TCC Telecom offers a one source solution for your structured cabling needs. Your computer network and telephone system are only as reliable as your cabling infrastructure permits. At TCC Telecom, we realize that structured cabling is the life of your entire network. The proper design, installation, and maintenance of your cabling infrastructure is absolutely critical in today’s fast-paced, competitive business world. Our approach is to first assess your existing and future network requirements, then to work with you to implement the best solution at the best price: on time, and on budget. Throughout the process we will ensure the highest quality service and will strive to exceed your expectations at every step of the way. Our companies commitment to you is simple – 100% customer satisfaction! Our services include but are not limited to:
- Data Network Planning
- Cat 5e, Cat 6, Coax Cable & Optical Fiber Installation
- Floor and Wall Rack Installation
- Wire Management
- Patch Panel & Wire Block Termination
- Testing
- Certification
Voice and Data Cable Planning
Should I use Cat5e or Cat6?
It is worth noting that both Cat5 and Cat6 cable utilize the same end piece, i.e. they can “plug in” to the same ports. The differences between each of these cables are in their capabilities, as well as the methods and materials used to create them. The “end” that all the cables have in common is known as RJ-45, and it is capable of plugging into any Ethernet jack on a computer, router, or another similar device. No one in the industry expects this to change anytime soon.
Electronic equipment (including data cables) emit electromagnetic signals. When lots of cables are near one another, these cables can interfere with one another. This interference is referred to as “cross-talk”. Cross-talk increases errors and lost packets (among other issues). Newer versions of data cables (i.e. Cat6 and Cat6A) reduce the impact of cross-talk through a variety of methods, including improved shielding and twisted cable design.
Cat5 Cable
Cat5 cable is broken into two separate categories: Cat5 and Cat5e. Cat5 has become obsolete in recent years due to its limitations compared to Cat5E and Cat6 cables. Cat5 cable can handle up to 10/100 Mbps at a 100MHz bandwidth (which was long considered extremely efficient), the newer versions of data cables are significantly faster.
Cat5e cable (the “e” stands for enhanced) became the standard cable about 15 years ago and offers significantly improved performance over the old Cat5 cable, including up to 10 times faster speeds and a significantly greater ability to traverse distances without being impacted by cross-talk. Cat5e is an acceptable cable for gigabit networks, but is not certified.
Cat6 Cable
Cat6 cables were introduced only a few years after Cat5e cables, but have primarily been used as the backbone to networks instead of being run to workstations themselves. This is due mainly to the cost, and the fact that while Cat6 cables can handle up to 10 Gigabits of data, the bandwidth is limited to 164 feet – beyond that the bandwidth will rapidly decay to only 1 Gigabit of data (the same as Cat5e).
Cat6 cable adds “Gigabit Certification”, meaning Cat6 cable is full-on certified to handle Gigabit speeds–it’s meant to handle it and it does it the best. Cat6 is also better in areas where interference might be a problem, so if your cable might be near power lines, light ballasts or heavy equipment Cat6 is the best for these applications.
Cat6A is the newest iteration and utilizes an exceptionally thick plastic casing that helps further reduce cross-talk. The biggest distinguishing difference between Cat6 and Cat6A cables is that Cat6A can maintain 10 Gigabit speeds for the full 328 feet of Ethernet cable.
Ultimately, those who want to have the most “future proofed” cable will want to go with Cat6A. However, for most business and commercial purposes, Cat5e and Cat6 cables should be more than sufficient.
Floor and Wall Racks
From simple 2 post racks to full cabinets, TCC provides only the highest quality racks from Chatsworth Products. All racks are securely mounted or fastened to the floor or wall with safety and functionality in mind.
Wire Management
Adding wire management to you rack makes your cabling job look much cleaner and it makes it much easier to keep organized moving forward. We can add wire management to new or existing racks. We only use the highest quality wire management from ICC and Chatsworth Products.