Color signal transmission distance on coax cable for security cameras

Over the past decade of working with CCTV security camera installation contractors, one of the questions that has come forth is how far can signal travel for my color security camera?

After calling other cctv contractors and getting a feel for what the proper answer is, the "rule of thumb" was 500ft. for color and 1000ft. for black and white. Let's put he color to the test.



Now I need to figure out how far color can travel, perhaps a future blog post! Comment below.

"By Mercy Salinas"

What is and What Size is your Fiber Optic Cable Buffer

Yes, there are two different sizes to your fiber optic cable buffer but before we do a comparison of the two sizes I want to talk about why there's two and what fiber cable construction type is associated with one or the other.

The first fiber cable construction I want to talk about is "Loose Tube". These cables are mostly installed in outdoor only installations. Such as direct burial, pole to pole and anywhere else where most if not all the cable is outdoors. This cable construction is more durable and offers a higher pulling tension. I recently talked with AFL and I wanted to know what the life expectancy is for this type of cable construction and they mentioned that it all depends on the environment but a good estimate is 30 years.

Let's take a look at a loose tube cable from our YouTube channel.   



Another easy way to tell if you have a loose tube fiber optic cable is to read the print on the cable jacket and many cables will have the letters LT on it letting you know it's a loose tube, this cable construction always has a 250um size buffer. I say always because I've been selling fiber since 1999 and I don't remember ever seeing a loose tube with a 900um size buffer. Just makes sense, with a smaller size you can get more strands in a smaller tube hence the 250um size.

So that leads us to the 900um size buffer. This size is commonly found with a distribution cable construction. This is most commonly installed in underground conduits for building to building installations and indoors for riser and plenum installations. It has a smaller diameter, more flexible, lighter and overall just more pleasant to work with. Let's get a look at a distribution cable.



Now that you have a better feel for what size buffer you have before even stripping the jacket let's get a look at what these two sizes look like to the naked eye.



That was a great comparison of the two sizes that are involved with your fiber optic cable. As you can tell after stripping the buffer off the cladding the cladding size is the same, the 125um size. If you're asking yourself what is under the 125um size you then have what's called the cladding and then your core. The core is where your signal is transmitted. For Multimode your core size will be either 62.5 or 50.0 and for singlemode, it'll be 9.0.

Questions please comment below and to order online visit Discount-Low-Voltage.com

Why the Information Technology Industry SUCKS!

Wow! I found this guy named Archie on YouTube and his view about the IT industry is a one I've heard from many different IT managers. Take a listen, this guy is a real character and I do love characters!

  

I think Archie is a real good guy and he just got involved in some unfortunate situations.

Comment below, thanks.

"by Mercy Salinas"

MTP fiber cable assembly to what kind of LC connectors?

Here we go again, changing things when a traditional LC connector worked just fine, or did it? Over the past couple of years the convenience of a small footprint by the LC connector has been evolving due to manufactures battling for your data center dollars. Let's quickly go over the different types of connectors.

1) LC Traditional Duplex - This has been the most popular LC duplex connector since the dawn of time. A simple yet effective design by tightly holding 2 individual strands of terminated LC simplex connectors. A small clip is used to hold the connectors together and also offers a press down tab to easily remove the connectors from the port. Can you remove the small clip? Sure, but it's a chore and you'll destroy it.

2)  LC AFOP Duplex - The AFOP LC duplex has almost everything in common as your LC traditional duplex but the connectors are easily removed and reattached. If your in a busy closet you might have to move single a strand around, especially in an emergency or maybe reverse the polarity. A small clip is used to hold the connectors together, also offers a press down tab to easily remove the connectors from the port and has openings on the sides to allow you to separate the connectors and put them back together.

3) LC Generic UNIBOOT - The LC connector portion of the UNIBOOT is similar to the LC traditional duplex connector, but the main difference is that you have 2 strands of fiber now in one jacket. Since your now saving space in your cable raceway you can add more cables in the same size raceway or save on cost by installing a smaller raceway. This is an excellent choice for high density applications.

4) LC SANWA UNIBOOT - This connector is named after the the manufacture SANWA and truthfully after playing with this connector vs. the generic UNIBOOT I can't tell the difference, until I grabbed an additional tool that cracks this connector open. After opening it you can reverse the polarity easily! Check the video out. I've also seen this connector specified on many Verizon projects.

5) LC UNIVERSAL - This connector is a proprietary connector. Accepts the traditional size LC connector but also accepts the "MINI LC" for small footprint mini SFP (mSFP) ports. I thought the LC connector was small enough already but space is money. Currently these "High Density MINI LC" connectors are commonly installed and designed to work with Brocade's FC8-64 high density 64 port blade.

You'll probably want to save this post somewhere, I wrote it so I have it saved. If you check the rest of this blog out it's hard to keep track of everything going on out there, I can't remember it all. Don't forget to follow me on GOOGLE PLUS thanks!

"By Mercy Salinas"

Information Technology Tip Tuesday - Best WiFi Sniffer

Check out one of my favorite WiFi sniffers so you can find out what and where your Wireless Access Points are located. Here's that link WiFi Sniffer

The above video shows off how cool Metageek products are.

Don't forget to comment! Thanks!

"By Mercy Salinas"