1. Use a calibrated stripping tool
If you are doing the work yourself, or if you think you may be making changes in the future, invest in a calibrated stripping tool that precisely matches the size of the cable to ensure that the delicate fiber doesn’t get damaged. If you are hiring a contractor to do the installation for you, make sure they use the right tool. Even minute damage can cause data transmission issues.2. Make sure connections are clean
While you have the fiber open, be sure not to let it get wet or contaminated, and always use a technical-grade of isopropyl alcohol, which has a purity of 99 percent, to clean all termination points before connecting the fiber. Even microscopic particles can interfere with data transmission, so it’s vital that every connection is absolutely clean.3. Leave slack in your cables
Always leave a length of extra cable at the start and end points and leave a loose coil at strategic locations somewhere near the midpoint. This will help immeasurably if you ever need to make repairs or splices so that you don’t have to pull the cable too taut. You never want to put too much tension on fiber optic cable, because it can damage the fragile fiber.4. Be careful about bending your cable
Don’t stress your fiber optic cable by letting it bend or kink up, because that will be very likely to damage the fiber. The packaging often carries a warning with a maximum bend radius and most fiber optic cable has a somewhat rigid casing to help prevent kinking, but you still need to be careful during installation. |
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5. Buy the best connectors you can find
Even tiny gaps between the fiber and the connector may cause transmission problems, so you want high quality precision connectors. The best connectors are usually gold plated because gold resists oxidation and corrosion so once properly installed your fiber data center cabling will work reliable for years to come.6. Look for certifications on the packaging
In addition to the radius warning, most fiber cable packaging carries a certification label. While it is possible to find good cable without a certification label, it may not be worth taking the chance on possibly lesser quality cabling since there is often no difference in price.7. Document your network
Before you begin running your data center cabling, take the time to map out the entire network, including all cable paths, lengths and termination points. That way you can be certain that you have all the necessary cable and connectors up front, but more importantly, you will have the documentation in case of future changes or repairs.8. Single mode fiber
If you can afford it, opt for single mode fiber rather than multi-mode for your data center cabling. While multi-mode fiber probably has all the bandwidth you need today, single mode cable has much greater capacity so you will not need to upgrade your data center cabling for a very long time, if ever.Fiber optic cabling is the superior choice for the communications systems businesses rely on. It offers the optimum characteristics for a data center cable, including:
• Capable of crossing long spans
• High bandwidth
• Impervious to electro-magnetic interference from other devices
• Superior transmission quality
• Reliable and long lasting
• Future proofs your data center
Fiber optic cabling is the most reliable choice and it offers the highest bandwidth of any cabling solution available. If you are considering data center cabling consider fiber optic.
Scott ResnickAbout the Author:
Scott Resnick is a business phone systems expert and President of Today’s Telecommunications Industries, LLC (TTI) in Houston, TX. To read more of Scott's expertise on NEC VoIP phone systems.