The Importance of Proper cable management
With the abundance of audio and video technology present in modern day homes, you’d be surprised at the amount of homes that don’t have proper cable management. Not only do the unkempt wires and cables look un-aesthetically pleasing, but they can pose safety and performance concerns. Here are a few reasons why it is important to maintain the jumbled mess of disarray.
- Safety and Fire Hazard Threat
This is a huge safety concern that shouldn’t be overlooked. If your cables are cluttered all over the place and tangled with other wires, it can cause sparks that eventually could lead to a fire. This could wipe out your entire network where all your data is inputted, which could take weeks or months to recover. Some networks may not ever be recovered after substantial damage. On top of that, someone could trip over the wires and cause even more damage or injure themselves.
- Accessibility and Saved Time
Having an organized cable rack can save you a bundle of time. Think about when it comes to maintenance, troubleshooting, or upgrades and having to sort through which cable you need in a sea of cables that are identical to one another! This way, you’ll have easy access to important wires and ports. Spend the little extra time to label, color code and mark your cables and it’ll be worth it in the long run. Your maintenance team will thank you later.
- Rewarding Investment
Believe it or not, proper cable management not only saves time, but also money. It can extend your cable life and create better performance. Having muddled cables can cause the wires to sag or crush one another. This means more money out of your pocket spent more often than not, fixing the damaged cables. Installing a cable rack isn’t just another cost, it’s an investment that will keep rewarding you for years to come.
- Breezy and Easy
As stated before, having disorganized wires can cause the whole area to overheat which is detrimental to your cable life. Keeping them organized can direct better air flow, which in turn will increase your cable longevity. Maintaining the area at a consistent and low temperature increases the efficiency and overall performance of the cables.
On top of these big-time concerns in regards to your cable maintenance, the chaos that is referred to as the cable room or “situation” is a huge eyesore. It isn’t just some small crumb you can sweep under the rug; it’s a mess of spaghetti consuming half the room. If you feel the slightest bit embarrassed by your cable situation, it is time for a change. Soon enough, people will be telling you how nice your rack is! Don’t settle for a subpar rack.
Your A/V rack should NOT look like this…
But could look like this…
Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Before you begin, you should determine the amount of wiring, connections and cable structures you’ll need to minimize space and avoid excessive gear or equipment.
- Label, color coordinate, and mark your cables to make them easier to identify in situations where you’ll need to access them quickly and efficiently.
- Speak with your IT professional to determine the best location for your cables to function smoothly.
- Plan ahead if you are anticipating growth in the near future. Come up with a plan or layout that makes it easy to install additional racks, cabinets or other components necessary.
- You can tidy up remaining cables by using zip ties to group them all together so they’re not scattered all over the place.
By Wendy Wang, A.I.C.
