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Cat5e for High Speed Networks

Bandwidth precedes data rates just as highways come before traffic. Doubling the bandwidth is like adding twice the number of lanes on a highway. The trends of the past and the predictions for the future indicate that data rates have been doubling every 18 months. As streaming media applications such as video and multi-media become commonplace, the demands for faster data rates will increase and spawn new applications that will benefit from the higher bandwidth offered by category 5e.

Cat5 enhanced (Cat5e), supports short-run Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) networking by utilizing all four wire pairs and is backward-compatible with ordinary CAT5. Currently defined in TIA/EIA-568-B, Cat 5e provides performance of up to 100 MHz, and is frequently used for both 100 Mbit/s and gigabit Ethernet networks. Cat5e cable is an enhanced version of Cat 5 that adds specifications for far end crosstalk. Although 1000BASE-T was designed for use with Cat 5 cable, the tighter specifications associated with Cat 5e cable and connectors make it an excellent choice for use with 1000BASE-T.

The Gigaplus range of Cat5e products offer customers a Gigabit Ethernet solution. The Gigaplus system offers a guaranteed performance that not only meets the requirement of the relevant standard, but offers the comfort of substantial headroom. In the current market GigaPlus represents a sound investment for general office horizontal cabling and residential cabling for networks running Gigabit Ethernet applications.

Some of the Cat5e systems like Belden IBDN System 1200 have been developed to support high-speed network applications such as Gigabit Ethernet and provide clear bandwidth up to 160 MHz; an increase of 60% over Cat5e standard of 100 MHz.

These cables incorporate a patented design which provides complete quality control during the manufacturing process. This provides high quality cables that consistently offer improved channel performance and large cabling systems for all new cabling installations.

 For more information on Cat5e cables, please log onto www.mayflex.com

Cat5e for High Speed Networks / Mike Nicholson

Mike Nicholson

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Working the Third Shift: Tips to Avoid Counterfeits When Buying and Selling Used Cisco

San Francisco, California January 17th, 2006: If you’ve ever strolled down the streets of New York, you’re familiar with the enterprising street vendors offering imitation Gucci handbags and fake Rolex watches at a fraction the price of retail. Don’t be surprised if you’re offered a Cisco router on your next stroll down Canal Street. While clear statistics specific to the network hardware market are not available, according to a white paper by AGMA and consulting company, KPMG, counterfeit products account for nearly 10% of the overall IT products market. So whether it’s luxury goods or high-end data networking, illicit manufacturers have seized the opportunity to flood the market with fake merchandise.

Third-Shift

Recently, there has been an explosion of counterfeit hardware that has hit the market. While these items can be poorly made knock-offs, in some cases are actually made by companies licensed by Cisco and other companies to manufacture their hardware. Only the discerning eye of an experienced reseller can hope to detect the physical subtleties between the Cisco original and fake. Companies in China, for example, already have the experience, manufacturing capacity, and technical know-how to produce Cisco’s products. And sometimes they run extra shifts or a “third shift” to produce a surplus of product, which they distribute illegally on the black market. The result has been a surge in the level of counterfeit products available on the US market. Often, these products can be traded unknowingly to either the buyer or seller. That is until a problem arises.

These counterfeit products have a dramatically higher failure rate due to lax manufacturing controls. Buyers often find out they’ve been duped when exercising a warranty. Naturally, Cisco will refuse to honor a warranty on counterfeit product hence the end user is stuck with a lemon. Sometimes users will find out an item is counterfeit when they attempt to register a serial number, only to discover that what they have is a duplicated number, which has already been assigned to another buyer.

Gray-Market Deals

While savvy buyers will sometimes be wary of fire sale pricing on new Cisco hardware, counterfeiters have become increasingly smarter and have started marketing these products as “used” and leaking these products to the secondary market. Following the dot-com bust, buyers became accustomed to buying new out-of-box equipment at liquidation prices. This created a new channel for counterfeit sellers to slip their wares into the gray market with less scrutiny. By selling a new “counterfeit” item, as used, deeply discounted prices are less likely to raise a red flag for buyers.

Safe Tips

Most buyers don’t realize they have counterfeit Cisco hardware until it’s installed and begins to have issues. Excessive network outages and failures are often a signal that something in your network is a fake. This begs the question of how to protect yourself from buying counterfeit equipment.

1. Be wary of anything being sold from China. Sometimes Chinese sellers will even use fictitious names and pose as an American company. Typically English language skills can be a tip-off. If it sounds like an ad or email was written by Borat, don’t buy.

2. Develop relationships with trusted vendors. Companies that have a long-standing reputation and extensive client base will most likely only buy from trusted sources. By working with someone you know and trust, you are less likely to encounter issues with fake gear.

3. Make sure your vendor checks serial numbers in the vendor database for EVERY piece they purchase.

4. Use your eyes, and look for anything unusual. Inspect the item carefully for irregularities in logo size, packaging materials, holograms and chip sets.

Working the Third Shift: Tips to Avoid Counterfeits When Buying and Selling Used Cisco / Razvan Jr

Peter Gilberd has a collective 10 years experience in IT sales. He is currently the President for Townsend Assets Group (TAG), a leading reseller of pre-owned data networking and telecom equipment. For more comprehensive information on the process of selling used hardware, refer to TAG’s Buy-Sell Used Cisco page.

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