Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes, consult with a cabling professional like Lone Star Cable before designing your floor plans. We can save you thousands of dollars. While most add-ons are simple, some can be costly if cable runs end up being over 300ft to reach back to each station, cube or desk from the main IT closet. Partnering with a professional before your final drawings or buildout can save you on change-orders during construction to add an additional IT closet or expansion for added infrastructure.
Multimode fiber is designed with a larger core to handle multiple modes of light to pass through, mostly used in buildings and private type networks running into an IDF (Independent Distribution Frame or remote room or closet connected to the MDF) back to the MDF (Main Distribution Frame or main computer room) up to 1800ft for the top rated OM4 type MM fiber. Single Mode with a smaller core to only handle one mode to pass through at any given time is mostly used for longer distances, best used for connecting buildings together through underground coring, telephone poles or large warehouses that exceed multimode cable length.
This could be due to a bad cable job. Un-shielded data cables that were run above your ceilings or in your walls can be compromised by electric magnetic interference. Therefore, it is important to use a cable vendor, like Lone Star Cable that will certify your data cables. Lone Star Cable technicians are trained to keep data cables off of lights, power cables/conduits and/or AC motors that cause this type of problem.
Your server room and walls need to be labeled correctly in order to make changes and make moves effortlessly for your IT staff. A bad label is a bad cable…and can be costly. Trying to find a mislabeled data connection can cost as much as $150 an hour or more due to cheap or bad data cabling. Try not to cut corners on your next install. Data cabling in your new office will outlive 3-5 computers and components, including switches, printers, wireless access points and more during its life span of your buildings lease or your next move.
Your business’ success starts with a professional cable install. Understanding what is needed for your end-point internet connection and local network bandwidth or overhead speeds are beneficial to keeping your network working efficiently, no matter if you are using a local server with higher LAN speeds or an off-site server platform that only requires speeds as fast as your internet connection. With constant future technology changes, it is vital to have the proper infrastructure in place to keep up with your ever changing business needs. Cat-5/10-100Mbps, Cat-5e/100-1000Mbps, Cat-6/1Gbps, Cat-6e/1Gbps-10Gbps, Cat-6A/10Gbps.
There are too many variables to give an exact time frame due to the building size, ceiling type and height, construction progress, cube install and delivery dates. The best answer is to have Lone Star Cable be included at the beginning of your design, giving you time to ramp-up with construction, letting us work with your IT staff to figure out the IT room size and buildout requirements.
Make sure all new data cables are certified with a Fluke or LanTek-III type cable tester or a tester that generates certification reports that can be downloaded and emailed to you. This will also safeguard you from other vendors working in your ceilings and or accidentally cutting one of your data cables, having proof that it was working before they came out.
Wireless printers are mostly designed for residential type environments, using only one wireless connection modem or router. In a business type environment, the wireless printer can cause the network to drop or have problems, if the network has more than one wireless access point with no wireless controller or a controller that is not strong enough. It is always best to run a data cable for each printer keeping the wireless network for end-users only.
Most open offices have eliminated ceiling tiles, carpet or acoustic wall panels for an industrial look but in doing so, have stripped everything to absorb sound waves. The fix is a sound masking system, or speech privacy system, that will create ambient background sound, sound that fills in-between human conversation. This type of system will give you the privacy needed in today’s modern office design.
Lone Star Cable suggests you replace the entire system. The new NVRs use IP cameras that are designed to easily connect to your smart phones and new cameras which have superior resolution from any older model cameras from just three years ago. Older IP cameras only work with certain NVRs and most firmware updates will not fix this problem, and will only cost you IT dollars with no results or quick fix.
The best cable to use for camera installs is Cat-6 cable with a cable pair divider inside. This keeps the cable pairs separated and eliminates crosstalk between the pairs that are sending video and power through the same Cat-6 cable. This will guaranty a great picture without video loss with the maximum distance allowed (Cat-6@328 ft from end to end). POE+ camera switches and inline repeaters will allow you to exceed these distances if needed.
Riser-rated cable is less expensive, but if you are in a multi-story building that uses above-ceilings as an air-return…it is recommended to use a Plenum-rated cable with a lower burn temperature rating to pass fire inspection. PVC or Riser-rated cable can be used in Telco closets and/or between floors in conduits but will not be allowed outside these rooms unless you are in a warehouse-type building with return air-ducts. If you’re not sure… always ask your general contractor who is building out your space, they are working with the city and fire Marshalls requirements.