5 ways to keep your Network Cable Installation clean and organized

As IT Pro’s we all have had experiences with “Network Cabling Chaos”.  You complete a wonderful Network Cable Installation project then in a few months the network cable installation you just did is not recognizable. The cables seem to be thrown all over the place. And what was once structured organized Category 6 cabling has become a mess.

Here are a few tips to make sure your network cable installation and structured cabling project remains organized. No one wants to walk into a data center that is a complete mess. It reflects badly on the IT department and no one wants the boss to see what should be an organized network cable installation turn into a mess. It also makes it very hard to troubleshoot problems and trace out lines in the event you have an issue.

1. Have one person responsible for maintaining the cabling organization. This person should be the only one allowed to do or supervise moves, adds, or changes, to patch cables, labeling, and racks. This makes sense. Then this person will treat the structured cabling plant as their own. This person does not have to be a network cable installation expert. He can even manage the network cable installation team. They just need to have a basic understanding of structured cable organization, network cable installation bets practices. Consider BISCI as a resource they have a ton of information related to best practice network cable installation and structured cable installation.
2. Another great tip is to use shorter patch cables. 1’ to 2’ patch cables are readily available and make ideal cross connect cables. Also order patch cables without the boot or the rubber tip on the end for your network cable installation. The boots on the end of the patch cables make them very hard to pull out of the switches and patch panels. The patch panel will look fantastic with the shorter patch cables. There will be no tangled patch cables. You will be able to see where the cables are plugged into. It’s a great finishing touch to your network cable installation project.
3. Remove all unused and old cabling before running new cable, especially old telephone cable. This is not always the easiest thing to do but well worth it. Sometimes in the ceilings you may see cable that’s over 20 years old. But if it’s old flat cable or old Category 3 cable it’s worth removing. And many times, you can use the structured cabling components like the j hooks, and cable trays and other fasteners for your network cable installation project. Beware areas above ceiling drops are super dusty wear a protective dust mask.
4. Take the time to have a standardized labeling method. Label the cables on both ends, label the patch panels, label the racks, and follow a standard. What I mean by standard is labeling the closet, the rack the patch panel port, and the faceplate side. On the face plate side, you may have a label 2-3-46 which may signify the cable to this faceplate or wall plate is run to closet 2, rack 3 and port 46. This will keep your network cable installation organized and easy to trace lines in the event you have to troubleshoot, add new Category 6 cable runs or move Category 6 cables.
5. Velcro tape! Use it. It’s the duct tape of the cabling world. Flexible and easily opened and closed for patch cables and rack cables. You should also consider using it for your cable runs when you need to bundle a bunch of Category 6 cable runs. This will make your network cable installation project easy to manage and move cables when necessary. It’s also a safer to use on your cables versus regular tie wraps. Tie wraps can damage the Category 6 cable.

Hope this helps for the next time you have a network cable installation project or structured cabling project.

If you need help with a network cable installation project we can help. We do Category 6 Cabling, fiber optic cable installation, we clean up data centers and are specialists in structured cabling.

Here is some information on the  Seabiscuit of Fiber Optic Cable Installation

Please call Rick Bolda at 630.918.7370 for a consultation or email info@itriskmgrs.com for more information.