It is safe to say that today’s world is truly a “wired world,” and computers are absolutely everywhere. These devices make work and entertainment much easier, and this is certainly true in today’s offices and private homes alike. Many devices such as laptops and cell phones make use of wireless connections with the Internet, but this has not made networking cables obsolete at all. In fact, in a crowded office space with many computers in use at once, networking cables such as cat5e cables, crossover cables, and Ethernet cables are much to be desired. Networking cables such as these allow computers to securely and smoothly connect to the Internet and to each other, and IT professionals will be tasked with cat5 cables, cat6 ethernet cables, and more. And in any American’s private home, networking cables such as HDMI cables and USB cables can easily connect electronic devices for both work and leisure.
Cables in the Office
Not all private homes have a lot of high-tech devices in them, but nearly all workplaces will have computers and the right networking cables to connect everything. A large office is a good example of this, where many desktop PCs are used for work of all sorts. If all of these computers used wireless connections, this would create a lot of interference, and that may strain local wireless providers. Instead, IT professionals will set up all the networking cables needed for Internet access and to also create a data server on the premises.
For those not aware, a data server is a room with hundreds of computers linked to one another with networking cables, and these computers will sit on shelves and racks. These are not work PCs, and in fact they will not even have keyboards, monitors, or mice. Rather, they are linked into a massive whole that boasts impressive storage space and processing speed, and such servers can be expanded when new computers are added. USB and other cable types will link these computers properly, and the racks and cabinets will have holes to allow those cables to pass through. Meanwhile, the office will have many cables that connect desktop work PCs to this data server, allowing each connected computer to share that storage space and exchange files. Connected computers will also enjoy a boost to their processing power.
Don’t forget Ethernet cables, either. As mentioned earlier, having too many wireless Internet connections at once may strain the system, so an office will have modems and routers that plug into each work PC with ethernet cables. These cables may be either cat5 or the advanced cat6 model, and these cables allow each computer to enjoy a solid and secure connection to the Internet. Cat6 cables each have four pairs of copper wires to transmit lots of data, very fast. To get all this set up, IT workers will thread cables like these throughout the office discreetly so they are not a tripping hazard, and workers may even drill holes in the floor to pass cables through. And finally, a company may hire workers to install fiber optic cables, which can transmit vast amounts of Internet data with extreme speed. Usually, when these fiber optic cables are installed, workers will install unused extra fiber cables (known as dark cables), which may be put to use if the company’s Internet use grows in the future. These dark cables can act as backups, too, if any of the main ones fail.
At Home
Not all Americans have PCs and laptops and game consoles at home, but those who do will want the right cables. Some workers are remote employees, and they can set up a PC and related device in a home office for work. This means setting up an Ethernet cable to plug the PC into a router, and cables may connect a computer to a printer, fax machine, and more. And for leisure, a home entertainment system may use HDMI Cables, ethernet cables, and USB cables to connect an HDTV, a digital projector, a game console, a Blu-Ray player, and speakers. The only real limit is making sure that the involved devices are cable-compatible with one another, and setting up those cables so they are not a tripping hazard.
