Tag Archives: horizontal cable management

Ethernet Cable Management Solutions

Ethernet cable management, also called network cable management, has been a necessary part for any structured cabling system. However, do you know why Ethernet cable management is needed and how many wire management ways can be exerted, and what their differences are? To know the answers, you can follow this post.

Why Need Ethernet Cable Management?

With a large number of input and output patch cords in racks or cabinets, the patch cord management can effectively provide a stable cabling system for applications of the data center. It can help to prevent unnecessary cable damages and dust, improve cooling and airflow, reduce signal interference and downtime, save space and cost, etc. In most cases, the solution to Ethernet cable managing relies on organizing devices, like patch panels and cable organizers.

Ethernet Cable Management Solutions

Figure 1: Ethernet Cable Management Solutions

Ethernet Cable Management Ways

Customarily, based on how you use network cable organizing devices, the way to manage network cables can be divided into two types: horizontal cable management and vertical cable management. Surely, depending on specified network conditions and special needs, you are allowed to choose the matching type. Sometimes, it’s still possible for you to apply these two types together in cabling.

Horizontal Cable Management

In Ethernet cabling, horizontal cable management is often applied as the 1U cable management. 1U, the acronym of one unit, stands for the height of the racks or cabinets, usually 1.75 inches. The size has been officially set as the standard vertically usable space for 1U. As its name shows, this type of management requires you to place proper managing devices on front racks or cabinets and manage Ethernet cables in a horizontal way. For the 1U horizontal cable managers, the plastic single sided horizontal cable manager with finger duct and the metal horizontal cable manager with five D-rings are the most popular types. While considering Ethernet patch panels, Cat5e patch panels, Cat6 patch panels, and blank keystone patch panels are the commonly used types.

Horizontal Cable Management Devices

Figure 2:Horizontal Cable Management Devices

Vertical Cable Management

Comparing with the horizontal type, the vertical cable management requires you to place organizing devices, usually the cable organizers, at both sides of the racks and secure them in a vertical way. For vertical cable managers, single D-ring vertical cable manager and 5U plastic vertical manger with bend radius finger are the top two types in the market.

Vertical Cable Management Managers

Figure 3:Vertical Cable Management Managers

Summary

In networking cabling, no matter in your homes or office buildings, the Ethernet cable management has been an irreplaceable solution to deal with messy network cables. Choosing what kind of managing method, horizontal cable management, vertical cable management, or the combination of the two types totally depends on your needs.

Horizontal Cable Management VS Vertical Cable Management: Which to Choose?

Efficient cable management has been an indispensable aid for the cable organization, no matter it is vertical cable management or horizontal cable management. Owing to the more and more complicated network, a well-managed cabling has been a pressing job for most network installers and IT technicians. Therefore, a proper cable management means a lot to them. However, faced with two frequently used options, what on earth should they choose: vertical cable management or horizontal cable management

Vertical Cable Management Basics

Conventionally, the vertical cable management refers to a solution to secure, bundle and route the cables at both sides of the racks, cabinets, or enclosures. In this management, cable managers can provide a vertical pathway for large numbers of cables from switches to patch panels in the rack system. These vertical cable managers are generally designed in height sizes up to 48U and width size up to 10 inches. The 3” and 5” are the most prevalent width sizes. In addition, the vertical cable managers are often made of metal and plastic. With a range of types of vertical cable management, the most popular vertical cable managers are 5U plastic vertical cable manager with bend radius finger, single D-ring vertical cable manager, and 45U 4.9″ wide plastic vertical cable manager. You can refer to the Figure 1 for these three types as below.

Vertical Cable Managers

Figure 1: Vertical Cable Managers

Horizontal Cable Management Basics

In a horizontal cable management, it allows cable managers, placed in front of cabinets or racks, to manage all sorts of cables, like fiber, coax, patch cables, etc. In that way, cables can be well-organized and protected. It is typically one or two rack units high, or even higher if necessary. In the market, the horizontal cable management 1u version is easily found. Altogether, there are three common types of horizontal cable manager: horizontal cable managers with D-Ring, finger duct, or Brush Strip. You can refer to the Figure 2 as below.

1U Horizontal Cable Managers

Figure 2: 1U Horizontal Cable Managers

A Comparison of Strengths

As a buyer, if you want to choose a proper cable management, it’s a must to know their advantages and benefits of each type. Actually, for cable management, no matter a vertical or horizontal way, they both share similar features. For example, they both greatly improve network performance by enhancing airflow and cooling efficiency and protecting cables from potential damages and dust, like improper bends, movement or sharp edges. Moreover, a neat management will also add aesthetic value to the working place. Besides, the two management ways also bear with their unique traits.

Advantages of Vertical Cable Management

By reducing signal interference, the vertical cable management can greatly enhance the network performance. In a vertical cable management, it separates power with data cables within the racks, which greatly lower the chance for crosstalk and interference between them.

Additionally, cost reduction will also be the unique trait for vertical cable management. Vertical rack cable management with bend radius fingers is used with angled patch panel directly. In that way, the use of horizontal cable management panels can be reduced, which is a good way to save cost.

Advantages of Horizontal Cable Management

First, downtime minimized. Using a horizontal cable manager, cables can be settled in an ordered way instead of being tangled with each other. Especially, when something goes wrong, this will make technicians more easily to identify and access where goes wrong and fix it in far less time.

Second, growth promoted. By using horizontal cable managers, consolidating devices within racks or adding additional racks without messing up cables will no longer be a tricky task for IT technicians. Since cables are able to be identified easily, tracing what goes where in a move can be much easier at the time when you add new ports and cables. For your better understanding, you can refer to this 1u cable management device at below.

1U Horizontal Cable Management Panel with Finger Duct

Figure 3: 1U Horizontal Cable Management Panel with Finger Duct

Buyers’ Guide

Just as the saying, the information makes winners. If you want to be a winner in cable organizing, there are mainly three steps you can follow. First, you need to have a proper planning before installations. Decide the number of cables and connections needed, and where the cables should be routed within the rack. Then you need to have a command of industry standards such as ANSI/TIA and ISO/IEC, as well as any federal, state or local regulations regarding cabling. According to that, you can start to choose your cable organizers. In fact, it’s hard to conclude which type is best when considering their similarities and peculiarities. It depends on actual conditions of your network, such as installing space, cable numbers, and sizes of your rack, etc. Sometimes, you may even find that a combination between vertical cable management and horizontal cable management suits you best.

All You Need Is 1U Cable Manager

Have you been fed up with a frequently messy network, performance issues, and data transmission errors? 1U cable manager comes in, all your problems out. As its name shows, the 1U cable manager is a device placed in front of a cabinet or rack and manage all sorts of cables, like fiber, coax, patch cables, etc. In that way, cables can be well-organized and protected. Here, “1U” refers to the height of racks or cabinets of a standard unit, usually 1.75 inches height. Therefore, 1U cable management also refers to the horizontal cable management.

Types of the 1U Cable Manager

Altogether, there are four common types of 1U horizontal cable manager in the market: horizontal cable managers with finger duct, D-ring, brush strip, and the L-shaped horizontal cable manager. Each type has its own traits and applications.

1U Horizontal Cable Manager with Finger Duct

The horizontal cable management device of this type is one of the most popular solutions to organize cables in the market. This 1U cable manager consists of three parts: 1U cable management panel with pass-through holes, finger ducts, and a removable top cover. The finger ducts and the pass-through holes are designed to route cables and reduce the cable strain. As for the removable cover, it makes bundled cables to be easily added or removed; besides, it protects cables from damage or dust. In most cases, this cable manager is made of plastic and is available in single-sided or dual-sided. The dual-sided horizontal cable organizer can support for front and back cable management in a more flexible way.

figure 1 single-sided and dual-sided 1u cable managers with finger ducts

Figure 1: Single-sided and dual-sided 1U cable managers

1U Horizontal Cable Manager with D-Ring

The horizontal cable manager with D-ring usually consists of the horizontal lacer panel and D-rings, and sometimes D-rings will be set with a 1U patch panel and a lacing bar. In most cases, it is made of steel providing great durability. And the robust ring can route large amounts of cable through it. Cable managers of this type can be used in multi-media applications with all coax, copper, and fiber optic cables. This 1U cable manager provides an open-access management tool with great flexibility. That is to say, following the demand to add or reduce cables, the D-ring can be added or removed as the requirement.

Figure 2: Different horizontal cable managers with D-rings

Figure 2: Different horizontal cable managers with D-rings

1U Cable Manager with Brush Strip

Horizontal cable manager with brush strip is often made of high-quality steel and high-density nylon bristles. This type is designed to increase overall airflow within the cabinet network, helping to prevent equipment from overheating, dust, dirt. This 1U cable manager is the best choice for routing cables from the front of the rack to the rear in a simply organized way.

figure 3 1u cable manager with brush strip

Figure 3: 1U cable manager with brush strip

L-Shaped 1U Horizontal Cable Manager

L-shaped horizontal cable manager or L-shaped horizontal lacing bar is made of high-quality cold-rolled steel plate. It is an efficient tool for rack or enclosure cabling. The manager’s angled “L” shape can ensure a proper cable bend radius so that it can greatly avoid cable strain and prevent damage to ports on your rack-mount equipment.

figure 4 L-shape-lacer-bar

Figure4: L-Shaped Horizontal Cable Lacer Bar with Angled 4” Offset

How to Choose a Cable Manager

There are various types of cable managers. Besides the 1U cable managers introduced as above, the vertical cable manager is also a common type found in the market. As for the vertical cable manager, it also consists of different kinds with different features for different applications. When you want to buy one, it’s easy for you to get lost. There are some tips that may help you with it. At first, you should have a basic idea of your situation of the equipment that the cable manager is going to place. Is the horizontal way or the vertical way more suitable for you? Then you should consider the cable you are going to manage, such as the quantity and the material. Are you going to handle with fiber, coax, or copper cables? Do you need a compact cable manager or a loose one? Would you prefer a single-sided one or a dual-sided one? Next, you still need to think about expecting functions for this manager. Apart from organizing cables, do you want to increase overall airflow, or prevent overheating and dust, etc? Then, you should take into account the size, making you managers’ sizes fitting for your cables and equipment placed with.

Conclusion

With 1U cable manager the messy network will no longer be a problem for us. It makes full use of our space in a scientific way. Making the network environment more organized and neat, and also avoiding some potential threats to out network safety. In addition, the cost for a 1U cable manager is within our reach. With so many strengths, you are never too early to buy one.

How Much Do You Know about 1U Horizontal Cable Manager

1U horizontal cable manager is the ideal solution to manage cables on the front and rear of each 19 inch server rack. Because with the emergence of high density rack-based IT server installation, data communication and cabling that must be processed within the tight rack space. Horizontal cable manager is regarded as the horizontal cable organizer, which can avoid cable damage and failure, ensuring the network operation.

Why Do We Need 1U Horizontal Cable Manager

1U horizontal cable manager is one tool of cable management that matter the whole network system health. It offers a neat and simple way to manage the cables, and simplifies network maintenance and costs. This is the main reason that makes it popular in the data center.

For the technicians who want a clean and orderly work area, they can make the cables go through the 1U horizontal cable manager, creating a clean look for the rack.

For the technicians who have a desire for easy maintenance and low costs, the cable manager can help them protect the cables radius bend and reduce the wear and tear, which decrease the cables expenses in some sense. Besides, it provides easier access to internal rack components, performing easy move, adds and changes to connections, which can greatly save time and money.

How to Select 1U Horizontal Cable Manager

FS.COM offers some styles of 1U horizontal cable management tools with different options of cable support. Choose the appropriate cable management device based on your actual needs.

1U Horizontal Cable Manager With End Rings

This cable manager uses a sturdy SPCC metal construction with a max cable capacity of 70. Due to the design of four D-type rings on the panel and two rings on both sides, it can manage vertical and horizontal cabling at the same time. In addition, the rings can provide cable strain relief for more reliable connections.

1U horizontal cable manager with end rings

1U Single Sided Horizontal Cable Manager With Finger Duct

It’s a solid little cable manager with flexible fingers on the front, which can offer a proper bend radius protection. Although the manager is made primarily from plastic material, it’s extremely tough and has excellent wear resistance. The max cable capacity of this single sided horizontal cable manager is 44. Furthermore, there is a detachable cover on the fingers that can protect the cables from the dust and give you a more professional rack looking.

1U single sided horizontal cable manager with finger duct

1U Blank Rack Mount Fiber Patch Panel With Cable Management Panel and Lacing Bar

It has five rings stand vertically on the front panel. The lacing bar is dismountable that allows users to put it on the front or back of a server rack according to their cable management demand. With the black metal design, it tends to be highly durable which reduces the equipment spending.

1U blank rack mount fiber patch panel with cable management panel and lacing bar

If you want to house the vertical and horizontal cables simultaneously, 1U horizontal cable manager with end rings is an economical choice. If you are in favor of a dustless environment, 1U single sided horizontal cable manager with finger duct can satisfy your requirement. If you want a more flexible cable solution, then choose 1U blank rack mount fiber patch panel with cable management panel and lacing bar.

Manage cables in the server rack with FS.COM 1U horizontal cable manager. These cable management devices are made from the highest quality materials to provide an unique method for the cross connect.

Structured Cabling Installation

Structured cabling installation is the main part of a flexible structured cabling system that will support different hardware uses and satisfy current and future demands. Since the thousands of forms of online data transfer, and the gathering of business intelligence has made a significant influence on today’s commerce, the companies want reliable and structured cabling installation to hold the infrastructure of data connections. Now, I want to share something about its installation with you.

Importance of Structured Cabling Installation

A proper structured cabling installation gives a universal platform on which you can build the overall information strategy, supporting multiple voices, data and media system, regardless of who manufactures these. In essence, compared with traditional point to point cabling system, the structured cabling system is more neat and organized. It has many benefits for one’s network operations.

Support future upgrade. High bandwidth is the most significant benefit of the structured cabling, which makes it a reliable infrastructure for business data growth. With structured cabling, you can ensure connectivity of the enterprise while business divests into new technological areas and equipment.

Reduce cabling bulk and congestion. The organized and planned cabling system can accommodate smaller diameter trunk cabling, and makes a cleaner cable management.

Reduce installation time and cost. Using a structured cabling system, users just need to plug the equipment cables into the matched sockets when upgrade or change the network. No need to buy additional wires or adapters.

Tips for Structured Cabling Installation

Since the structured cabling is the critical part of one’s network, here are several tips for the proper installation.

Planning comes first. In this stage, you must have a comprehensive understanding of your actual needs, figure out a solution based on the location, cabling types, and the needed equipment. Planning the installation will enable the actual work and operations run more smoothly.

Follow the cabling standards. When you install the cables, please follow the cabling standards because there are standards that have specified the multiple cables for different uses. Following the standards will greatly improve the efficiency of cables and data networks.

Remember the maintenance is important. Once the cables are installed, the maintenance becomes important. Buy a server rack or other equipment to manage and maintain the cables, which will save you lots of money and time in reality.

Choose the Right Equipment for Structured Cabling Installation

Vertical cable management and horizontal cable management are the two methods used in structured cabling installation. Choose the right equipment is the top priority. There is some equipment from FS.COM.

Single sided and dual sided vertical cable manager are available on FS.COM. This 45U 4.9″ wide plastic single sided vertical cable manager is designed with flexible fingers to protect cable radius against damage. It can route cables vertically either on the front or back of racks. With a PVC cover, the equipment can avoid the dust and increase service life.

vertical structured cabling

1U 19inch blank rack mount fiber patch panel is commonly used for horizontal cable management. It offers different choices for one’s application by being separated into patch panel, D-rings and lacer bar. This equipment is a cost effective cable management solution used in high density cabling system in data centers and telecommunication rooms.

horizontal structured cabling

From the above, we know structured cabling is the backbone of all business. FS.COM is the “one stop shop” for all cabling installation.