From scratch: Choosing the right Network cable extender

As technology is moving at a fast pace, cabling infrastructure should match your needs and requirements. Choosing the best solution for your home or business in advance saves time and money. One of our only requirements, to say, a major requirement is a high-speed internet from any network. A successful network and that too in terms of speed depends on its components.

That includes switches, controllers, cable connectors and network cable extenders. Amongst all, a network cable extender has some extra weightage and is responsible for better performance. 

Choosing a safe network cable extender

Unless you are always lucky enough to always have an electrical outlet positioned exactly where you need it, you almost certainly use electrical extension cords in your home. However, most people don’t understand just how dangerous it can be to use the wrong cable extender.

A cable extender is essentially a bundle of insulated electrical wires with a plug on each end. Electrical current flowing through wires generates heat, when too much current flows through a wire it can overheat and melt the plastic insulation of the wires, causing short circuits and fires. 

This is normally not an issue when you plug an appliance directly using its factory cord. But if you used an undersized cable extender to extend the reach of that appliance cord, you can exceed the safe load capacity of the extension cord and the results can be disastrous. 

Why cable extenders gauge and length matters?

   

Cable extender cords come in different types, lengths, and sizes. The two main factors that determine any extenders load capacity is the ability to carry electrical current:

● Wire gauge: The thickness or diameter of the wire affects how much current the wire can carry and how much the wire heats up.

● Length: The length of the cable extender affects voltage drop, or how much voltage is lost through resistance in cord wires.

Voltage drop is an effect that reduces the voltage of electricity in the wire due to electrical resistance. The longer the cable or cord, the greater the voltage drop. For this reason, long cable extenders have a lower capacity than shorter cables of the same AWG size. 

Is there any difference between indoor and outdoor network cable extenders?

Outdoor cable extenders have tough covers made from rubber or plastic. Using an indoor extender outside can lead to overheating. Outdoor extension cords fall into three broad categories:

● Occasional use cables are suitable for smaller projects and tools. 

● Frequent use tools can handle larger appliances and equipment.

● Rugged cable extenders are designed for continual use on job sites.

Plug type

Cable extenders typically come with two or three-prong plugs, while others have specialty receptacles and plugs for RVs. Depending on the application you may require a specialty plug for higher amperage devices. 

Identify the requirement then select the cable extender

To avoid any failures in your work, the first and foremost thing is to identify the requirement. Based on that you can select the right type of cable extender for which suits your industry or work requirements. 

As they are a vital part of network success, choosing the wrong one will never get your industrial network on the right track.

Environment

As mentioned above, the environment is one of the biggest factors when choosing a cable extender and the nature of the work it is required for. Several conditions like heat, humidity, dust and any other similar issues might affect your equipment in the long run. These factors may disrupt the signal transmission through switches and eventually damage the hardware. It might also affect the overall performance of your device. 

That’s the reason you have to choose the right network cable extender.