In mission critical as well as secure network applications, fiber optic cabling forms the infrastructure of choice – with superior transmission line and noise cancelling performance over that of traditional copper cable.

We all know how signals travel over copper – but how does fiber optic cable work?  The main reason for its superior performance is that it converts the signals being carried into light before transmission, and converts them back again on the other end.

Fiber optic cables are very thin glass wires (some are made of plastic) that are arranged in bundles or optical cables.  Each fiber has a core or thin center where the light is carried, a cladding that reflects the light back into the core, and an outside coating called a “buffer” that protects the fiber from damage.

Each bundle is again protected by an outer coating, called a “jacket”.

The light signal can travel at longer distances than electrical signals can travel over copper, as it bounces back and forth from the cladding which is reflective and doesn’t absorb any light.   The only thing that degrades the signal as it travels is impurities in the glass (or plastic), which is why it is a good idea to use high quality cabling if using fiber optics for long runs.

The light is sent across the cable using a transmitter, which is usually a laser or LED that is placed very close to the fiber.  On the other end, a photodiode receiver detects the light signal, decodes it, and turns it back into an electrical signal that can be read by a computer or piece of networking equipment.

Fiber optic cabling is thinner than copper wire, and can be run in tighter places than copper.  It also uses less power, so is “greener”.

Because these cables are thinner, more of them can be bundled together to increase the overall carrying capacity, making fiber optics a great choice for service providers such as AT&T Uverse with an IPTV offering.

Fiber optics are also very flexible, which is why they are used in medical imaging where they must bend in order to get good pictures of internal organs.   Because glass doesn’t emit electromagnetic energy that can be “sniffed”, fiber optic cabling is also much more secure than traditional copper in network cabling.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our Network Cabling website as the original source).

Sophisticated networking equipment was once only found in large companies, while small companies shared a dial-up modem to access the Internet or didn’t access the Internet at all.   File sharing between computers was performed by “sneaker-net”; walking around with discs from computer to computer.

Today’s economy demands efficiency for success, and the Internet has become a requirement for doing business at any level.   This has left many small businesses struggling to use complex equipment designed for much larger businesses –or trying to use cheap equipment with low quality standards and no service or maintenance contracts.

Many of the traditional networking companies have recognized this problem, and are now offering service packages customized to the needs of small business, or easy-to-set up and provision equipment with higher quality standards and more comprehensive installation instructions.

Cisco’s Small Business Technology Group (formerly Linksys) offers a wide variety of such products with comprehensive service packages so that small business owners have a place to turn to if or when things go wrong.   Texas based Epygi offers a small business IPPBX that accommodates legacy phones and can be installed within 30 minutes of opening the box.

No matter which path you choose – better service packages or simpler equipment – any network is only going to be as reliable as its infrastructure.  If your small business is planning to invest in some great SMB networking products – make sure they are running on the very best cable and wiring before paying big bucks for a service package!  Call a professional team of network cabling installers to review your infrastructure, and you will save yourself a lot of headaches.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention http://www.intsysinst.com as the original source).

Quality of service, also known as QoS is a way that networking equipment companies and service providers can help voice and video packet traffic have priority over less critical data traffic.  It is important to have some kind of QoS system running in your network if you have a VoIP (voice-over-IP) system or telepresence system installed.

The simplest method for QoS is 802.11 p and q TOS (type of service) bit prioritization, where bits are toggled in the actual voice packet itself to show priority level. These bits let these IP packets be prioritized over the non-essential stuff, so that your voice calls are not choppy and disjointed because of late packet arrival or packets not showing up at all.

Without QoS in place, if someone downloads a huge file in your company, a voice call that is happening on the same network may fade in and out, get very choppy, or drop altogether.  And if you have an admin in the corner playing video games or watching Hulu on his or her lunch hour, the entire phone network could be slow and unresponsive.

Quality of Service can be put to use inside a company’s structured cabling network, for specific routers and switches, or just to control specific applications.  If you want QoS to improve the voice quality for a VoIP network, it is very important to make sure that you have “end-to-end” QoS.  This means that the same QoS prioritization scheme should be used from where the call originates to where the call terminates, which means any service provider’s networks that routers hop to along the call path should feature QoS as well.

Most service providers who offer Internet services that are specified for voice do offer QoS, but it is best to check to be sure.  The part that you usually can’t control is outside callers and callees – some of them may be on VoIP and some on the PSTN (public switched telephone network).  It makes sense to read carefully any SLA  (service level agreement) your provider sends you BEFORE signing up for their service, to make sure the Internet quality you are going to get is specified as being suitable for voice services.

Some networking companies broaden the definition of QoS; expanding it to mean anything and everything that contributes to better network operation, such as having in place a sophisticated network management system.  Certainly such a system is a plus for any company network, and will help you uncover potential bottlenecks and issues before they create any mission critical problems for your business.

At the most basic level, most routers you can purchase for small businesses allow you to set QoS priorities based on types of traffic – voice, video or data.  You can prioritize by IP tags, or by MAC (media access controller) so that some phones or computers in your network can have priority over others.  This can come in handy if you want to make sure that the CEO’s phone is always clear!

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention http://www.intsysinst.com as the original source).

Packet loss happens when packets traveling across a data network fail to reach their destination.  In the simple transfer of files or emails, dropping a few packets doesn’t really affect things much.  But if you have a voice-over-IP phone system, a telepresence video system or are running video intensive games or simulations over the web – a few dropped packets can be a major issue.

What are the causes of packet loss?  Packet loss happens when routers or switches are congested, when links are faulty, or when ISPs have oversubscription in their service to you.

Fixing packet loss issues means calling out a good technician to put a “sniffer” on your network to determine where the problem is occurring. If it is in your network, you may need to upgrade your switches or routers to be sure they can handle the load you are asking them to carry. Many older networks were never upgraded when employees and new networked printers, servers, etc were added. This creates problems just waiting to happen, which is why a solid network design for scalability makes sense from the onset!

Your network cabling installers can help you determine what upgrades are needed to your network and infrastructure, and then provide you with a time and cost estimate for implementation.  Sometimes, network cabling must also be upgraded so that you have the most optimal connections between your network nodes.  Older Cat 3 cabling was not designed for the demands of a Fast Ethernet network, nor was it designed to handle sensitive VoIP or voice-over-IP call packets.

Misconfigured IPPBXs or Call Managers can also create voice quality issues that have symptoms similar to packet loss conditions.  It is best to do a packet capture using Wireshark to take a look at the actual command signals to make this determination.  If anything is misconfigured and causing some signaling problems, your network cabling installer can help by reconfiguring the offending equipment.

If the problem is determined to be with your ISP, sending them sniffer data and packet loss data along with a copy of the SLA (service level agreement) they committed to when signing you up may help motivate them to improve their service. If you are trying to run sensitive telepresence or VoIP equipment on less than a business grade DSL Internet connection, your provider will recommend a service upgrade.

A T1 is a great choice, but can be pricey.  If you are in a remote area where business grade DSL is not available due to distance from the central office, a WiMax link may be a wonderful choice and WiMax service is expanding rapidly in availability.

Cable service has really improved over the last several years as well, and in some areas, 12MB of bandwidth is available as a standard business class service.

Packet loss doesn’t have to be an ongoing problem; and it makes sense to address any issues you have immediately before they impact your business communications further.  Packet loss symptoms include choppy VoIP connections, choppy video connections, and streaming media that is no longer smooth.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention http://www.intsysinst.com as the original source).