Page 12 - Blog

A large office might keep its computer servers in a data center while a smaller one can get by with an IT closet. But there is one thing most offices have in common: Their servers and related IT equipment are installed together in server racks.

Server racks hold not only computer servers but patch panels, network switches, power distribution units and other components related to the servers. They are either floor-mounted on feet or on wheels, or wall-mounted. Server racks are popular because they serve four crucial functions.

Ventilation

ShowMeCables’ server racks have several features for keeping your equipment cool. They have built-in fans to enable thermal management. Doors and side panels are vented for circulation. On most models, top panels are either vented or have dedicated ports for installing fans. Some cabinets have cable-routing features that keep interiors less cluttered to promote air flow. For the best circulation, we offer open-frame racks.

Security

Networking equipment

Whether you’re mining coal, copper or cryptocurrency, one thing is true: To be successful, you need the right equipment.

Crypto mining for digital currency has exploded in popularity in recent years. It started in 2009 with the first decentralized cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. As of 2022, the marketplace offers more than 9,000 cryptocurrencies, with the top two alone having over $791 billion of coins in circulation, according to CoinMarketCap. Mining all that crypto profitably requires a computer rig with a core processing unit (CPU), graphics processing units (GPUs), a motherboard and other elements.

Crypto Mining Rigs Need Cables

Regardless of a rig’s size, it needs cables to power and to connect the devices. Below we describe the main types of antennas and cables you will need to outfit a crypto mining rig:

• Helium miner antenna upgrade kits to optimize the range of your LongFi radio
• Cat5e cable assemblies for cost-effective crypto mining
• THHN tray cable for dependable CPU connections
• 3-conductor

In a previous blog post, we listed five reasons why wired Ethernet networks continue to be more popular than wireless connections for most organizations. Those five points hold true especially for industrial manufacturers, and you can add three more reasons why wired connections work best for manufacturing.

First, a quick recap of the five main advantages of wired Ethernet networks:

• Wired is more secure – much harder to hack than wireless.
• Wired is more reliable – signal strength is more consistent, less affected by other wired signals.
• Wired is faster – and data speeds are more consistent in heavy traffic.
• Wired provides more control – user access is easier to monitor.
• Wired is cost-effective – popular for decades, the hardware is widely available and affordable.

For manufacturing, wired connections have at least three more benefits:

Wired Manufacturing Networks Do the Heavy Lifting

As long as wired Ethernet connections are, on the whole, more secure and reliable than wireless networks,

With the popularity of wireless computer connectivity, it’s easy to forget about the advantages that Ethernet-wired networks provide. In the IT world, wired connectivity is still king for most organizations worldwide. Here are five reasons why:

More Secure

As long as firewalls and other security measures protect your wired network, it is safer from unauthorized access than wireless networks are. Your business’s wired network is completely contained, accessible only by connecting a cable to the network from inside your building. Wi-Fi signals are broadcast outside of the building, leaving them potentially open to hackers.

More Reliable

A wired signal is rarely influenced by another wired signal. But with two wireless networks located in promixity, the chances are higher for losing your connection or experiencing latency delays. Also, signal strength is more consistent with wired. Mobile workers who change locations find that their wireless signal strength can vary. Even something like

It usually costs more to buy custom products. At ShowMeCables it can cost less. Our wide selection of bulk cable costs considerably less than shorter, pre-cut lengths. And yet with bulk cable you can wire your installation to the exact custom lengths you need.

Also, with less excess cable, it is easier to install, remove or re-route cords and to troubleshoot wiring problems. Faulty connections are easier to find in a well-ordered installation, which means less downtime during maintenance.

If you decide to try bulk cable, you might wonder what the differences are between our indoor cable and our many CMX-rated outdoor offerings. Following are the top three.

Outdoor Cable Resists Sunlight

A signature feature of outdoor-rated cables is a UV-resistant jacket, usually made of polyethylene (PE) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Indoor-rated cables have no UV protection, which means that under daily exposure to direct sunlight their jackets would degrade and crack over time.

Outdoor Cable Resists Moisture

USB cables are everywhere − at work, at home, even in our vehicles. ShowMeCables should know, as we offer more than 150 types of them. But shopping for the cable you need does not have to be difficult. Below we summarize the benefits of USB, then clarify the differences among:

• The popular USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and USB 3.1
• Connector types USB-A, -B, -C, Mini-USB and Micro-USB.

Why USB Is so Popular

Universal Serial Bus specifications were first released in 1996 to standardize the connection of personal computers to peripheral devices. USB cables have since become the go-to connector between PCs and printers, scanners, cameras, audio players, etc. Their key advantages include:

• USB cables transfer data much faster than serial cables.
• USB cables carry power as well as signals.
• USB’s several distinct connector types make it easy to identify which plug fits where.
• USB cables are a universal standard and thus available and affordable.

USB 2.0, 3.0 and 3.1

The three versions serve mostly the same functions,

With thousands of products to choose from, selecting cables for your IT installation can be confusing. Below we’ve simplified the process by dividing the products into four main uses and touching on some of the chief differences among the products for each use.

Networking Cables

Copper vs. fiber optics. An IT network transmits data with standard category rated copper cables, fiber optic lines, or a mix of the two. Each type of cable has its advantages. Fiber can carry data more than 1,000 times faster than copper-based Ethernet networks and for much greater distances. But copper Ethernet cables cost less and are much more widespread − most networking products are built withRJ45 copper ports rather than fiber ports. Media converters can translate signals between the two but going fully fiber can be costly and is unnecessary for many applications. In most cases copper-based Ethernet is fast enough. But if you need to transmit high volumes of voice, video and data in an environment like

In 2021 we published a blog post covering products that help you manage your cables – from rack and cabinet attachments to wall and ceiling cable routers to ties and straps for bundling. In this post we discuss the overall benefits of properly managing your cables.

ShowMeCables’ unique background has made us experts on this topic. You may know us only as a maker and seller of connectivity products. But actually we grew from a parent company, INC Installs, which has been installing networks for more than 25 years. With all that experience both making and installing cables, we’ve come up with what we believe are the four biggest benefits of cable management.

Cable Management Makes a Workplace Safer

According to industry safety advocate Arbill, the second most common cause of workplace injuries in the U.S. is tripping and falling because of wires and cables that are not properly organized. Such safety hazards can lead to injuries and lawsuits.

If you work at home, a lone cord that is not bundled,

Of all the industries that ShowMeCables serves, when it comes to making products that are safe and reliable, the stakes are always high for the health care industry. Whether we are providing bacteria-resistant Ethernet cables or hospital-grade power cords, we realize that our products will be applied with human lives on the line.

Below we describe some of the ways health care connectivity products differ from those of other industries. We also clarify some of the specifications you will see when shopping for these products.

Antibacterial/Antimicrobial Ethernet Cable Assemblies

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that infections contracted in American hospitals lead to 99,000 deaths every year. The CDC also reports that 1 in 31 hospital patients gets an infection every day. Awareness of the problem has been high since at least 2009, when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a national action plan to prevent what it calls HAIs, or health care-associated

While shopping for duplex fiber optic cable you’ll see a few terms that can be confusing. Namely, what’s the difference between simplex and duplex fiber, and what do “single mode” and “multimode” mean? We clarify this below, and also discuss some common applications of duplex fiber cables.

Simply put, simplex and duplex describe the number of physical fibers, while single mode and multimode refer to the fiber optic glass types that are used.

Simplex vs Duplex Fiber

A simplex fiber cable is one strand of glass or plastic fiber. It can operate either in half-duplex mode or full-duplex mode, depending on the transceivers it is attached to. In half-duplex mode, it can transmit data from Point A to Point B or from Point B to Point A, but not both directions at the same time. In full duplex, the single strand can send and receive data simultaneously.

A duplex fiber cable consists of two strands of glass or plastic fiber. Each fiber is jacketed separately but the two are often either molded together