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Krone, Inc. Krone is an international leader in data and voice connecting hardware technology delivering its high quality, high performance products to over 140 countries around the globe. Krone subscribes to a strict policy of continuous product development and system improvement. And TrueNet is a clear example of this aspect of the company’s conduct. To achieve optimal data transmission throughput, all Krone jacks have been engineered around what has been found to be critical electrical parameter - impedance. Also, Krone is the originator of silver-plated 45° IDC contact technology. Silver provides a clear advantage over traditional tin-plated contacts, offering corrosion-free connection over time. Even under hostile environmental conditions, such an extreme heat, cold, moisture or exposure to salt, Krone contacts maintain accurate, reliable voice and data throughput. This technology provides a far more secure and corrosion-resistant connection than all other IDC terminations. The innovation contact design also enables Krone connectors to far exceed Category 5 requirements and consistently out-perform the competition in both quality and reliability. An additional Krone feature is the insulation clamping ribs that firmly hold the wire in place (and help maintain the critical pair twists). Equally impressive is Krone’s High Bandtm Termination Block - a product that far surpasses the competition and far exceeds Category 5 requirements. This Gigabit Ethernet product is also extremely versatile - it can be custom configured to meet a specific application, plus complete patching and cross-connect options allow for easy changes or testing. Prestolite Wire Since its founding in 1907, Prestolite has been a provider of high quality wire and cable products for a diverse marketplace. The company differentiates itself from its competition by offering comprehensive transmission solutions. TrueNet attests to the company’s interest in providing far-reaching cabling solutions. In concert with Krone, Prestolite looked at the entire structured cabling system - while in operation - and then designed and developed cabling products that ensured not just Category 5, 5e or 6 compliance, but uninterrupted data throughput (see above). No other cabling supplier has addressed the network in this very real, very exhaustive way. TrueNet cable is based upon a patent-pending technology called TrueMatch. This product design and manufacturing innovation fine-tunes each cable pair to achieve an operating impedance of 100 plus or minus 3ohms. The cable is also tuned to the various system components, such as connectors, to achieve a 100 ± 3 ohms impedance throughout the cabling system - from NIC to server. In addition to the TrueNet products, Prestolite provides a full range of high quality unshielded twisted pair products for both voice and data communications. An extensive line of singlemode and multimode fiber optic cables round out Prestolite’s offering. Today’s high speed networkscan bring tremendous productivity advantages to your organization. But getting the full rated performance out of even 100BASE-T can be a real challenge. That’s because your structured cabling system - the patch cables, the horizontal cable and the connectors - can seriously degrade your network’s performance. Just because link lights are “on” verifying that nodes are operating - doesn’t mean that the network is operating efficiently. More than likely, you are not getting what you paid for - a network that truly approaches 100Mb/s. New Tests Reveal Key Determinants of Network Performance Ethernet is based on standards developed by IEEE and TIA/EIA to ensure a nominal level of network compatibility and performance. But new technology - which measures a network while its in operation - shows that simply adhering to these standards is not enough to ensure network efficiency. Our researchwith active network test equipment confirms that mixing and matching components that individually meet the TIA/EIA standards does not ensure efficient network performance. Optimal network throughput can only be achieved with components that are 100±3 ohms impedance-matched. And we have the test data to prove it! The graphics (below) demonstrate the impedance match/mismatch phenomenon. The mismatched channel illustration depicts what can happen when a 107 ohm patch cord is connected to a 97 ohm horizontal cable. Typically, energy is reflected at the connection point causing signal degradation. This, of course, leads to data errors and data re-transmissions - which can have a serious impact on your networks performance. The TrueNet cabling system, depicted by the matched channel illustration, shows how matched (100±3ohm) components allow the signal to travel without reflection and loss. Data re-transmissions dramatically reduce the throughput of the network (see table, right). As you can see, even a 1% rate of re-transmission can slow a 100Mb/s Ethernet network to just 20Mb/s. Putting It All Together We can also “see” the effect of using mismatched vs. matched channel componentry using an active 100BASE-T network testing device (see above). The Category 5 compliant channel on the left shows the effects of an impedance mismatch at the connection point of the horizontal and patch cable. This mismatch results in wild oscillations, or inconsistencies, in frequency. The graph on the right shows the stable frequency trace of TrueNet impedance-matched componentry - for consistent signal transmission. Look No Further Than the TrueNet C6T System: The No-compromise Solution. TrueNet C6T delivers exceptional system performance by including features that are designed specifically to protect signal integrity and strength. The IEEE specifications for signal amplitude will be especially important for Gigabit Ethernet which uses multilevel encoding. In addition, these features mayalso enable lower voltage NIC cards to transmit a clean signal. Gigabit Ethernet will use a much more complicated signal transmission technique to accomplish the 10-fold increase in speed over 100BASE-T. This signaling method will energize all four pairs at once, creating unprecedented system noise and complexity. TrueNet was designed to ensure efficient performance with the first generation of Gigabit Ethernet cards, which will use complicated digital signal processing (DSP) chips for signal decoding. TrueNet C6T takes Gigabit Ethernet one step further: signal transmission over TrueNet C6T is so good that the need for DSPs is reduced, allowing active equipment manufacturers to build next-generation, low cost Gigabit equipment without extra chips. An investment in a TrueNet C6T system today could translate to a cost savings on active Gigabit Ethernet equipment tomorrow. Technology Enhancements TrueNet C6T takes TrueMatch technology even further. It provides the tightest levels of impedance-matching available, and adds Prestolite’s patent-pending star separator. This helically-twisted separator improves pair-to-pair isolation and reduces pair-to-pair, powersum and alien (cable-to-cable) crosstalk for best performance in noisy networks like Gigabit Ethernet. In addition, heavier 23-gauge copper is used for better signal strength. The TruePatch cord matched to the C6T system also includes transmission-enhancing features. A Choice of TrueNet C6T Components TrueNet C6T structured cabling is the no-compromise solution for any network technology. It is available in RJ45 form factor with an option of either patch panels or IDC blocks in the telecommunications closet. The part numbers listed here are representative of a basic network proposal. For a complete list of options, see your Krone/Prestolite reseller. The TrueNet C5eT System is the Answer TrueNet C5eT is our entry-level throughput enhanced solution. It fully meets the latest Category 5e revisions, and adds throughput optimizing features for 100BASE-T. The standards suggest that even Gigabit Ethernet will run over Category 5, but they never said how well. The throughput enhancements in TrueNet C5eT mean that Gigabit Ethernet will run better than the standards alone, but for the most robust Gigabit Ethernet system, we suggest TrueNet C6T. The TrueNet C5eT System Improves Network Performance The proof of TrueNet C5eT performance is in the test results. The graphs (bottom) depict the rise time of both a mismatched and matched (TrueNet) system. As you can see, the mismatched channel falls out of spec. This can happen when frequency oscillations occur, like are shown on page 5. Unstable frequencies corrupt the shape of the signal, causing the wave to rise shallowly (see above). When this happens “1” or “0” could be misinterpreted or lost, leading to re-transmissions and reduced network efficiency. TrueNet goes beyond the TIA/EIA 568-A requirements and ensures that TrueNet networks meet IEEE standards. This is a critical distinction: the choice between a network that merely “works” and one that works efficiently. A Choice of TrueNet C5eT Components TrueNet C5eT structured cabling is the solution for popular Category 5, 5e network technologies. The part numbers listed here are representative of a basic network proposal. For a complete list of options, see your Krone/Prestolite reseller. The Answer is “Yes” With TruePatch Cords. Patch cords are the most overlooked component in the system. Yet, our tests show that the overall performance of the network can be improved simply by replacing your existing patch cords with high-performance, impedance-matched TruePatch patch cords. These tests show that impedance mismatches which occur at the transition between patch cords and jacks have a dramatic impact on network performance. The first figure (below, left) shows a randomly chosen horizontal cable with a randomly chosen patch cord. The frequency curve shows wild oscillations. But by just placing a TruePatch cord with the same horizontal, the impedance curve is much smoother (below right). TruePatch solves a common problem found in many networks: a random selection of patch cords. In many cases, cable was installed as a link and users were expected to supply their own patch cords. Or, as your network grew, more and more cords were added, purchased from random sources. The fact of the matter is, these cords probably don’t match the cable in your walls and many cords do not perform reliably over time, especially after being moved or flexed. Our research has found that even one marginal cord could slow down the entire network. TruePatch cords are designed for life. TruePatch cords contain numerous patent-pending innovations: A high pressure, molded boot locks each pair in place inside the plug. This design also back-fills the air space inside of the cable jacket. The result is an extra-strong termination, withstanding the pulling force of more than 30 pounds. The extra-long strain relief is designed to prevent kinking at the plug head - a common cause of cord failure. This patent-pending design also maintains the required 1” bending radius. A special strand-locking insulation prevents the conductor’s copper strands from separating when flexed. For increased flexibility, each twisted pair uses stranded copper, but repeated flexing typically degrades signal performance. Our patent-pending process coats the strands before the insulation is applied to ensure that the strands do not separate. Finally, TruePatch incorporates all the impedance match innovations of TrueMatch technology from TrueNet horizontal cable. In addition, all TruePatch cords are manufactured at our ISO 9001 manufacturing facility and pass the stringent new Category 5e or Category 6 requirements. To achieve maximum performance, all TruePatch cords are offered only in lengths which are proven to minimize signal reflections. There’s a TruePatch Cord for your Application TruePatch can’t get you all the benefits of a completely matched TrueNet network, because the horizontal cabling isn’t matched - but it’s a reliable starting point, and an upgrade that you can perform yourself, with a minimal amount of time, effort and expense. |
