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These configurations
give companies, and the majority of phone vendors, all the
flexibility they need at a very reasonable cost. When voice cable is
being installed in conjunction with your network cabling, the labor
cost is greatly reduced. The cost of Category 3 cable, whether
plenum rated or non-plenum, is very reasonable in relation to
Category 5, and the jacks, usually 6 conductor USOC, are
inexpensive. We generally split the 4 pair voice cable at the user
end, and install 2 RJ11 jacks. This is possible because the large
majority of phone systems on the market today require only 1 pair of
wires, some others require 2 pairs. This gives our customers the
option and flexibility to install any combination of phones, modems
and analog lines at any location.
For some customers
we will install multiple Category 5 or 5E cables to each user. Their
intention is to use one or more of these cables for their telephones
and/or modems. Obviously this configuration lends itself to great
flexibility, because if they need a third or fourth network
connection the network cable is already in place, but at a lesser
cost. Each cable is Category 5 rated and needs a separate CAT 5 jack
at the user end and a separate port on a rated patch panel in the
wiring closet, all more costly than the Category 3 alternative.
Unless the individual company has many heavy network users (those
with more than 2 networked computers on their desk) we usually
recommend the Category 3 solution. |
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