Cabling: The Complete Guide to Network Wiring

The most comprehensive guide to network cabling available! Designed for cable installers and contractors, network administrators, and PC and network technicians, this book provides all the information you need to know to work safely and effectively with cables in the workplace. Coverage spans cabling system design and installation, electrical and security issues, cabling components, and documenting and troubleshooting your system. Includes a 32-page color insert for quick identification of connectors and cables, as well as vendor information and recommendations.

Is there such a thing as standards for networking cabling? What is the difference between Category 5 and 5e cabling? Under what circumstances should optical fiber cabling be used? What does crosstalk have to do with networking? What is an SC connector?

If you are an Information Technology professional, these questions may be plaguing you. For most of us, we take our network cabling for granted. We plug in a computer to the wall plate and connect the corresponding outlet on the patch panel to a hub and, boom, instant network. But how did we arrive at this point? How can we design and install a cabling system to support our network (and phones!) that achieves the level of reliability and flexibility that our electrical wiring already has. (You don’t upgrade your electrical wiring every time you want to add a new light, do you?)

We have designed and written this book for Information Technology professionals and those starting out with data and voice cabling. The point of this book is to help you unravel the mysteries of your existing cabling system, choose the right cabling standard, properly design a new cabling system, understand cable testing, and pick the right cable for your desired networking technologies.

We combined our own experiences working in the IT field with the experiences of cable installers, designers, and network professionals from all over the world in order to give you the facts on networking cabling. (And Jim got to realize his lifelong dream of using the word “critter” in a technical book.)

- David Groth - Jim McBee