Home > Data Loss in Network Cables

A data is also corrupted due to malfunctioning of network cable. Cables that are designed for lower frequency applications may perform poorly at higher frequencies. Electrically impedance is a combination of resistance, capacitance, and inductance expressed in Ohms. Typical cables are rated at around 100 Ohms. An electrical signal is composed of electrons moving along the wire. There are three main classes of problem that cause data to be weakened, lost, or corrupted beyond acceptable limits. Beyond a limit the signal is gets too weak or distorted.

Cable length is the major factor for data loss due to the attenuation measurement. Attenuation is frequency dependent, becoming greater as frequency increases. Higher Temperatures increase attenuation too. Attenuation is measured in decibels. Resistance is a function of the cross sectional area of the conductor. Resistance in the wire limits the signal and dissipates the energy as increased heat. Many wires are placed very close together they store this energy, acting in electrical terms, like a capacitor. High Density Polyethylene is commonly used because its electrical properties at high frequencies help to minimize the losses. Zero impedance indicates a short circuit.

Any electrical signal on the wire not part of the sender's original signal is classed as noise. Noise is generated both internally and externally. Twisted pair cables produce no interference; the twists cancel each other out, in theory that is. In real life any variation in the thickness of the wire, in the cable insulation, and in the capacitance of wires or insulation will cause a mismatch and consequently noise. Good quality cables minimize the noise but cannot remove it altogether. Electrical interference can come from many sources. Cables should always be installed in separate conduits away from mains cables.

Crosstalk at the end of the cable where the signal originates is called Near End Crosstalk. Crosstalk can be a problem on cable connectors or patch panels, where the wires have to be untwisted to make the connections. Always keep the section of untwisted cable to a minimum; even a very short piece of untwisted cable can introduce a large amount of crosstalk. The time taken for a signal to travel down the pair is the Propagation Delay. The propagation delay in itself is not normally an issue; the recommended cable lengths will already have taken this into account. However Delay Skew, described below is a significant factor.

Think back to the fact that the wires are twisted and therefore the lengths of the pairs that make up the cable are not equal. Signals sent at the same time will therefore arrive at slightly different times. If Delay Skew is excessive then network devices will have trouble communicating, resulting in very slow or totally non-functioning networks. Thus, the Cable quality must be kept in the mind. The cable length and the quality both are the major causes for the data loss in the cable.

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