Hosted PBX and Structured Cabling
April 8, 2014
Category: Hosted PBX, Local Networks
After the decision has been made to implement a Hosted PBX voice solution, one of the factors to consider is the cabling. In almost every case, each user will need a single available network cable. The Ethernet cable will go from the cable jack and into the Hosted PBX phone. Another cable will then connect the phone to the user desktop. To simplify this further, each phone has two Ethernet ports. One port will be for you data cable which runs back to your network switch. The other port will plug into your PC, which will then provide your PC with network access.
In today’s world, there are two main types of data cabling, CAT5E or CAT6. Many end users opt for the CAT6 option because the cost to install CAT6 over CAT5E is only 10 – 20% more expensive. Most users only need CAT5E when implementing Hosted PBX. The majority of phones and switches on the market today have a 10/100 port which CAT5E supports. If you are looking for a Gigabit solution, that is when it would be necessary to install CAT6.
When implementing your new Hosted PBX it is always best to work with a company that has a good understand of structured cabling.
