STRUCTURED CABLING

Robust cabling enabling super fast data transfer

Robust structured cabling is required to transfer data between computers, servers and the internet in your building. Since structured cabling is such a major part of your wider IT infrastructure, your structured cabling platform needs to be designed and installed by experts with the experience to create the ideal solution for you.

Optionbox have an expert team of structured cabling technicians that can design your infrastructure and install the cabling for you. With years of experience and continuous training, we have a team that you can rely on.

Cat5e

Although casual observers might not notice the difference between the different cabling, there are some distinct differences to know of.

Cat5 and Cat5e cables look very similar, although they are slightly different. Cat5e is a twisted pair cable for computer networks and is an enhanced version of the standard Cat5 cables.

This cable provides support of up to 100 MHz, meaning that it is suitable for ethernet over twisted pair. Besides carrying computer network data, Cat5e cables can carry other types of data such as telephony and video.

Cat5e superseded category 5 cables. Cat5e was designed to lower the amount of crosstalk, with is an important consideration in structured cabling design and installation.

Cat6

Cat6 cables can support more data than Cat5e: it can support up to 10Gbps and frequencies of up to 250 MHz. When compared with Cat5e cabling, Cat6 has to abide by higher specifications. However, Cat6 cables also have a reduced maximum length of 55 meters for 10GBBASE-T, which is less than Cat5 and Cat5e but offers better performance and less crosstalk and system noise.

Cat6 cables usually have thicker sheaths than Cat5/5e cables and are more tightly wound than Cat5s. Usually, this cable will have 2 or more twists per centimetre.

Cat6 cabling offers better performance than Cat5 and Cat5e, but they are still good options for being more cost effective.

Cat6A

Cat6A cables are an enhanced version of category 6, with better performance and higher performance as defined by the TIA. Cat6A can support frequencies of up to 500 MHz, which is double what is supported by Cat6A.

Cat6A cabling has a few advantages over its predecessor, as you would expect. Cat6A supports up to 10GBps as Category 6 cabling does, but it can support 10GBps at 100 meters—almost double the distance of Cat6.

The sheathing on Cat6A cables is significantly more robust than any of the alternatives. The positions of this is that it lowers the chances of AXT. On the downside, the stronger sheathing means that this cable is rather inflexible, making it unsuited to a lot of IT infrastructures.

STRUCTURED CABLING

The key benefits

Structured cabling results in a cleaner, more effective IT infrastructure for your business. The benefits of structured cabling are many.

Cost-effective

Designing and installing structured cabling results in a more cost-effective solution long term. As structured cabling is highly organised, maintenance can be completed quicker and power costs can be kept to a minimum.

Reduced time consumption

When cabling is a mass of unorganised cables with a range of uses, organisation and routine maintenance can be very time consuming. We organise structured cabling, reducing the time to add to and remove cabling or perform maintenance.

Reduced downtime

When something goes wrong, it’s much easier to diagnose when cabling is well structured. This results in less downtime if a problem occurs.

The right cabling for you

We understand the importance of structured cabling and work closely with your business to create a structured cabling platform that works for your business. Our extensive experience and expertise mean that you should always choose Optionbox when it comes to designing and installing structured cabling in your buildings.

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