Common Hazards That Can Ruin Your Ethernet Cables

The Ethernet cables in your office facilitate faster upload and download speeds, allowing for a quicker workflow and increasing productivity. But there are factors that can harm your Ethernet cables, resulting in a degradation of speeds, and also eventually resulting in your cables no longer functioning. Learn the common hazards that can ruin your Ethernet cables to better maintain your office’s productivity levels.

Water

Water can be one of the most immediate dangers to cables and electronics in general; liquids can cause electrical devices to short out, destroying hardware and affecting connected components. There are typically two common ways that electronics in the office are exposed to water—either resulting from an accidental spill or through humidity.

How To Prevent Water Damage

While you can’t control whether an employee has a glass of water at their desk, you can combat the humidity that can lead to water forming. Have the appropriate climate controls to cool the area enough to eliminate the threat of moisture.

Extreme Temperature

Temperature, whether it be too high or too low, can significantly affect your cables. Heat, in particular, poses a more common issue because electronics generate heat while in use, so the threat of overheating is more prevalent than freezing. Heat has several effects on Ethernet cables, but they all eventually end with a destroyed and unusable cable.

How To Prevent Temperature Damage

Much like dealing with humidity, you need to ensure that you keep the temperature of your office at a comfortable level. Check to see if there is proper airflow throughout your office to eliminate the possibility of stagnant air that cannot cool down.

Physical Damage

Sometimes, wires need to run across areas where they can be exposed to physical damage, such as being rolled over by chairs or stepped on by passersby. This won’t cause a problem in the short term, but given enough time without protection, the wiring inside cables will deteriorate due to the constant damage they are sustaining. Cables won’t immediately stop working; instead, their quality and speed will gradually decrease until they finally fail altogether.

How To Prevent Physical Damage

Tucking wires away behind desks and in areas where they cannot be reached is the most ideal situation, but not something that can always be achieved. For times when you need to run them along the floor, consider protective mats to shield them from the full force of footsteps and other harmful factors.

Protect Your Cables

Without your cables, the productivity of your office will suffer and can potentially grind to a halt. Take the necessary precautions to eliminate possible threats that may harm or outright destroy your cables.