If you are planning on upgrading your commercial network with new data cabling, you must consider some factors before beginning the project. One of the most critical issues that you must address is the network bandwidth. In general, the bandwidth determines the amount of data which can be transmitted through the cabling at specified speeds. Without proper planning, you will end up with a network which cannot efficiently meet the needs of your commercial applications. On the other hand, knowing your bandwidth requirements will ensure exceptional network speed, performance and scalability. Here are basic guidelines to help you with data cabling.

Evaluate Your Applications

You should know the demands of your commercial operation on your network before purchasing your data cables. In general, different computer processes and programs have different requirements for data transmission. Therefore, you should establish the precise details of the actions that you will be performing.

For example, if you are planning on using the network for sending emails and sharing documents, your demands will be low. These applications have minimal volume and can be transmitted efficiently over low bandwidth. However, if your company deals in transmitting video and real-time video conferencing, you will need to transfer high volumes of data per unit time. For the best results on the right bandwidth, you should calculate the number of bytes that you will need to transmit through your cabling per second.

Consider Crosstalk Problems

When looking for the ideal data cables for your commercial network and evaluating the appropriate bandwidth, you should think about the potential for crosstalk. Crosstalk is a common problem which occurs when data from one cable flows into another. This interaction can compromise communication in your business operation. The difficulty is commonly experienced in networks which transmit large volumes of high speeds.

Therefore, you must consider the right balance between high bandwidth and the management of the unwanted signal coupling. If you must have very high bandwidth, you should consider choosing cables which are explicitly designed to handle high-speed data transmission.

Think About Your Budget

Finally, you should consider your budget before choosing the appropriate bandwidth for your new data cables. This action is critical for the preservation of your business capital. High network bandwidth is desirable, but the cost of the infrastructure will be high. Therefore, you should not target the highest-performing product. Instead, you should consider choosing a bandwidth which is higher than your current needs. This choice will allow you to save money while ensuring you can expand in the future.