If you're responsible for ensuring availability and speed of the network to business users, you may be planning an upgrade in response to the growth of IP traffic. There are a number of advancements in cable management that will help you when planning any upgrades to your enterprise network.
New Structured Cabling Requirements
Structured cabling best practices remain fundamental, but new advancements in support components can significantly improve performance.
Key Best Practices:
- Prevent sharp bends, twists, and stretching by supporting cables properly.
- Use smooth 90-degree bend radii:
- Copper Conductors: Four times the cable diameter.
- Fiber Conductors: Minimum of 1 inch (25 mm).
Upgraded Standards for Structured Cabling:
- Backbone Connections: 25 Gbps or 40 Gbps fiber or Category 8 F/UTP or U/UTP cabling.
- Horizontal Connections: 10 Gbps Category 6A UTP or Category 8 F/UTP or U/UTP cabling.
Existing Category 5e and Category 6 UTP horizontal cabling can still support:
- Up to 5 Gbps network speeds.
- Power over Ethernet (PoE) under specific conditions.
Managing Airflow for High-Power PoE Applications
Higher power Type 4 PoE applications require adjustments in cabling:
- Use smaller cable bundles with more spacing to allow airflow.
- Ensure proper heat dissipation in pathways to prevent thermal buildup.
Cable Management Solutions for Optimizing Airflow and Organization
There are a plethora of CPI cable management solutions to help you plan your future upgrades. They have evolved from a simple trough to hold cable bundles to a mechanical system that adjusts to optimize cable support.
Motive® Cable Management
is an advanced and highly configurable cable manager that features an innovative, extrusion-based, integral track system to provide unlimited adjustment anywhere within the cable manager. Internal supports help space cable bundles to improve airflow around cables for higher power PoE applications and improve troubleshooting by neatly organizing each bundle.
Adjustable Cable Runway
lets you easily and quickly align the transitions between vertical cable managers alongside equipment racks and overhead cable trays. It is now available with movable cross members, which lets you adjust the position of a cross member if it interferes with the transition of cables between the vertical manager and overhead pathway. You can place radius drops exactly where they need to be to path cable into the vertical manager. Additionally, easy-to-use tool-less pathway dividers allow you to maintain space between cable bundles within the pathway.
Tool-less Cross Member and Stringer Radius Drops
and promote proper bend radius by supporting and guiding cables as they enter and exit the runway. They can be positioned at any location along the runway. Tool-less Cross Member Radius Drops can be positioned over or between cross members because it is supported by the stringer rather than the cross member. Tool-less Stringer Radius Drops feature simple, tool-less installation by slipping over Runway Stringer and clamping into position.
Tool-less Pathway Dividers
to divide cable runway into multiple pathways, and organize them by media type or destination. The patent-pending hinged design allows the divider to open and wrap around the cross member, then snap closed using our Click-Secure Technology. Dividers are compatible with all styles of CPI Runway products.
Plan Your Network Upgrade with CPI’s Advanced Solutions
With CPI’s innovative cable management infrastructure—like the Motive® Cable Manager and Adjustable Cable Runway—you can optimize airflow, prevent cable damage, and simplify future upgrades.
and discover how our tools can enhance your network’s performance and support your future needs.