Technological advancements seem to be picking up speed every year. Great strides were made throughout 2011, and every one of those steps forward has added new requirements for the network cabling that interconnect us all. En masse, the new gadgets and business approaches have caused some strain in surprising areas. These are the top five stories, as determined by Los Angeles Network Cabling, in descending order:

5. Wireless LANs are Overwhelmed by Personal Devices

Techno-junkies are never separated from their favorite gadgets, which means they expect to find WiFi connectivity in every establishment. Few business owners realized that their network would be swamped with a high number of requests for data from tablet and smart phone users. This onslaught requires more bandwidth than ever anticipated.

4. The Healthcare Dinosaur is Evolving

Decades of tradition have given way to the need to update the methods used to track the care provided for patients. With an aging population that outnumbers the younger generation, there are concerns that the existing approach will overwhelm the institutions established to provide care. New technology in healthcare requires substantive upgrades to every network component across the healthcare universe.

3. Counterfeits Abound

One of the dead giveaways to a counterfeit product is the misspelled brand name proudly displayed above the logo. Since fiber cabling is rarely even seen, people in the cabling trade have had to rely on Underwriters Laboratories and the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association, or CCCA, to identify the substandard cable products. Even some products that bear the UL marking have been identified as counterfeit. All cable providers have been put on the alert to check their stock upon arrival to avoid using substandard cabling in their projects.

4. BIMMF – The Two Sides Differ

Bend-insensitive multimode fiber, or BIMMF, must be identified in cable prior to determining the approach used for any installation. One side of the discussion says that BIMMF is proven and reliable. The other side is not so sure. The issue arises because every other part of the network will be affected by the way the data cabling is installed. Manufacturers want to be trusted when they say data cabling includes BIMMF, but installers want a way to be sure. There are discussions around standardized specifications for BIMMF, but until then, cable installers are going to have to secure straight answers from the people who supply their cables.

1. 10 gigabit Ethernet

No matter how high the communication speed is for a given network, the users want higher speeds to handle their demands for massive amounts of data instantly. Fiber optic cables are capable of 10 gigabits in a flash, and 10 gigabit is not just the promise of the future. The demand on Ethernet networks has never been higher, but fiber optic technology is ready to deliver.

The even bigger story is that the fiber optic network cabling industry has seen enormous monetary gains from the replacement of copper cabling with fiber optic. Since thieves are stripping copper cabling out of buildings, the logical response is to replace communication cables with fiber optics. These actions have generated revenue for Los Angeles Network Cabling and many other cable installers all over the country. Hope the reclamation price of glass never exceeds that of copper!