Monthly Archives: July 2020

How To Manage the Tangle

A patch panel is an arrangement of ports on one panel, which can be mounted to a rack or wall. Patch panels allow you to bundle and connect multiple ports for incoming and outgoing lines. They’re great cable management and network solution to centralize telecommunications and data equipment in communications closets, central offices, and data centers.

What is the purpose of a patch panel?
A patch panel is a mounting assembly with a set number of ports to connect incoming and outgoing copper and fiber lines. In most data centers a patch panel is installed on a rack in a communications closet to connect racks to one another. On the front face of the panel, patch cables, like ethernet and fiber optic cables, connect to servers and network switches. In the rear of the patch panel, bare wires are punched down to and from other patch panels.

Patch panels are commonly used in Localized Area Networks (LAN) because of how easily you can connect computers to one another, or to outside lines for internet access. To create and arrange circuits you only need to plug or unplug correlating patch cables.  

What are the advantages of patch panels?
1) A patch panel provides a simple organization and management solution when dealing with an array of patch cables that can easily become tangled or mismatched. Labeling each run in a patch panel allows for easy identification and troubleshooting down the l

Choosing the Right WiFi Antenna

To identify the right antenna for your WiFi application it is important to note the differences in omnidirectional and directional antennas. Either the signal is radiating out in every direction, which is called omnidirectional, or there is a reflective surface to focus the signal in a specific direction, which is called directional.

Depending on your primary application there are ceiling, panel, Log Periodic/Yagi, fixed omni, and rubber duck antennas. These antennas operate at different frequencies and gains depending on whether they are radiating signals in omnidirectional or directional reach.

Here are some applicable network scenarios where these antennas would be put into use:

To connect two buildings:

To connect two buildings on the same WiFi network, you will need a directional antenna to create a point-to-point wireless link. A Yagi or Parabolic Grid antenna would be mounted to the top of each building and point at each other inline. It is important that there is a clear line of sight between these two directional antennas. For instance, trees and other buildings/structures will impede the signals sent and received from these antennas.

What You Need to Consider When Purchasing Antennas

When buying an antenna there several factors that go into finding the right solution for your network. Without proper consideration, you will not achieve the desired connectivity, which can result in a loss of time and money.

The basic function of an antenna is to take a signal traveling through a cable and convert it to a signal that can travel through the air. The most common applications for antennas are Wi-Fi/WLAN networks, the “Internet of Things” (IoT), and in public safety/first responder systems.

Since there are many different types of antennas, these are a few of the major items to consider before you buy an antenna:

• What is the application?
• What frequency do you need?
• Is there a certain gain or square footage of coverage you need?
• Do you want coverage everywhere, or in at a specific point?
• Which connector types do you need?

Here are a few of the most common questions to help you understand which antenna works best for your application.

What kinds of antennas are there?

The differentiating factor in antennas is how they are sending their signal. Either the signal is radiating out in every direction, which is called omnidirectional, or there is a reflective surface to focus the signal in a specific direction, which is called directional.

Depending on your primary application there are ceiling, panel, Log Periodic/Yagi, fixed omn