How Does a Structured Cabling Installation Work?

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Many Australian offices have false floors and ceilings these days which means that they can be flood wired easily. Not only does this mean that power outlets can be placed just about anywhere you might happen to need them, thereby allowing for the office to be changed and reconfigured at will, but it means that computer cabling can reach every part of the space, as well.

Even where there is no simple way of hiding data cables away, structured cabling can be installed within trunking and dado rails to provide a convenient and adaptable local area network, or LAN. Essentially, a structured cabling installation means that all of an office's networked devices – computers, copiers, printers and audio-visual equipment – can be moved and plugged in without any problems. But how does it work?

Data Communications Cabling Explained

Modern data cabling consists of a system of Ethernet cables which use UTP, or unshielded twisted pair, wiring. There are various standards for this sort of cabling, such as Cat5e and Cat6, but the main thing to know is that a series of pairs of wires within the cable are crimped at either end to an industry-standard RJ45 socket. This creates a cost-effective and high-speed connection between the outlet socket and its 'home' position, a centrally located place in the office, usually a data room. All you need to do to connect your computer, phone or printer to the network is to plug it in via an RJ45 patch cable. So long as the socket at the other end is appropriately patched into the corresponding device, a connection is achieved. If you want to switch desks or move workstations around, all that you need to do is unplug your device and plug it in again at another outlet socket.

What Goes in a Data Room?

Most structured cabling installations have cables that extend from a central point to all of the locations devices are likely to be needed in an office. Think of it like a spider's web with the UTP cable running from the data room to each of the installation's outlets. In the data room, the outlets should have a corresponding RJ45 jack installed in rows in a 19" rack. This means that a patch cable can be plugged into the corresponding jack which will connect any device to the LAN. For computers and other gadgets that require internet protocol data communications, this means patching them into a 10/100 switch or a hub router.

The Advantages of Structured Cabling

Not only does structured cabling allow for complete flexibility within an office, but it is often much faster operations than wireless connections offer. Wi-Fi tends to slow down when there are multiple users accessing it, something that is not an issue with a server that is connected to terminals via a well installed structured cabling LAN.


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