West Penn Wire Blog

Over the past year, we provided hospitals with large volumes of Cat 6 Networking Cables, Access Control Systems and Fire Alarm Systems. Looking back, we benefited from the federal government’s funding of hospitals to offset revenue shortfalls created by the decline in elective surgeries and increased demand for treating COVID-19 patients, including the need to buy personal protective equipment (PPE). Although healthcare will continue to be a strong market for us over the next 12-18 months, the education sector should be even stronger.

Topics: Category Cable, Category 6A Cable, Fiber Optic Cable, Fiber Optics, networking, networking cable

Mobility and flexible working environments have created a new kind of employee. Although this transition started happening before the pandemic, it has only sped up this process even more.

Topics: Category Cable, Category 6A Cable, Fiber Optic Cable, Fiber Optics, networking, networking cable

To help you stay up to date on products and trends, we publish monthly blogs with insight and product information. As a result, our blog continues to grow in readership each month!

With 2020 behind us, we take a look back at the topic and posts that were most important to you. After we examined the most-read blogs from 2020, as well as the most-read West Penn Wire blogs of all time, we're sharing your favorite here!

Topics: Low Voltage Cables, Fiber Optic, fire alarm cables, networking, outdoor cable

In the world of networking, data rates continue to climb as more devices are being connected to LANs through wireless and wired connections. Versus, ten years ago there was a single network that would manage both data and voice. 

Topics: Category Cable, Category 6A Cable, networking, Category 6 Cable, networking cable

Over the last few months, we have seen have COVID-19 has changed the way we learn, work, live, and conduct business.

Topics: Category 6A Cable, Pre-Terminated Fiber Optic Assemblies, networking, network, networking cable

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

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

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

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