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Time to Get Organized with Cable Management

We’ve all seen the equipment rack or IT closet that lacks cable management. Confusion reigns, as masses of wires run in all directions and every patch bay looks like a rat’s nest. You feel sorry for whoever must go in and install or re-route cables or troubleshoot wiring problems.

The good news is that wire routing is a universal challenge, so there are products to tame the cable confusion. In fact, there are hundreds of cable management items to choose from, so let’s simplify things. Most of them can be divided into three groups: rack and cabinet attachments, cable routers along walls and ceilings, and ties and straps for bundling.

Rack and Cabinet Attachments

A well-organized equipment rack or cabinet usually has a few attachments f

The effort to slim down isn’t always just a fitness goal. It can also be geared towards slimming down your home office and personal space. Getting rid of thick and unruly cables can help add both workspace and headspace to a create a more productive environment. Let’s run through some common networking and entertainment cables that have taken their “slim down challenge” to heart.

Ultra Slim HDMI Cables

These HDMI cables are made using 32AWG conductors, roughly 75 percent smaller than a standard HDMI cable. This makes them much easier to bend and maneuver behind tight spaces, small openings, and odd corners. They’re also grea

When you’re charging a phone or tablet you typically don’t need to go too far. Cables ranging from 3ft to 6ft get the job done at a comfortable length. But when the printer is on one side of the room and your desktop is on the other…you may run into some problems finding a reliable cable to go the distance.

Run of the mill “passive” USB cables have a distance limitation of 16.4 feet, or 5 meters, which poses a problem if you don’t have the flexibility to move your devices and peripheral equipment closer to your central workstation. This distance is a specific length, so most passive USB cables you’ll find will top out at 15ft, and there is no way to daisy chain multiple passive USB cables to surpass this limitation.

Fortunately, there are a variety of “active” cables and USB extenders

Tray cable is a multipurpose and multiconductor cabling used in industrial power/control, communications systems, traffic control, switching, lighting, and signal transmission. You will find tray cable installed in conduits, ducts, raceways, and cable tray systems. Tray cable jackets are resistant to fire, UV, chemicals, and oil. This ability to withstand unforgiving environments makes them ideal for wiring mission-critical machinery and systems.

What are the types of tray cable?

Two main classifications of tray cable are Power Limited Tray Cable (PLTC) and Vinyl Nylon Tray Cable (VNTC). Let us run through some of their key features.

Power Limited Tray Cable:

• 300 volt rating
• Flame Retardant/UV Resistant PVC jacket

Heat shrink tubing is an inexpensive means of protecting wires from any number of environmental factors which can potentially damage or interfere with the operation of the cable. Not only does heat shrink tubing provide a buffer against abrasion, liquids, and changes in temperature/humidity, it’s also a cost-effective means for cable organization and color-coding identification.

Let’s highlight some of the advantages of using heat shrink tubing to better understand how it improves reliability and maintenance of cables and just how valuable it is in your cable runs and builds.

Size and Color Customization

Depending on the vendor and manufacturer heat shrink tubing is measured in millimeters or inches based on the pre-shrink diameter of the tubing. At Show Me

Ahead of the Curve: 8K HDMI Cables have Landed

Patch Panel Refresh

Clean Fiber, Happy Fiber

It only takes microscopic dust and oil particles on the end-faces of fiber optic cables to cause major data loss, or outright fiber link failure. These contaminants are impossible to see with the naked eye but can easily accumulate and be distributed from mating and de-mating soiled plugs. Even brand-new fiber optic connectors straight out the package are susceptible to particulates from those handling the connections before they arrive on site.

Regular inspection and cleaning are the only way to ensure reliable fiber optic connection without running the risk of degradation of fiber optic connectors, data loss, or fiber link failure.

Here are some easy to use fiber optic cleaners that can efficiently

If you’ve paid any attention to commercial advertising put out by telecommunications companies within the last year, you’ll notice “5G” is the hot button buzzword. So popular, in fact, that American-Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds is featured in a 30-second clip attempting to explain it with the help of a technology expert…Ryan still doesn’t quite grasp it.

In a nutshell 5G is the fifth-generation mobile network and the goal is to create a massive network connecting machines, objects, and devices. To do so, this network must deliver increased data speeds, extremely low latency, and more reliability across the board. For those in the industry, the successful deployment and utilization of 5G means positive im

Slim Down: The Patch Cable Diet

It’s easy for the once-cavernous space of a data center to turn cramped and congested. The space isn’t growing, but the equipment and need for connectivity is. The solution? Slim Cat6 patch cables to help reduce space, improve airflow, and provide easier management in a bustling data center.

Reduce Space

Cat6 Slim Ethernet patch cables have done their share of diet and exercise, going from 24AWG on standard Cat6 cables down to 28AWG. In terms of overall diameter, that is a physical slim down from 5.3mm OD to 3.5mm OD.

Easier to Manage

Compared to standard Cat