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Frequent Questions and Answers

We are continuously asked questions about different aspects of Structured Cabling. See below for some of those most frequently asked.

Q.	What is a Structured Cabling System?

A.	Structured cabling is a wiring system that uses low cost cable of small diameter, which is easily maintained and installed, is capable of serving many applications and will facilitate necessary shifts and moves of user terminals and equipment. It also needs to conform to the appropriate industry standards, support multiple vendors, product ranges and different protocol options. A Structured Cabling system will support voice, data and other multimedia applications. However, an outlet can support only one application type at any one time. Structured Cabling is usually achieved by flood wiring complete floors. ISO 11801 states that 'in many countries two TOs are provided to serve a maximum of 10m² of usable floor space' and connecting these cables to patch panels which provides the essential flexibility of the cabling system.

Q.	What are the main advantages of choosing a FTP over a UTP System?

A.	FTP Advantages - Reduces noise induction into other cables and systems - Likely to meet future EMC Regulations FTP Disadvantages - Increased Termination costs - Increased Cabling and Installation Costs UTP Advantages - Reduced Termination Costs - Reduced Cabling and Installation Costs UTP Disadvantages - Potential increase in crosstalk - Concerns over EMC Regulations

Q.	What are the different classes when referring to ISO/IEC 11801?

A.	ISO/IEC 11801 defines five classes for link performance: Class A - For speech band and low frequency applications specified to 100kHz (no longer recognised by the ISO) Class B - For medium bit rate data applications specified to 1Mhz (no longer recognised by ISO) Class C - For High bit rate data applications specified to 16Mhz (Category 3) Class D - For very High bit rate applications specified to 100Mhz (Category 5/5e) Class E - Standards for applications specified to 250Mhz (Category 6) Class F - Standards for applications specified to 600Mhz (Category 7) Optical Class - For high and very high bit data rate applications, specified to 10 MHz and above. Generally bandwidth is not a limiting factor in customer premises.

Q.	What is T568B?

A.	T568B specifies the electrical characteristics of field testers, test methods and minimum transmission requirements for UTP cabling. The purpose of this standard is to specify transmission performance requirements of the UTP cabling, Connecting hardware and to provide a benchmark by which to verify the performance of an installed circuit (basic link). The T568B is written for unshielded installations, but specifically mentions that it may also be used for shielded links, which meet the requirements of the standard, but excludes any testing of the shield and its effectiveness.

Q.	What is Ethernet?

A.	When transmitting a signal, a computer needs a Protocol (language) in order to communicate with other devices. The Internet uses TCP/IP, whereas LAN's (Local Area Networks) tend to use the Ethernet Protocol. Information is sent across the network in 'packets' using the binary language (1's and 0's). In order to send a packet along a copper cable the signal needs to be converted into a voltage pulse (this equates to a 1 in binary being represented by a 1 volt pulse and a 0 being represented by a ½ volt pulse). A computer needs to have a link to other computers before it can send or receive information, and this normally requires the use of 'Active Equipment' such as Hubs or Switches. One Bit = 1 or 0 (Binary Format) Eight Bits = One Byte = A letter, number or symbol One Kilobit = 1000 Bits One Megabit = 1,000,000 Bits The transmission speed of a signal is expressed as bits per second (bps), therefore a 56Kbps modem is capable of 56,000 bits per second (9 thousand bytes). Most modern networks are capable of running at 100Mbps (100,000,000 bits per second, 12.5 million bytes) A category 5E/6 network can run at speeds of up to 1000Mbps (1000,000,000 bits per second 125 million bytes). This is around 17,800 times faster than a 56K modem.

Q.	What is Fibre Optic cable?

A.	An Optical Fibre Cable basically consists of a solid rod of pure glass enclosed inside a 'cladding'. The cladding protects the fibre and helps prevent light loss. By sending millions of pulses of light every second, Optical Fibre is capable of transmitting more information, for longer distances, in less time than conventional copper media. It is not affected by electricity, water or radio interference and is not a conductor, therefore is safe to run externally. Optical Fibre is also a very secure media. Optical Fibre is available in two formats: MULTI-MODE (MM): A type of fibre with a comparatively large central core, typically 62.5 or 50 microns, surrounded by a larger outer cladding, typically 125 microns. Most frequently used as a network backbone or to link building or networks. SINGLE-MODE (SM): A type of fibre with a comparatively small central core, typically 8 or 10 microns, surrounded by a larger outer cladding, typically 125 microns. Most commonly, used for long distances and high speeds by national carriers such as BT and CATV franchises.

Q.	What are the Cabling Specifications for Optical Fibre?

A.	Optical Fibre is rated as core and cladding size e.g. 62.5/125 has a core diameter of 62.5 microns and a cladding diameter of 125microns. There are two types of Optical Fibre available for the structured cabling system. Multimode and singlemode. primarily multimode is the preferred fibre due to the use of cheaper LED transmitters but singlemode (as backbone) can be offered as an alternative if very high bandwidth applications are to be used in the future.

Q.	What are the differences between the switches?

A.	10Base-T Hubs - 4 in a Network - Must be connected via RJ45 and Twisted Pair -10Mbps Ethernet Network Cards must be installed in each PC, Printer and Server 100Base-TX - 2 in a Network with less than 5m between - Must be connected via RJ45 and Twisted Pair - 100Mbps Ethernet Network Cards must be installed in each PC, Printer and Server Dual Speed - 10/100 means that it can operate at either speed automatically - Cable Monkey has a range of Network Cards, Hubs and Switches that will support both speeds

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Cable Monkeys Product Ranges

Cablemonkey offers a complete range of data and voice products for both home and business users. Set up as the website division of Connectix limited – one of the leading manufacturers and distributors of structured cabling systems. Cablemonkey offers an online ordering service which is quick and easy to use.

Cat5e, Cat 6 & 10gig Cabling
You will find a huge selection of Cat5e and Cat 6 Cabling products available to buy online in both UTP & FTP formats. Products within the range include Cat5e 24 port high density Patch Panels, Cat 6 16 port patch panels, Cat 6 24 port high density patch panels, Cat5e 16 port panels, Cat5e RJ45 Modular Outlets, Cat 6 RJ45 Outlets, Cat5e Solid Cable, Cat5e external solid cable, Cat 6 UTP & FTP solid Cable and Cat 6 UTP solid external cable, Cat5e patch cable, Cat 5e RJ45 booted RJ45 patch leads, Cat 6 UTP & FTP RJ45 booted patch leads, Cat5e UTP LJ6C Compact Modules, Cat 6 standard UTP LJ6C modules. We have all the accessories required such as RJ45 connectors, boots, cable ties, cable strippers and IDC punchdown tools. We have recently added 10gig products to our portfolio of ranges. Cat6a is the cabling standard designed to support 10gig solutions. All of our 10gig products surpass the performance criteria set in the cat6a specifications. We offer a range of Networking testers and installation tools, our network testers include the CCS Link Tester and the Fluke DTX-1800 Network Tester. We offer all the tools needed to make your complete installation quick and easy these tools include IDC Punchdown Tool, RJ45 Crimp Tools, Cable Stripper, and wire cutters

Fibre Optic Cabling
Our range of Fibre optic products include Loose Tube fibre cable available in 62.5/125, 50/125 and 9/125 variations. Tight Buffered fibre cable this cable type includes 62.5/125, 50/125 and 9/125 variations. We also offer Armoured fibre cable which is available in two types SWA and CST both of which are loose tube fibres and come in 4 core up to 24 core, both of these cables are suitable for direct burial. Our Pre-terminated fibre cables are available with SC, ST LC and FC terminations, tight buffered cable is used. The cable is supplied on a drum and comes complete with pulling socks. Pre-terminated fibre cables are the ideal solution if you do not have splicing facilities on site. Our Fibre patch leads are offered with SC, ST, LC and FC connectors and come in both multimode and singlemode variations. Fibre Optic Patch panels are available with ST, SC, LC and FC these panels come fully configured from 4 to 24 ports. Our fibre optic termination kit has all the equipment needed to perform cable terminations this equipment includes curing oven, Crimp tools, Termination Epoxies, Polishing Tools, Fyberscope plus Health and Safety equipment.

Telephone Cabling
Our Voice Cabling products include CW1308 internal Telephone Cable, CW1308B External grade Telephone Cable, CW1198 Armoured Telephone Cable and CW1128 Jelly Telephone Cable. We have Full master voice converters, Secondary voice converters and PABX voice converters. Our 50 way voice panel fits into a standard 19” frame so can be used alongside data equipment. Our Voice modules will fit into a standard faceplate so can be used alongside Data modules. We offer a range of Full master, Secondary and PABX Line Jack Units. A range of box connections are available from 201D up to 530. Our telephone accessories include BT extension leads, BT-RJ45 Leads, RJ11 leads, plus RJ11 connectors and RJ12 connectors.

Home Networking
For the home office we offer a range of cat5e and cat 6 products which fit into either our home cabinet or Mini office cabinet. The cabinets fit 10 inch panels which contain 12 modular RJ45 ports. The panels available in this range are Cat5e and Cat 6 UTP 12 port patch panels, 12 port Telephone Host Panel, cat5e 8 Port FTP panel plus cable management panels such as blank panels and brush strip panels. We offer a range of wall plates which work alongside the home cabling system. These wallplates include – Single TV Plate, Duplex TV Plate, Triplex TV Plate, TV Distribution Unit and lounge plate. Other accessories include AV Connector Unit and TVlink. Cat5e and cat6 solid cable is suitable to use for the home network installation, other cable which may be appropriate is CT100 cable.

Active Ethernet
Cablemonkey has a range of Active Ethernet products including Switches and Media Converters, we offer 8 port switches and various 24 port switches suitable for equipment running from 10/100 up to 1000 base-T Gigabit Ethernet. If there are any data networking products you require that you can not find on the site, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our sales team on 01376 333500.

Cable Monkey is part of Connectix Ltd. (Registered no 2814569)

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