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Computer Network Wire Management Tips
Designing Your Network Cable Management System
Computer wire management advice: If you are a network engineer and you are seeking a solution for the morass of wires that your growing company has saddled you with, you may want to consider the various wire duct solutions at your fingetips.
The most important aspect of wire solution design is scalability. You want something that will grow with your company so you aren't hampered with an entire system conversion down the line.
Additionally, you want to choose a network cable management system that will be gentle on your cable, or else you risk network performance degredation and ultimate increases in costs due to cable replacement. Make sure you design your cable wiring system with these things in mind and you are sure to create a successful solution.
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About Corning Cable Systems
CableOrganizer.com Tip: Corning Cable Systems is a global company that offers a broad range of fiber optic and copper product solutions for telecommunications networks. If you're looking for fiber optic products, consider Corning Cable systems, which you can find at cableorganizer.com. The company deals with:
Cables
Connectors
Network design
Project management
Installation and maintenance
Equipment rental and training programs
Optical fiber cables for aerial, duct, buried, road, rail, power, sewer and submarine applications
Fiber optic and copper data cables, connectors and related hardware
Cable hardware and equipment including network interface devices, test equipment, splice equipment, cable assemblies and fiber optic connectors
Network design, project management, installation and maintenance and fiber optic training programs
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Free Space Optics Broadband
If your office has to set up a branch in another building, how will you transfer your data? If you can run a network cable, consider Free Space Optics technology. This system uses laser technology to carry up to 2.5 Gbps of information a distance of up to 4 km. Transmit voice, data, or video clearly and inexpensively.
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Types of Corning Cable
CableOrganizer.com Tip: Here are some Corning cable types and what they do, courtesy of CableOrganizer.com:
Corning MIC riser cables: use these for routing cable inside of buildings, building backbone, horizontal installations in riser shafts, telecommunications rooms and work stations for all high speed data applications.
Corning MIC plenum cables: meant for building backbone and horizontal installations in plenum and general purpose environments.
Corning ALTOS all dielectric gel-free cables: lightweight cables used for outdoor aerial and duct installations.
Corning FREEDM LST gel-free cables: good for inter and intra building backbones for aerial, duct and riser applications. Gel-free makes cable preparation easy because the cables contain no messy gels. Also, with this cable the buffer, tubes and fibers in each tube are color-coded for quick, easy identification.
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Cord Covers
It's a fact of life; sometimes you have just put together an office or you may have an ongoing project that end up forcing you to run computer cables across halls, floors, or other areas with foot or even vehicle traffic. You risk damage to your cables, your floor, and it creates a potentially dangerous tripping hazard. There are alternative solutions you can consider. Look at light capacity cord covers to protect your cables and your employees! You can even get more innovative and consider a raised floor cable management systems. Think out of the box!
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About Wall Mount Racks
CableOrganizer.com Tip: The workplace goal in the new millennium is a space that is organized and easily accessible for upgrades and reconfigurations. A cable management rack helps to do just that.
A wall mount rack creates an area for your equipment where space is limited or does not exist. In other words, if you are lacking a telecommunications room or your existing room is very cramped, you can store equipment right on the wall by putting up a wall mount rack with shelving inside.
Wall mount racks make it easy to secure and access your equipment. They are available in different height and depths. There are two basic styles of wall mount racks:
Fixed wall mount rack: holds more weight -- up to several hundred pounds in equipment
Swing gate wall mount rack: pivots open to provide easier access to the rear of the equipment, but holds much less weight than fixed wall mount racks
There are wall mount racks that are made only for indoors and are not made for plenum spaces or industrial or harsh environments. So, make sure you are getting a wall mount rack that is right for your needs.
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Managing Your Office Environment
If your office environment is either:
A. growing like crazy B. in a cool old building C. awkwardly laid out
you may be facing a cable and wire organization nightmare. Obviously you want to protect your employees from tripping and your equipment from being damaged, but how do you proceed when you have cables running to and fro and a mass of tangles wires everywhere you look?
Take a deep breath and look into versatile cable raceways. They are entirely customizable, right down to the fact that they can be painted and they can be designed, by you, for the most eclectic of office spaces.
Perhaps you are in an older building with a lot of character but not enough jacks? No problem!
Maybe you have to come up with some temporary solutions for an influx of staffers and the computers that have come with them? Also not an issue.
Look at a product like the Panduit cable raceway, and you will probably be able to create an excellent custom solution with their cable raceway and accessories.
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Computer Racks Organize Your Office
CableOrganizer.com Tip: A computer rack can do so much for your office cable management. It's amazing what an enclosed monitor, some sliding shelves and sliding keyboard drawers can do. A computer rack means your cables and wires are hidden and out of the way.
Computer racks come in many shapes, sizes and materials. There are computer racks made of heavy duty perforated metal with locked plexi-glass doors for extra security and there are simple chrome racks consisting of a few shelves on wheels for something inexpensive, mobile and easy to access. A cable rack can cost you less than $100 or several thousand dollars, depending on how elaborate you'd like to get with your set up and how many accessories you'd like to include. There are more than 100 different computer rack accessories available to help you customize your computer rack for your needs. Accessories include fans, shelves, side panels, power strips and more.
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EZWIND Extension Cord Organizer
When you are setting up a piece of equipment, how much time gets lost unwinding or untangling the extension cord? How many new swearwords have you invented while doing so? The EZWIND Wire Organizer is a very clever tool for managing extension cords. You can easily wind and unwind just the right amount of wire, and it allows you to unwind from either end of the cord. It can also add years to the life of your cords because the special center post helps you avoid aggravating twists and curls that seem to creep into most extension cords.
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Cable Tray Wiring Systems
CableOrganizer.com Tip: A cable tray wiring system is a rigid structural support system used to securely fasten or support cables and raceways.
Need some more information on cable trays? Check out these facts about cable trays, courtesy of Cooper B-line, a manufacturer of support systems and enclosures for the mechanical, electrical and telecommunications industries.
Standard lengths for cable trays are 10, 12, 20 and 24 feet.
Choosing which cable tray you need depends on what the cable tray must support, the distance between the cable tray supports and the ease of handling and installation, among other things.
A cable tray wiring system is often chosen because of its safety features, dependability and the fact that it saves space, time and money on design, material and installation.
A ladder cable tray is used often because the rungs offer a convenient anchor for tying down cables, cables can exit or enter at the top or bottom of the tray, it's well ventilated and moisture cannot accumulate
A channel cable tray is ideal for cable tray runs involving a small number of cables
A ventilated trough cable tray is often used when there is no desire to use a ladder cable tray to support small diameter multiconductor control and instrumentation cables. These trays have a neat appearance because no dropping of the small diameter cables is visible.
A solid bottom cable tray is sometimes preferred because it supports large numbers of small diameter control and multiconductor instrumentation cables. However, unlike ventilated trough and ladder, these trays can collect and contain moisture.
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Computer and Server Racks
Modern offices are often concerned with security in regard to computer equipment. A computer rack or computer server rack is an affordable and sensible options for securing valuable equipment in a fixed place. Losing a computer server could bring the entire office's network down, not to mention cost a bundle. Also, computers themselves can be stolen or vandalized without the security of a computer rack. Made of a durable steel alloy, some computer and server racks can hold up to 1000 pounds.
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Don't Forget Your Server Rack
CableOrganizer.com Tip: While shopping for computer racks to organize your office, don't forget to think about server rack cable management.
Server racks are usually a metal enclosure or piece of furniture designed to build and hold computer servers, monitors, network equipment and more. A good server rack will protect, secure and make it easy to reconfigure and manage your electronics.
When shopping for server racks consider a few things, such as size and capacity. Be sure that the size of the rack fits well in the space you will be putting in. Also, think about weight limits and how much equipment you're placing on the rack.
Configuration is another important element. Will you require sliding shelves or ones that are fixed in place? Consider how your equipment will be connected.
Security of your equipment is important. There are varying degrees of security when it comes to server racks. The least secure server racks are simply open frames, while a very secure rack will likely have four solid panels with a lock around the equipment.
Other things to consider are whether you want steel or aluminum, do you want access to your equipment through side panels, do you care about color, do you want a locking mechanism and do you want vented doors or panels. As you can see, there is much to consider when shopping for a server rack.
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Free Space Optics Broadband
Do you need a slightly larger than “local area” network? Free Space Optics offers serious communication power with a minimum of fuss. This laser technology system requires no spectrum licensing. It is easy to upgrade and supports equipment from a variety of vendors. Free Space Optics requires no security software, and is unaffected by radio frequency interference or saturation. Free Space Optic systems can even be deployed to transmit through windows.
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Computers, Cases and Your Remote Staff
If your sales force is on the run, traveling with expensive computer equipment, and you have sent them out with just a standard case, you are asking for trouble.
Any company that doesn't invest in protective carrying cases, like a pelican laptop attaché case, should just wait for the call from their sheepish employee when the computer is destroyed because the travel case wasn't durable.
The pelican laptop case comes with a shoulder strap for easy carrying and will protect your technology investment from being dropped, rained on or just mishandled by a clumsy bellboy - or even a clumsy employee!
If you have a cluster of laptops that get checked out for traveling employees, or you have folks that are always on the road, you should consider investigating protective travel cases. In the long run, the up front investment will ensure that the technology lasts longer. This doesn't fix the quick obsolescence of technology in today's marketplace, but at least you will have a shot at getting your money's worth!
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Computer racks and cabinets
Equipment security is a major concern in today's marketplace. There are many wall mounted computer cabinets that offer space saving techniques as well as locks for security. Most larger companies choose a server room which is also secured and climate controlled. Stay organized and stay secure!
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Various Styles of Computer Racks
Computer racks are important tools in office wire management because they offer storage space for both surge protectors and cables. Also, computer racks secure valuable equipment that could otherwise be tampered with or stolen. There are various styles available, including wall-mounted and open racks. The wall-mounted computer rack is an enclosed cabinet with a hinged door that can be locked. There are many different sizes available and they can be customized to the equipment's specific height, width and weight. The most durable wall-mounted computer rack can support over 400 pounds. Open computer racks, while not enclosed, fix a computer in one place for added security. Like the wall-mounted racks, the open style can be fully customized for the equipment it holds.
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Unorganized Wires And Allergies
It is in the best interest of everyone at the office to ensure the environment is as free of allergens as possible. Many sick days are taken each year due to allergy attacks and messy wires around the desk can be a leading cause. It is next to impossible for a nest of unorganized wires and cables to be thoroughly cleaned. As a result, dust particles build up in unreachable nooks and crannies. With the use of wire management accessories such as pop-up outlets, computer racks and cable ties, allergens in the workplace can be greatly reduced.
