West Penn Wire Blog

As the world continues to adjust to different working environments and daily life amidst a global pandemic, there are lots of questions that come to mind. What are the long term affects? How will this impact our industry? Will there be new technology requirements in the future?

Topics: networking, network, networking cable, Industry

In outdoor installations, in most cases, outdoor cables are needed to maintain the performance of the cables standards. But other types of cables can be added to mix such as security or access control. When those are added, what are the specific guideline that would need to be followed? When should outdoor or indoor cables be installed?

Topics: In-Conduit, Wet Location, Wet Location Cables, indoor cable, outdoor cable

We have most likely seen an installation that has had little to no organization. Those long cables that help connect equipment to end devices without any type of patch cord or patch panel to help organization. Although some companies may take this approach to save money, any future need to add or move devices will be affected by this. When there is a need to add a new device, it can result in a mess that can cost even more than expected- Yikes!

Topics: networking, network, networking cable

What is a Patch Panel?

Topics: networking, network, accessories, networking cable

At the end of each year, we take a look at our most popular blog posts to see what our customers found to be most useful and compelling. Here are the top 5 blogs that help you learn more about low voltage cabling and fiber optic products:

Topics: Fiber Optic Connector, Fiber Optic, HDMI Cables, fire alarm cables, fire alarm systems, plenum cable, Audio cables

Decades ago it was hard to imagine a time when we would be worried about bandwidth, wireless access, networking structures and numerous devices we would become to depend on. But in today's growing networking environments those thoughts are a thing of the past. We now look at our network with its growing users, devices, access points, security systems and more as something that must be reliable. 

Topics: Connector, networking, network, networking cable

 

When selecting the right fiber optic connector to use for any job or installation there are a few key features to make note of. Not doing the proper preparation cable make the customer go from satisfied to unsatisfied pretty quickly. So what are some keys factors to look at when selecting the right connector for a fiber optic installation?

Topics: Fiber Optic Cable, Fiber Optic Connector, Fiber Optic, Pre-Terminated Fiber Optic Assemblies

In the ever-increasing reach of today’s video security and surveillance systems, many security professionals are finding that the quality, bandwidth, and distance needed to perform even the most basic surveillance is beyond the reach of coaxial and UTP cabling. Even though IP-based video security systems are gaining popularity, they face a serious distance limitation of 100 meters (328ft) or less over UTP cabling infrastructure. This poses an insurmountable hurdle when trying to monitor the many outreach locations of a typical surveillance installation. 

Topics: Fiber Optic Cable, Fiber Optic, Security Products

In previous blog posts, we have looked at the difference between Addressable vs. Conventional Fire Alarm Systems. Conventional fire alarm cables are designed based upon the AWG of the cable and can be broken into two categories: Power limited and Non-Power Limited cables. In the article below we will be looking at some distinct differences between the two: 

Topics: fire alarm cables, fire alarm, fire alarm systems, fire detection systems

In many previous blog posts, we have discussed in great lengths about networking cables. We have seen the difference sizes, compared to fiber optics cables and much more. But one component or problem that traditional networking cables lack is flexibility.

Topics: networking, tactical, networking cable