The Importance of Balance

Designing and building an effective information transport system and running a woman-owned business in this industry both require balance to work effectively.

Structured cabling is the foundation of an information transport system, and balanced four-pair twisted copper cabling like Category 6A is now connecting everything from AV displays and security cameras, to wireless access points, LED lighting and in-building cellular antennae. It is the primary cabling media that is enabling the integration of IP-based Ethernet signals within LANs and intelligent buildings, while also delivering DC power to a wide range of devices using power over Ethernet (PoE). While most of us tend to think of the cable media’s ability to support increasing transmission speeds like 10 Gig as the most important characteristic, it is really the “balance” in twisted-pair cabling that enables it all.

Signals travel over twisted-pair cabling in one of two modes – either common mode where signals travel simultaneously on both conductors within a pair or differential mode where signals travel in opposing forces (positive and negative) in reference to each other. Both signals are critical to ensuring performance in today’s structured cabling systems – Ethernet data signals are applied in differential mode while DC power signals are applied in common mode.

For both common mode and differential mode signals to coexist within the same cable, they need to be as close to perfectly balanced and equally split between each conductor in a pair. When they’re unbalanced, portions of the common mode signals can be converted to differential mode. When this phenomenon occurs, the converted signals become an unwanted part of the differential Ethernet signal, resulting in the potential for bit errors and retransmissions that degrade the overall performance of the network.

Thankfully, cable manufacturers have gotten quite good at ensuring balance in advanced twisted-pair cabling, which is denoted by newer performance parameters such as DC unbalance resistance and transverse conversion loss (TCL) that are determined by injecting common and differential mode signals into a pair and measuring the difference between two conductors. As we move to higher levels of 60W and 90W PoE to support devices like LED lights, laptops and digital signage, twisted-pair cables now use all four pairs to deliver power, so it’s no longer only the balance within an individual pair that matters but also the balance between pairs. While unbalance can be due to subpar cable quality, more often than not, it is a result of poor installation crafstmanship.

Unfortunately, poor craftsmanship can also lead to imbalance within our own lives, and women especially need to pay close attention to maintaining balance since we tend to be harder on ourselves, investing more time and effort to demonstrate just how dedicated, driven and talented we are. As women, we are often the first to step up and the last to step out at the end of the day. That’s why women have up to one-and-a-half year’s extra education and nearly a full year’s extra workforce experience than what is required for the job. It’s also why women will apply for jobs and promotions only when they meet 100% of the qualifications versus men who will apply with just 60% of the qualifications. So, you can bet that when you hire a woman-owned business, like Information Transport Solutions (ITS), you’re going to get more.

But as working women in the information transport system industry, we also understand that balance is just as important to our company’s performance as it is to twisted-pair cabling performance. Working too hard can lead to imbalance and increased exhaustion, disengagement and reactive or ineffective decision making that can be a detriment to the mission of an organization. And just like with twisted-pair cabling, maintaining balance is all about craftsmanship and paying attention to the details—it’s what lets us perform and be the best we can be.

How do we maintain balance as a woman-owned business and be the best we can be for our customers? At ITS, we focus on working smarter, not harder. Rather than trying to be more productive and get more done by cutting corners, we focus on being more effective by keeping our ears to the streets and staying up to date with cutting edge technology and best practices. Rather than aiming for perfection, we have set our sights on excellence by providing superior quality customer service at a reasonable price, without compromising our core values of Commitment, Responsibility & Professionalism.

And maintaining this balance has served us well—it allows us to complete jobs without compromising the integrity of the finished project, to give our customers the communication and accountability they expect from a loyal partner. Maintaining balance give us the ability to provide a level of professionalism that allows us to be regarded as the right women for the job rather than the women who can and will do anything at the expense of not delivering a quality finished product.