new lan issues

[Ostuni]

wow. where has this forum been all my life. you guys are good! great stuff here!

saw the earlier thread about monica's (?) new lan and have some follow-up questions/issues:

what are solid brand names for cat5E cable and connectors? looking for the "hondas" (as opposed to lexus being too rich and a geo being too cheap...) how about for fiber backbone cable and st connectors?

business question: would like to have a single contractor do the cable AND lan electronics... goal is to plug in our server and router and go... thinking best solution is to get a good networking outfit to sub the cable and take care of the details... is that common? or do a lot of folks bid that out as two separate jobs? have had experience with cable pullers who turn out to be not so hot on the lan electronics side... mtia

 

[jimbopalmer]

in the early 90's I used Anixter as a turn key installer, they seen reaady to re-enter that field I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[Guest_imported]

Answering one of your questions...

I talked to low voltage installers and then high voltage. What I settled on was to go with the high voltage (i.e. a licensed electrician) because they could meet all my needs. I thought at first it would be a good idea to have a "specialist" install my phone and network wiring but it just meant I had one more contractor to worry about. Besides, I found a really good electrician and use him as much as I can afford to (if he could paint and do hardwood floors I'd hire him for that too.)

Good luck.

Rudy

 

[daronwilson]

These are common concerns indeed. In our case, we are a large electrical contractor with (among other things) a telecom division. Our goal is to offer complete "substation to workstation" solutions for the customer. What works for us is to generally use our electrcians to run the conduit and maybe pull cable if needed. Then our telecom techs jump in and terminate and test the wiring. As professional and helpfull as the electricians are, their area of expertise is generally not telecom cabling, and our telecom techs are licensed limited energy electricians. We sell several lines of lan hardware as well as key and pbx phone systems. So, there are vendors who can carry you the entire way. I find that unless the customer has already developed a working relationship with a computer networking company, that it works out very well for them. If it is more complex than we are used to (cisco router programming above the standard setup, etc.) we drag in a partner company that are networking specialists.

As for Cat5e hardware, wow there are so many choices, for low cost I would look at ICC and Sprint product group. Both of their Cat5e solutions seem to be very well stocked by the companies and they are quite cost effective and I have experience minimal failure. If you want to step up a bit I would look at Ortronics, Panduit, Amp-Tyco, Hubbell, Leviton.

Good Luck ! Daron J. Wilson, RCDD
Telecom Manager
LH Morris Electric, Inc.
daron.wilson@lhmorris.com

 

[MattWray]

Most Interconnect companies will take care of your Cable and Electronics ie Hubs, routers, phone switches, etc... Matt Wray
CCNA, MCP
mwray77518@yahoo.com

 

[Avaya1]

Ostuni,

As a manager of a Telecom Dept. with experience via the vendor side of the house, I understand your need. It's always easier to generate one PO. Here's what I suggest,...

Network with your local telecom supply companies to find out who is selling/ installing the most cat 5+ cable in your area. Those who do typically get the best rate per foot on cable from the telecom supply be cause of quantity purchased. This in turn could be savings for your employer.

Secondly, as Matt said... allot of the data cabling companies can offer jack to cloud solutions.

As far as the type of cable and connector's - you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for a long term solution, spend the money. It's never good to go to your Sr. Exec's/ VP's 5 years later and say that you have to re-cable because your cabling network is obsolete, (can only handle up to 150 Mhz).

Allot of the higher end cabling manufactures offer warranties if the installed cabling network is comprised of certain types of components, e.g. Leviton Telecom's Lifetime Performance warranty, Ortronics 25-year Extended Product Warranty or the 25-year Application Assurance Warranty. Ask your vendor about these programs.

Back to your one stop shop reference,... it is my opinion that I would steer clear of the Electrician Data Cabling Companies. Even though there may be some good companies out there that offer such services - its been my experience that allot of the Electrician Data Cabling "professionals" do not know the difference between a star or ring topology.

Good luck,

KG

 

[mpstech]

I use Accutech out of Roswell GA 18002214767 ask for Jeramie. They are under the same parent company as Anixter, who's target market is home type people while Accu-Tech tends to tne needs of contractors. Bottem line is call some suppliers and get thier best price and shop around. Be specific on what kind of "honda" cat 5e you want, there are diffrent types of cat 5e and the prices reflect it.
Mike Mike