Why you need a specialist for your data cabling
Molex Connected Enterprise Solutions works with a global network of independent installers, integrators, distributors, and consultants to provide installation of our products. We only work with third parties that we have carefully vetted. In addition, we require installers to become Molex Certified. This means they have completed and passed our Installer Training programme within the last 2 years. Only Molex-Certified Installers are able to register installations for our 25-Year System Performance and Application Assurance warranties.
It may seem restrictive to insist our products are installed by someone we have trained, but there are several compelling reasons.
Ensuring your network performs as required
The performance of a cabling network depends just as much on the quality of work as it does on the quality of product. For example, you could specify, design and purchase a Category 6A infrastructure, but if it’s not installed correctly it is unlikely to actually deliver the performance needed. All our products are third party tested for performance and compliance with international Standards, and we want to make sure what you buy actually delivers what you need. This additional requirement helps ensure your installation will perform as specified, for as long as you need it to.
We sell into over 20 countries with different local and regional rules as well as different cabling Standards. In most regions, there are no mandatory qualifications or standards for someone to offer data cabling services. It can be difficult for end users to know whether someone offering these services really knows what they are doing.
By creating our own Installer Training, end users can be sure all our installers meet a certain level of expertise.
Electricians are not (necessarily) data cabling experts
In most regions, you need to be trained and certified to handle electrical cables. And in many regions, it’s common for data cabling installers to also be qualified electricians. However, the two jobs have very different skillsets, and being an electrician does not automatically mean you can install data networks.
In data cabling, maintaining signal integrity it critical. This can be affected by many things: the quality of the connections at each end, choice of components, ambient signals (like electromagnetic noise from equipment, other data cabling, power cables), heat (including heat generated by the cables themselves), the network design, and installation practices.
Many of these should have been accounted for in the network design, but it’s not uncommon for unforeseen issues to arise during installation. Perhaps the building layout has changed since the plans were drawn up, or the original measurements were incorrect. An experienced installer would be able to predict where performance might be impacted and raise concerns in time to address them.
Cable termination is a fiddly process requiring specialist equipment and with many opportunities for things to go wrong. It’s also a process that will need to be completed tens or hundreds of times in the course of a single project. Poor terminations can be difficult to identify and expensive to rectify, for example if a cable needs to be pulled out of a bundle and completely rerun.
When upgrading or expanding an existing network, experienced installers will also be able to identify problems such as outdated or incompatible components, poor workmanship and failing connections. They will also be able to recognize counterfeit, damaged or incorrect parts.
Dealing with fiber optics
Copper twisted-pair cabling remains fundamental to data networks, but many installations incorporate fiber optics. Fiber can deliver superior speed, bandwidth and security, but it can also be fragile and requires correct handling such as maintaining bend radius and pulling tension. Damage to the fiber core can occur invisibly and be almost impossible to detect, but still cause significant degradation in signal quality and reliability. In addition specialist splicing and testing equipment is required. Even a good understanding of copper cable is of very limited benefit when handling optical fiber.
Data centers and telecoms rooms
When running cable behind walls or in ceilings, mistakes or sloppiness are easy to hide. The quality of cable installation in data centers and telecoms rooms will tell you a lot about the expertise of your installers.
Neat data center cabling is not a matter of aesthetics. Data centers are highly dynamic environments where changes are frequently required. If the connections are a tangle of cable on the floor, it is incredibly time-consuming to figure out which cable does what. Lengths of trailing cable are a trip hazard and make access difficult. Data center cabling should be neatly bundled with minimal slack and ports labelled. This requires planning, patience and skill.
Data centers are typically small, enclosed spaces and all the potential issues that must be addressed in the rest of the network – heat, airflow, interference – are exacerbated here. Poor cabling practice elsewhere might affect only a single connection. Poor cabling practice in the data center will affect the entire building.
Our training
Molex Connected Enterprise Solutions works only with experienced network installers and our certification program is not intended for those completely new to cabling. Instead, it provides theory, best practice and guidance on international Standards, and provides helpful instruction based on our 40 years in the data cabling industry. For experienced installers completing the training is not arduous, and it verifies to our customers that they have met a certain level of expertise. We can offer in-person, hands-on training on request, and a range of online courses and webinars are also available for those who want to go into more detail, including specialist areas like AVoIP.
If you’re an installer, integrator or consultant and would like to know more about working with us, you can find out more about registering with us here.
If you are currently specifying for a new project and would like to talk to discuss, please fill in the contact form to request a call back from a member of your local sales team.