Ensuring reliability in your network all starts with proper cable installation and management. And if you neglect this part, you will most likely end up facing lots of network issues down the line. If you’d like to avoid common cable installation and management pitfalls, it’s important to ensure that you use the right techniques and adhere to industry standards from the very beginning.
Getting everything right from the start might seem like a tall order for beginners. To help you get started, we have compiled a comprehensive set of best practices to guide you toward success. These range from proper planning to using high-quality metal trunking from reliable suppliers such as RS.
1. Do Proper Planning and Design
If you’d like to end up with a well-organized and efficient network, you need a plan and a design. To come up with these, you can assess the requirements and objectives of your network. These can be things like the number of devices and the bandwidth required. From there, consider the environment and see how you can place the equipment you’ll need, such as access points.
You can then use this information to create a comprehensive blueprint of your network. While at it, ensure that you have a plan on how to achieve scalability as well as security.
2. Use High-Quality Cables and Components
Going for cheap cables and components will leave you with poor performance and reliability. First, these cables typically have a lower than standard core, which means that it will most likely cause signal loss. Cheap cables are also more likely to be culprits of stretching or snapping, which will just give you more work during maintenance.
Sure, high-quality cables will cost more, but they will be worth it. Your data will be transmitted effectively, and there’ll be less signal loss due to interferences from power cables. And apart from cables, also ensure you use high-quality connectors and plugs.
3. Label Every Cable
Whether you are working on a small home network or a complex data center infrastructure, you should never fail to label your cables. Sure, it can take quite some time when doing so. However, you will realize the importance and get your time back the moment you’ll need to troubleshoot something or do some maintenance. When labeling, ensure you use durable material and a consistent labeling system.
4. Organize Your Cable Pathways
When you properly organize your cables, you significantly reduce the risk of them getting damaged and even losing signal due to interference. To achieve this, you can start by planning the routes you want your cables to follow. From there, you can lay your cable with a little bit of slack, but not too much. You don’t want them to be too tight as this may end up putting unwanted pressure on them, and leaving them too lose will increase the chances of tangling.
Another best practice here is to use cable management solutions such as trunkings, racks, and cable ties. This will ensure that they stay in place and avoid accidental disconnections. Then when you no longer want to use a cable, ensure you don’t just cut it on the ends and leave it there. Remove it in its entirety.
5. Perform Regular Inspections
Disruptions and downtimes are always annoying, and it is your job to ensure that it’s not your infrastructure responsible for them. Doing inspections from time to time will help you prevent these downtimes, as you can be able to note cables that are showing signs of wear or damage. Also, see if there are exposed wires or connectors that are looking bent or strained. All these things can indicate potential issues, so you’ll be able to prevent downtimes and ensure optimal performance.
