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Showing posts with label quality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quality. Show all posts

Thursday, 16 June 2016

Patch Cables – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.



I have been in the Datacom/Telecommunications industry for over 20 years now and I can hardly believe how fast the time has flown by. When I first started at Datcom I was working in the production area making both fiber and copper cable assemblies. So I know quite a bit about the history and evolution of connectivity.
 Much has changed since then and many of the cables we made are no longer used and have been replaced by the most common of cables the humble Ethernet patch cord.
 Despite its appearance a lot of R&D has gone into its components and specifications over the years. Soon these cables and components will be adjusted again to support the emerging Cat8 cabling standard. But despite this change there is one thing I know should never change and that is quality.
 Certainly I understand that our economy is now global and that our industry is now hyper-competitive; however when it comes to connectivity quality matters. Too many times I have spoken with clients who chose to go with the lowest price when it comes to installs and cable assemblies and I would say that 90% of the time they end up spending more money in the long run replacing products that just don’t meet operational specifications.
 This issue has been well documented in our industry and we now have an industry watch dog in the CCCA which is helping us be informed when it comes to fake or substandard products in the market place. This article on patch cables is one example:
 Testing by CCCA Finds High Failure Rate in Electrical Performance of Imported Category 6 Copper Patch Cords - See more at: http://cccassoc.org/news/press-releases/testing-ccca-finds-high-failure-rate-electrical-performance-imported-category-6-copper-patch-cords
For this reason I felt compelled to give my customers and others a dissection of what makes a patch cable good and what to look for when buying products. The points below high light what would be considered bad and the linked photos show what would be good.
 1) There is no mfg name on the jacket. (Bad)
  2) There is no UL or CSA mentioned on the jacket. (Bad)
 3) There is no TIA standard listed on the jacket. (Bad)
 4) There is no mfg name on the components. (Bad)
 5) The connector looks to like C5 not C6. (Bad)
  6) Connector does not have an insert or technology designed to reduce cross talk. (Bad)
 7) The jacket material itself, especially within the connector looks either kinked or twisted (Bad)
 8) The actual lack of twists in the conductors in the upper portion of the connector looks to long as defined by the standard. (Bad)
9) The plating on the pins looks a little tarnished. (Bad)
10) The front view of the conductors also looks like the cable may be Copper Clad Aluminum. (Bad)
  And last but not least the ugly.
o learn more about what goes into our in house manufactured cable assemblies give us a call. 1-800-427-2055
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Friday, 10 July 2015

Counterfeit cable and why it cost more

Why should I buy anything other than counterfeit network cable, which is cheaper? Yes, you can save money by using a low-grade cable on an installation, but does it really translate in to savings or cost you more money in the long run?

Let’s take a look at the evidence of time. It seems as if every time the price of counterfeit copper or other cable components increases that a new wave of fake/counterfeit products hits the market place. Once installed someone eventually gets caught.

Datcom has been monitoring and reporting these incidences over the years as these issues arise. Lately the frequency of occurrences has increased. We have encountered products in June 07, April 09, Aug 10, Oct 10, and was reported as a growing concern in the Feb 2011 reported in Cabling and Maintenance a popular industry magazine. Fast forward to 2015 a we now have a whole association; CCCA in place to combat this insidious issue.

This problem has prompted UL to integrated similar holographic technology used on credit cards to try and stem the flow of this type of product. You can protect yourself and verify products using the itunes Authenticator App.

But here are the real issues when the cable is always discovered:

1)    Cables seldom pass the standards.
2)    Intermittent problems occur resulting in unscheduled service calls.
3)    If an inspection is done it usually leads to a total re-install at the contractors expense
4)    Potential loss of a client due to a perception of poor quality work.
5)    Proliferation of low quality products in the market place.
6)    No point of presence or local manufacturer support.
7)    Zero product constancy.
8)    No compensation when problems arise.

Most non-branded products are a scam and are here today but gone tomorrow. If you have never heard of the brand before, then rule of thumb says don't buy it no matter what the price.

End users are responsible for hiring contractors that know what they are doing. Contractors are responsible for dealing with distributors who are reliable, and distributors are responsible for dealing with manufactures that stand behind their products. If all else fails plug the UL number into the online directory and make sure the cable is listed for use in the country of purchase and what regulations it meets. The bottom line is that you get what you pay for & you should be buying from a reputable distributor.

Written by: Edgar Schuchardt Account Manager at Datcom Inc. 


For more information on cable or other products call 1-800-427-2055.
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Buying A Patch Cable is Not Rocket Science, is it?

According to the recent article in Cabling Installation and Maintenance it is closer than you might think. Find out why it maybe more important to know the components that make up your cable than the price.

Make sure that you are getting the cable that you are paying for, find out what is inside your Datcom Assured Patch Cables. 

·         Our cables use High Density, Inline, Low Profile, and Clear Snag-free Easy Squeeze Boot. 

·         All cable assemblies are RoHS Complaint.

·         The Polycarbonate RJ45 Modular Connector body we use is rated for 1000 mating cycles and contains phosphor Bronze crimp pins plated with 50um of 24K Gold and RoHS, FCC and ANSI/EIA 568-C.2 Complaint and Tested.

·         Performance is improved by using a composite staggered, pair separating loading bars with conductive NEXT reduction system.

·         Made from Quabbin Cable, 24 Gauge 7/32 tinned stranded copper cable complaint with TIA Category 6 & ISO 11801 Class E standards. Performance tested to 600 MHz and RoHS Complaint.

As you can see, not only do our assemblies meet your performance requirements, but also they are available in 13 colours, custom lengths and custom labels. Because we manufacture right here in Toronto and carry thousands of feet on the shelf delivery is quick and easy.


Take the guess work out of reliability with our 100% Lifetime Manufacturer’s Warranty against defects. 

Call Your Account Manager Now For This Special Pricing!!!  

* Some terms and conditions apply.
Written by: Edgar Schuchardt
Account  Manager at Datcom Inc.


For more information on Custom Assemblies call 1-800-427-2055.
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