Although wireless technology is quite useful for mobile devices, such as taking a laptop to a coffee shop or using a smart phone on the go, cables such as cat5e network cables, bulk USB cables, and cat6 cables are far from obsolete. In fact, in a setting such as a private home or a busy office, these cat5e network cables and the like may prove more effective than wireless Internet connections, and cat5e network cables and the like can be easily bought for home use or bought wholesale for an office. When a new office is built, IT professionals may be called in to install all of the hardware for computer work, from the desktop PCs to the data center to the cat5e network cables that may keep everything plugged in. What is there to know about the world of cables?
Using Cables at Home
Many American homeowners will have electrical cables in their home aside from mundane power cords for appliances like toasters and lamps. It is common for Americans today to own at least a few advanced electronics, such as a laptop or PC, a digital projector, a smart phone or tablet, or a modern video game console. With these devices, and the cables to connect them, a homeowner can create either a home office or a home entertainment system. Aside from needing all involved items to be compatible, there’s no limit to this.
Some American employees work from home rather than at the office, and to do this, they will have a home office. This office will feature a PC or laptop, and probably a printer or scanner, too. The employee will use Ethernet cables to plug that computer into their home router for a solid Internet connection, and that will allow them to send and receive e-mails, use live video chat with co-workers, and access the company’s Cloud data account.
Many Americans also like to build home entertainment systems, and this means using cables to plug everything into each other. For example, a laptop can be plugged into a digital projector with an HDMI cable to create a visual display, or a video game console or a Blu-Ray player can be plugged into an HDTV. This may also involve plugging in a surround sound system as desired. Doing this can create a home entertainment system not unlike a mini movie theater, and the right cables will keep the data flowing. Laptops and video game consoles can be plugged into the home router with Ethernet cables, too.
Cables in the Office
Meanwhile, an office will have plenty of use for cables. While a remote employee may use a wireless Internet connection while on board a company jet, having a multitude of wireless laptops in the office may overwhelm the signals. Instead, desktop PCs will be plugged into routers and a data center with cables, to ensure solid and smooth connections at all times. For an Internet connection, all desktop PCs will be plugged into the routers with Ethernet cables, typically cat5e network cables or cat6e cables. Category 6 cables are even tougher than cat5 cables, and they have four pairs of copper wires for maximum data transmission power. The “E” means that these cables have extended length. In any case, such cables will be carefully threaded around the office to keep all computers plugged in, while preventing any tripping hazards.
For those not aware, a data center is a room filled with racks that house hundreds or even thousands of computers, all linked with cables to form a single, powerful entity. These are not desktop PCs, as they don’t even have monitors, keyboards, or mice plugged into them. Instead, they form a giant “brain” with enormous storage space, and desktop PCs in the office can all be plugged into this data center to share files and make use of that ample storage space. Computers plugged into the data storage space may also enjoy a boost to their processing power. Here again, cables are threaded discreetly throughout the office, and IT professionals might even drill holes in the floors for easier cable access. And of course, cables should be regularly checked for damage, as worn-out cables are a fire hazard until they are repaired or replaced.
