three-step termination of strip, cleave, and crimp. The company says the LC...

Ethernet switched teamed with media converter.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... The MACS ETC-A is an Ethernet switch/media converter for LAN to LAN connection over optical-fiber networks. The device supports up to six Ethernet ports, with configurable bandwidth in increments of 1 Mbit/sec. The ports can connect up to five...

Hardware system for network management.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... The iFRAME network hardware management system includes switches, servers, patch panels and cable designed to save data center floor space, increase rack space, and improve organization. Designed with one-fifth of the parts of a traditional...

Optical-fiber education kit.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... For new or graduate-level photonics installers, the Fiber Optic Component Education Kit is designed to help develop knowledge of optics in practical applications. The kit includes 10 self-enclosed component modules that form the basic building...

Troubleshooter for network installations.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... The FTB-3930 MultiTest module for network installation, maintenance and troubleshooting provides automated, bi-directional optical return loss and insertion loss testing (on up to three wavelengths), as well as fiber-length testing...

Expanded uses for cable ties.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... The Burndy Unirap line of cable ties now includes Tefxel and Halar, aerial support spacer, identification, and Velcro ties, plus mounting bases, and tools and ties for military applications. The ties are designed for field and production line...

Tape that sticks without the sticky stuff.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... Self-fusing tape is designed to insulate and protect wires, harnesses and splices. Because it has no adhesive lining, it leaves the application cleanly. The tapes are built for extreme temperature ranges, and have a center ridge that acts as...

Power and video over Category 5.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... For CCTV security and surveillance installations, the VideoEase CCTV Power-Thru Balun lets you connect remote power and video to a CCTV camera via one Category 5 cable. Remote 24-volt power is supported by three twisted pairs for up to 500...

Compression-sealed audio/video connectors.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... A series of compression-style audio/visual connectors designed for CCTV, security, and other residential and commercial structured cabling installations provide a flexible solution for applications requiring RCA, BNC, right-angled BNC, and...

Fusion splicer tackles the little jobs.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... The FSM-17S fusion splicer features the technology of a high-end splicer for use in smaller-scale installations and networks. With a splicing time of 11 seconds, and splice protector shrink time of 35 seconds, the FSM-17S is designed to splice...

Gigabit Ethernet adapter for Mac-based installations.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... Multiport optical-fiber Ethernet adapters are said to be the first Gigabit Ethernet PCI devices for the Apple Mac and Mac OS X platforms. The company's Mac OS X driver technology is combined with Intel PRO/1000 MF server adapters to feature...

Single tie retains two parallel bundles.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... Ty-Fast double-loop cable ties are designed to secure two parallel bundles of cabling, hose, or wire. The tie loops itself twice through the head in separate latching pawls. Widely used in Europe, double-loop applications include...

Easy access via zipper chains.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... Zipper-style energy chain systems are designed for easy access to cables and hoses. Unlike typical energy chains that are built with side links and cross bars, zipper chains are built with interconnected lids that can be pulled back like a...

Ultracapacitor-based back-up power modules for networks.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... Powercache, a line of ultracapacitor-based back-up power modules, are designed to provide a space-saving and maintenance-free alternative to batteries for short-term bridge power in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems for networks. Two...

Fiber modules with space savings in mind.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... Three factory-terminated and tested components for the company's InstaPATCH system are designed especially for data centers with limited space for the patch panels to interconnect with communications equipment. The 24 LC Data Module provides 24...

Software suite for Ethernet testing.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... Advanced Ethernet testing capabilities have been added to the Packet Blazer test module, designed to assure integrity of delay-sensitive VoIP and Video-over-IP applications. Test capabilities include packet jitter, multiple stream generation...