Making Good Use of Cables in the Home and Office
It is safe to say that we live in a wired world, and many electronic devices are used every day for work and recreation alike. Portable devices such as smartphones and laptops can access the internet remotely, or without wires, and that makes them very convenient. But wireless technology is not always necessary, or even practical in some cases. Many electronic items such as desktop PCs and game consoles make good use of cables such as 75 ft ethernet cables (cat6 cables, for examle), a 100 ft HDMI cable, bulk USB cables, and the like. With a 75 ft ethernet cable, or one of similar length, a person may plug their PC, laptop, or game console into a router and get a solid internet connection.
Cables in the Workplace
Most businesses today, even smaller ones, make use of computers for research, e-mail, data storage, and more. It may be tempting to prevent cable clutter and use wireless tech, but this may be impractical if too many computers are involves. It is one thing to use a laptop at a coffee shop; its’ another to use dozens of laptops wirelessly at the office. Too many wireless connections might interfere with one another, so 75 ft ethernet cables and the like will be used instead. Cables are not necessarily a hassle; in fact, when installed just right, a 75 ft ethernet cable can do a lot of good. IT professionals will be tasked with hooking up all computers to routers, and they will do this with ethernet cables. Such cables will plug into a computer on one end, then plug into another computer or a router at the other end. With everything connected properly, dozens of computers in one office can all enjoy a solid connection to the internet.
Today’s ethernet cables may be cat5 or cat6, and these come in extended length models, too. Each cable has four pairs of copper wires, which allows for the smooth and fast transmission of data. These cables can be threaded discreetly through the office, and it’s also an option to drill holes in the floor and allow the cables to pass right through. Unlike wireless signals, an ethernet cable will never suffer from interference, and that is important while many work computers are all being used in an office.
Another vital piece of hardware is a surge protector. This is a device that plugs into a wall socket, and its flat body has several slots where computer power cards may plug in. The surge protector not only feeds power to all computers plugged into it, but it also protects them from harmful surges in voltage (hence the name). Excess voltage may fry a computer’s components (often beyond repair), but a surge protector’s inner components will absorb the excess power and only allow safe voltage levels to enter the computers.
Computers at Home
Most households involve advanced electronics that will need cables to operate. For example, many Americans own a smartphone, and such devices can be plugged into a power source with a lightning cable. This cable plugs into the phone at one end, and the USB end can plug into a computer or plug into a wall socket with an adapter. This cable also allows the phone to share data with a computer or other device.
A home PC may use the same cables as a work computer, such as an ethernet cable (cat5 or cat6) to plug into a router, and most routers can support several devices at once. And for a high-end gaming PC, the owner may protect their investment by plugging its power cord into a surge protector. High-spec computers can cost thousands of dollars, after all.
Cables also make home entertainment systems possible, and all sorts of devices can be plugged together, limited only by cable compatibility. An HDMI cable, for example, can connect a game console or a laptop to an HDTV or a digital projector for high-def visuals. Meanwhile, 4K cables can hook up a 4K TV to a game console or laptop for ultra high-def visuals behind even regular HD’s capabilities. A game console can be plugged into the router via an ethernet cable for video streaming services or online gaming.