Ethernet

Networking takes shape in many different environments and not just in clean, dry server rooms. Many industries, including automation, robotics, and alternative energy must have access to networks but are out in the field quite often. The products used to build these networks must withstand harsh environmental factors for the long haul. Our new M12 cables manufactured by L-com provide secure connections for all of your industrial networking application needs.

What is an M12 cable?

M12 cables from ShowMeCables are category-rated ethernet cables with two connectors on either end. These circular connectors have 12mm locking threads to ensure an established connection and a tight seal. Specifically, the twelve pins within the cable meet industrial signal requirements and keep you connected to a secure network. 

What makes an M12 cable special?

The difference between traditional category-rated ethernet cables and M12 ethernet cables is the environment in which they can perform. Traditional ethernet cables are used within a server room under normal conditions, meaning the room is dry, temperature-controlled, and monitored regularly. M12 cables can perform similar functions in environments with harsher conditions - those with excess water, corrosion, or wind, for example. 

M12 cables are coded to prevent incorrect mating between cables, and shielding is available in many cases. With an industrial outdoor FR-TPE jacket and IP-68 rating, these cables can be used in applications that have sensors, actuators, and factory automation. Our M12 cables are Cat5e rated, oil- and sunlight-resistant, rated for 600v, and available in four variations and multiple lengths.

What is a Cat6a Slim Patch Cable?

A Cat6a slim patch cable is an ethernet cable, which is used with wired networks and connect devices like computers, routers and switches with a local network. Patch cables normally travel short distances (a maximum of 100 meter or 330 feet), and can be used to wire offices and server closets. This cable provides a reliable, high-speed data connection to your home or office network, and is good to keep on hand!

What Makes a Slim Cat6a Patch Cable Special?

Here are a few differences between the Cat6a slim patch cable and the Cat6 patch cable.

It is 40% thinner than its predecessor. This allows for more airflow as well as more flexibility within the cable itself. What this means for you is a tighter turn radius and less congestion, and the ability to do more in smaller spaces.

Better blocking of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radiofrequency interference (RFI) occurs. If you are seeking a cable that needs to be next to other cables or machines that give off a lot of power, you’ll need to block those signals. The same is true if you’re near a radio tower or electrical substation.

It can transmit double the amount of data, capable bandwidth of 600MHz. Standard Cat6 patch cables can support network speeds of 1-10Gbps, but higher speeds are only supported over a shorter length of cable. With the Cat6a slim patch cable, speeds of 10Gbps are supported through the maximum length of the cable. Additional bandwidth delivers more efficient data transfers, enhancing your network experience. It’s also made from pure copper, enhancing performance and safety over copper clad aluminum cables.

Who Uses This Cable?

If your

The end of an RJ45 Ethernet connector (left) vs. an RJ12 phone connector (right)

Ethernet and telephone cables look fairly similar and it is not uncommon to get the two mixed up. The key difference between the two is the size of the plastic connectors on the ends of the cable. Telephones use an RJ11/RJ12 connector whereas Ethernet uses RJ45. RJ11/RJ12 only uses 4-6 pins whereas RJ45 uses 8 pins. As a result, RJ11/RJ12 is physically smaller than RJ45 since it does not need to contain as many pins.

Modular Connectors

Both Ethernet and telephone cables are made using modular connectors. These are connectors that were designed to be used with registered jack (RJ) twisted-pair cables. The original modular jacks were invented by AT&T in the 1960s and used for some telephones. Over time they caught on and eventually became industry-standard in the 1970s.

What is Ethernet?

Ethernet is a network cable used to connect computers, printers, modems, routers, and other electronics to the Internet. Other names for Ethernet include Cat5e cable, Cat6 cable, Cat7 cable, and RJ45 cable.

What does Ethernet Look Like?

Ethernet looks similar to a telephone cord, but with a larger plastic connector on the end. Inside the connector are 8 wires, each a different color to tell them apart easily.

How does Ethernet Work?

Electrical signals are sent down the wires inside the Ethernet cable. If the electricity is on, it translates to “1”. If it is off, it translates to “0”. These 1’s and 0’s are read by computers and other machines as binary code.

How Long can an Ethernet Cable be?

The maximum length of a single

Almost every electronic today from simple cell phones to a new 70” TV is made Wi-Fi ready. When setting up a new device, most people will pull up the Wi-Fi menu, connect to their network, and go. While this is usually the obvious choice, it is not always the best one. With most handheld devices it is the only choice, so there is no choice there. But where bigger electronics are concerned, using an Ethernet hardline can provide many advantages over Wi-Fi.

What Makes Wi-Fi Signals Weaker?

Wi-Fi is a popular technology for one key reason: convenience. Being able to connect any device to the Internet while in range of a Wi-Fi signal is a huge deal. Over the last few decades, wireless technology has gone from nothing but pagers to every electronic coming with wireless functionality. Not being limited by the accessibility and distance of a cable was a major game-changer for a multitude of technologies, but that does not mean Wi-Fi’s potential is limitless.

All Wi-Fi signals have to be generated by some sort of machine, such as a modem/router or wireless access point. These signals get weaker as users get further away from their sou

Not being able to find a Wi-Fi connection is enough to annoy anyone these days. But worse than that, having a slow Wi-Fi connection is sure to raise anybody’s blood pressure. Even in the age of wireless technology, cables and wires are an essential part of making any machine work right. When a smartphone, computer, or any other device is connected wirelessly, the modem/router that wireless signal comes from is still using Ethernet cables. These cables may be providing the Internet signal indirectly, but they are still an integral part of the process.

There are different categories out there and the type used will determine how fast electronics can operate online. If a page is loading slow, a better quality Ethernet cable can potentially make those connections go faster. It also helps to know how much data the average online task uses. Something simple like downloading a picture should go fast on any Ethernet cable whereas more data-heavy tasks like streaming videos can put strain on weaker connections.

These factors ring true for both wired and wireless connections, although from a technical standpoint those can be two very different things. Speaking of things that are different, being in a building that supports fiber optic cable over Ethernet can also make a huge difference. Understanding the basics of these concepts can ensure you understand what steps can be taken to make your Internet faster.

Ethernet vs. Wi-Fi

Ethernet cable has a major role anytime and anywhere the Internet is involved. Whether Internet connections are used at home or in a professional setting like an office, school, hospital, or manufacturing plant, Ethernet plays a part. Even wireless connections have to get their signals from devices like routers or wireless access points that are using Ethernet themselves. But most people who use the Internet for activities with high data usage, like video streaming, will choose Ethernet for its faster speed over Wi-Fi.

Getting hardline connections ready may sound easy, but there is a bit of a planning process that goes into it. Firstly, think about what type of Ethernet cables you will need. Ethernet is divided into different categories. The current default cable is Cat5e, although newer and faster versions are also available. Consider what kind of data speeds the cable should be expected to handle and make a decision from there. Also, ask yourself where the cable will be located. If it is sitting on a desk in a room-temperature climate, any Ethernet cable will do. But if it will be exposed to extreme temperatures, sunlight, water, oil, chemicals, or any other harsh conditions, make sure to select a cable

Any modern business is going to be networked with Internet connections. Whether a business is in a small home office with a single computer and printer or an enormous building with hundreds of machines, a nervous system of cables and wiring will be essential to keep things running smoothly. When cables go missing or start to fail, losses in both productivity and profitability are sure to follow. Most homes have a drawer filled with spare cables and there is no reason that an office should not do the same thing, albeit with better organization than a junk drawer.

Ethernet

Every electronic device connected to the Internet uses Ethernet. Even if a device uses WiFi, the equipment generating that WiFi signal is connected via Ethernet. There are different types of Ethernet cable on the market. Newer types (called categories) of Ethernet are faster than older versions, but some are so fast that they can be overkill. Exactly how fast an Ethernet cable should be will depend on how much data is being used. No matter where it is located, an Ethernet cable going out is always sure to cause Internet outages. Keeping at least a few spares around is always a good idea.

Power over Ethernet (abbreviated PoE) is a term that gets thrown around a lot. Most Ethernet cables today are made PoE ready, but what exactly does that mean? What can PoE be used for and how is it different from other options used to accomplish those same tasks? This article will examine what PoE is, its uses, and how well it holds up compared to other modern-day technology.

What is Power over Ethernet (PoE)?

To understand PoE, start by thinking about how Ethernet cables work. At the core of every Ethernet cable, there is are lines of copper that run down the length of the entire cable. Ethernet cables transmit electrical signals that are interpreted by computers and other electronics as the 1’s and 0’s that make up binary code. The takeaway here is that Ethernet cables have always been capable of transmitting electricity since their invention. PoE just takes that function and moves it in a similar but slightly different direction.

PoE was first developed by the company Cisco. Up until this point, every electronic with Ethernet needed two cables: the Ethernet cable itself and another cable for power. A lot of IT workers were annoyed by this since not every electronic they worked with was near an outlet or another power source. Cisco’s solution to this issue was supplying power through the Ethernet cable, making PoE cables an all-in-one solution. In 2003, PoE was standardized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and started to see widespread use across the IT industry shortly thereafter.

What uses Power over

Media converter is a bit of a catch-all term by itself. It refers to any device that can convert one type of signal into another type. A fiber media converter specifically refers to a media converter used to convert fiber cable to another format. Fiber media converters are sometimes just called fiber converters while general media converters are simply called converters. The phrase “fiber converters” is also typically used to describe fiber to copper (Ethernet) converters. Although other types of fiber converters do exist, they are much less common.

What are Fiber Media Converters?

Simply put, a fiber media converter is able to take fiber signals and translate them into Ethernet signals, or vice versa. Fiber transmissions are broadcast using light (lasers) signals, giving them a leg up over older cables with increased speed, less attenuation (signal loss), and greater maximum distance per cable. Ethernet signals are transmitted via electrical signals running through copper lines. On their own, these two types of signals are too different to be compatible. But with a fiber media converter, they are able to work together.

Both fiber and Ethernet signals use the same methodology for signal transmission. A series of light or electrical pulses are sent down the cables. These pulses flicker on and off very quickly, 1000s of times per second. When a pulse is on, a computer registers it as a “1”. When it is off, the machine picks up a “0”. These numbers are used to make up binary