Blog posts tagged with 'ethernet'

With wireless networks dominating in both homes and businesses it's important to remember that wired networks can boost speeds to those actually promised by ISPs. Especially in the case of businesses having wired networks can lead to a large amount of incoming cables, one way to manage this properly is through the use of Patch Panels. Patch Panels help to centralize your cables making it far easier to work with and manage.

Types of Patch Panels

There are various types of copper and fiber patch panels available on the market. In this article we will be dealing primarily with copper patch panels which are designed for both shielded and unshielded copper cables such as the Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a and Cat7. We with focus on the Cat5e.

Cat5e Patch Cables

Cat5e is simply put a basic copper Ethernet cable that is used to connect various devices. It is highly recommended that when connecting devices to a patch panel using Cat5e that use a good quality copper cable in either of its two basic types, booted or non-booted. Booted refers to the covering between the end connector and the cable itself. Non-booted cables are mostly only used when the cables with not be frequently unplugged. Check out the cables available from Fibertronics.

Cat5e Patch Panels

Copper patch panels used in a local area network (LAN) are mounted assemblies that have multiple ports in order to manage Ethernet cables. Patch panels are used to maximise network performance and help with network expansion and growth.

Patch panels are usually divided into 2 catagories, Shielded and Unshielded. Shielded Cat5e patch panels are designed for use in environments with high Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) which can be caused by the presense of high power electrical cables. Unshielded patch panels are generally used when there is little to no EMI present.

In addition to these differences they can also be found in either Punch-down or Feedthrough configurations. In the case of a punch-down configuration the copper cables are connected to the the numbered RJ45 ports on the front plate. In the rear there are color-coded labels that are either designed for T568A and T568B wiring configurations that the connected cables are punched down into. Learn more about punching down by checking out the video below.

The feedthrough patch panels allow the cables to be connected to the RJ45 ports on the front plate and in the rear without the need to punch them down into the ports. This makes them great for high-density networks where addaptability is important.

Be sure to check out the Fibertronics Ethernet Patch Panels including Cat6 and Cat5e with full premium copper UTP, IDC, Krone, 110 RJ45 and 568 A/B compatibility

Traditional copper UTP/STP (Unshielded Twisted Pair/Shielded Twisted Pair) Ethernet cables are limited to 100 meters in length. To get around this and extend network connections we have Ethernet Media Converters.

What is a Media Converter?

As mentioned above, Ethernet Media Converters can be used to extend the distance between two network devices that use traditional copper cabling. They can also be used to convert electrical data signals into light pulses which can then be transmitted over fiber optic cables, thus further extending the range. Think of them as a bridge between copper network cables and fiber optic network cables.

Media Converters are able isolate both network nodes from each other and eliminate and ground loops or voltage spikes. This can be extremely useful when it comes to security as it makes in nearly impossible for anyone to tap into a line without detection.

Types of Media Converters

There are essentially 3 categories for media converters. These include Standalone Media Converters, DIN Rail Mount Industrial Converters and Chassis-based Media Converters.

Standalone Media Converte

 
Standalone converters are mostly used when only one or two conversions are needed in a network. Converting copper Ethernet into fiber, they support ultra-fast long-distance connections. Aside from extending a network they can also be great at saving both costs and space due to being standalone units as opposed to purchasing an entire chassis. Being small, they conveniently fit where needed making them suitable for environments such as telecoms cabinets or distribution boxes. This coupled with their plug-and-play design makes them an excellent choice.

Industrial Media Converters

 
Industrial Media Converters are designed for more heavy duty use in bigger applications. They are able to convert copper Ethernet from Single-mode to Multimode and Multimode to Multimode. Ideal for use in extending the distances of IP camera and wireless access points that can be found in things such as traffic management, oil and gas pipelines, weather tracking and industrial outdoor applications. The use very little power with low heat output all while offering great reliability and stability

Chassis-based Media Converters

Chassis-based Media Converters include a number of independent media converters on a chassis capable of holding up to 16 Media Converters. Think of them as a group of individual Media Converters, capable of longer signal transmission between multiple devices. All Media Converters in the system have their own casing and LED indicators with AC to DC power adapters. They themselves are hot-swappable making updating and replacement easy.

The individual Media Converters can be configured as either Managed or Unmanaged.

• Managed is extremely helpful in monitoring the statuses of all the Media Converters and power supplies within the chassis. This is achieved through the use of a Management Module that is available for installation into the chassis. The management follows industry standards, including SNMP (simple network management protocol) and HTTP, which allows monitoring from a third-party SNMP management workstation or via a web browser.
• Unmanaged makes it relatively easy when it comes to installation, however this can lead to problems later on as troubleshooting multiple Media Converters can be both time consuming and difficult.

Quick Summary

Media Converters allow for seamless integration between different network cable solutions. They support 10Mbps, 10/100Mbps, 100Mbps, 10/100/1000Mbps, Gigabit and 10 Gigabit.

Check out Fibertronics' range of Media Converters to find a solution that works for you, or call us on (321) 473 8933.