Structured CablingTraditionally, telephone and computer data outlets have been installed on an adhoc basis as and where needed. The inevitable poor record keeping that accompanies this method results in high costs for installation and maintenance, while network performance suffers due to poor installation practice.
With structured cabling systems all such cabling is combined, traced to and managed from a single distribution point. Moving telephone lines and computer outlets becomes as simple as moving a plug on a patch panel.
In addition, all outlets become multi-functional, serving both telephony and computer data needs.
There are now two standards in common use for structured cabling systems, Cat5e and Cat6. Both standards are capable of supporting 1000baseT Ethernet (Gigabit Ethernet), the difference lays in the use of the connections.
Category 5e, running at 100MHz, uses all four pairs found in a network cable to transmit data in simple simplex mode i.e. data flows in one direction at any given time.
Category 6, however, differentiates the four pairs, using 2 pairs for each direction, therefore allowing full duplex operation. The advantage of this is that the frequency in use can be increased (to 250MHz), while reducing the amount of networking losses due to data collision.
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