Unshielded vs. shielded twisted-pair cabling. • Unshielded vs. shielded twisted-pair cabling • In "noisy" environments such as airports and manufacturing facilities, shielded twisted-pair (STP) cable is preferred. These environments contain ra...

Multimode vs. single-mode fibre. • Multimode vs. Singlemode Fibre • Multimode fibre cable has a large-diameter core and therefore has multiple modes of propagation—that is, several wavelengths of light are used in the fibre core. It’s primaril...

Fibre vs Copper • Fibre versus copper. • When planning a new or upgraded cabling infrastructure, you have two basic choices: fibre or copper. Both offer superior data transmission. The decision on which one to use may be difficult. It will oft...

Loose-tube vs. tight-buffered fibre optic cable • Loose-tube vs. tight-buffered fibre optic cable • There are two styles of fibre optic cable construction: loose tube and tight buffered. Both contain some type of strengthening member, such as ...

Loose-tube vs. tight-buffered fibre optic cable • Loose-tube vs. tight-buffered fibre optic cable • There are two styles of fibre optic cable construction: loose tube and tight buffered. Both contain some type of strengthening member, such as ...

Black Box Explains: Copper Cable • Choosing the right copper cable for your network can be a daunting proposition. You have to consider many factors such as network equipment, available space, bandwidth specifications, total cost of ownership,...

USB 3.0 • USB 3.0. • The newest USB standard, USB 3.0 or “SuperSpeed USB," provides vast improvements over USB 2.0. USB 3.0 promises speeds up to 5 Gbps, about ten times that of USB 2.0. • USB 3.0 uses a sync-n-go technology that minimizes use...

Twisted-pair shielding and conductors. • Shielded vs. unshielded cable • The environment determines whether cable should be shielded or unshielded. • Shielding is the sheath surrounding and protecting the cable wires from electromagnetic leaka...

Light Injector • Light Injector • When you need to re-route or change a patch cable in crowded cabling cabinet, you can't be 100% sure you'll pick the right cable, unless both ends are clearly identified. Disconnecting the wrong cables may bre...