Category 5 and 6 Cabling

Category 6 cabling – Cat6 – is a ‘twisted pair’ Ethernet cable containing four pairs of copper wire (like Cat5 and Cat5e) but unlike 5 and 5e, Cat6 utilises all four pairs and supports Gigabit Ethernet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (1Gbps). In addition the copper is thicker making the transfer of data faster and over greater distances. It also supports communications at over twice the speed of Cat5e. It features more stringent specifications for crosstalk (a phenomenon by which a signal transmitted on one circuit or channel of a transmission system creates an undesired effect in another) as well as unwanted system noise. Cat6 is perfect for high performance networks where very high speeds and reliability are required.
Category 5 and 5e cabling also has four pairs of copper wires but only utilises two pairs, one for transmission and one for reception. It supports speeds of up to 1000 Mbps. Cat5e tightened up some of the crosstalk specifications but the cable construction remains the same and as such most Cat5 cabling meets Cat5e specifications.

Wired Or Wireless Access Points

A wireless access point (known as APs or WAPs) is a physical communication device that acts as a central transmitter and receiver of wireless (wi-fi) radio signals over a wireless local area network, or WLAN as well as acting as a booster for wi-fi dead zones. The access point connects all available wireless devices including smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart home devices etc. to a wired network. The access point itself is usually a small piece of hardware resembling your broadband router although new routers will come with an integrated access point. They allow for connectivity throughout a property and are often referred to as hotspots.

Router – In Hub

An in-hub router is exactly that. It is your wired router linked to the master phone socket that is located in the home hub. There are a number of reasons it’s located in the hub including the fact that the physical location to the master phone socket means the signal is at its strongest. In addition, the sky box and patch panels are located in the hub allowing us to get the signals to any point in your home. Having everything in one location makes it easier and more practical to join everything up.

What Is A Wi-Fi ‘Dead Zone’ And Can You Improve It?

A wireless ‘dead zone’ is an area within your home that isn’t covered by the available wi-fi signal. Wi-fi signals reach your phone, tablet or laptop via radio waves so if they can’t penetrate particular areas, the device won’t connect to the internet. There’s number of reasons why you will experience dead zones including physical distance from your router, the property’s construction as well as devices such as microwaves, baby monitors and cordless phones. To detect dead zones, go to each area of your home and monitor the signal strength.
To overcome wi-fi dead zones, there are a number of things you can do. Have a look at the channel you are using for your wi-fi network and see if it overlaps with other networks nearby (especially if you are in an apartment). You can reconfigure your router to use another channel and secure your network so no-one else can use it. The construction of your home is a little harder to resolve but you can change the location of your router so it covers a wider area. This can be a trial and error process and may create a new dead zone but even moving it a few metres can have a positive effect. Depending on the age of your router you may simply be using an old one that is in need of an upgrade.
You can install a wi-fi range extender that boosts the signal as well as installing software that effectively turns your laptop or connected device into a wireless hotspot but before you do either of these things, ensure you speak to us at TVAV for advice and guidance.