Eternal Kayleb I.T & Computer Institute

26/12/2016

HERE’S HOW TO CHOOSE AN ETHERNET CABLE

differences between ethernet cables router connection to rj connector blue angellodeco/123RF
All Ethernet cables serve the same basic purpose — to connect devices to networks, like the internet. Not all Ethernet cables are exactly the same, however. If you’ve ever found yourself in need of an Ethernet cable without any idea which one you should pick, you’re not alone. Ethernet designations, like many things in today’s world of modern technology, can be difficult to interpret and understand. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to find out which cable is right for you and your situation.
What does “Cat” mean?
If you’ve ever browsed cables online, you’ve probably noticed that they’re nearly always classified as “Cat-5,” “Cat6e,” or something similar thereof. “Cat” simply stands for “Category,” and the following number indicates the specifications to which the cable was manufactured. A general rule of thumb is that higher numbers represent faster speeds and higher frequencies, measured in Mhz. As is the case with most technologies, newer cables tend to support higher bandwidths, and therefore increased download speeds and faster connections.
Keep in mind that longer Ethernet cables will result in slower transmission speeds, though cables bought for personal use rarely exceed 100 meters, where speed dropoff typically begins to occur.
In September, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) unveiled a new Ethernet standard that promises to dramatically improve transmission speeds on Cat 5 and Cat 6 cables. Unfortunately, it might be a few years before the standard is available to the general public, as opposed to enterprise customers. Below, you can see what each cable type is capable of.
Both Cat 3 and Cat 5 Ethernet cables are, at this point, obsolete. It’s not unheard of to find Cat 5 cables still in use, but you shouldn’t even think about trying to buy either of these Ethernet cables. They’re slow, and nobody makes them anymore.
Cat 5e
The “e” in Cat 5e stands for “Enhanced.” There are no physical differences between Cat 5 and Cat 5e cables, but 5e Ethernet is built under more stringent testing standards to eliminate crosstalk — i.e. the unwanted transfer of signals between communication channels. Cat 5e is currently the most common type of Ethernet, namely due to its low production cost and its ability to support faster speeds than the original Cat 5 cables.

Cat 6

Cat 6 cables support much higher bandwidths than Cat 5 and Cat 5e cables, though they’re also more expensive. Cat 6 cables are more tightly wound than those of their predecessor, and are often outfitted with foil or braided shielding. This shielding protects the twisted pairs of wires inside the Ethernet cable, helping to prevent crosstalk and noise interference. Cat-6 cables can technically support speeds up to 10 Gbps, but can only do so for up to 55 meters.
Cat 6a
The “a” in Cat 6a stands for “Augmented.” In comparison to the regular Cat 6 cables, 6a cables support twice the maximum bandwidth, and are capable of maintaining higher transmission speeds over longer cable lengths. Cat 6a cables are always shielded, and their sheathing — which is thick enough to eliminate crosstalk completely — makes for a much denser, less flexible cable than Cat 6.
Cat 7
Cat 7 cables utilize the newest widely-available Ethernet technology, and support higher bandwidths and significantly faster transmission speeds than Cat 6 cables. They’re proportionally more expensive than other Ethernet cables, though their performance reflects their premium price tag. Cat 7 cables are capable of reaching up to 100 Gbps at a range of 15 meters, making them an excellent choice for connecting modems or routers directly to your devices. Cat 7 cables are always shielded, too, and use a modified GigaGate45 connector, which is backwards compatible with regular Ethernet ports.
Cat 8
Cat 8 cables are still in development. We can expect them to hit the market relatively soon, however, with faster maximum speeds and higher maximum bandwidths than Cat 7 cable
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?
The easiest way to select a cable is to pick the one with the range and performance you need. But what do you need?
Start with the speed of your home Internet connection. If you have Gigabit Internet, an old Ethernet cable will hold you back. But if you have a slow connection, say 10 or 20 megabits per second, you’re good with anything Cat 5 or newer.
Next, consider the speed you need for your network. This is frankly irrelevant for most home users. But if you move big files between computers frequently, or you stream extremely high-bandwidth video content, a better Ethernet cable can make a difference.
Finally, consider your router. So cheap routers only support Ethernet up to 100 megabits per second, so it’s going to bottleneck anything newer than Cat 5. Even the best home routers rarely support better than Gigabit Ethernet, so Cat 6a and Cat 7 are of questionable use.

With all of the above consider, a Cat 6 cable is the most you’ll likely need, and most homes can get away with Cat 5e.

12/07/2016

How to help someone use a computer.
Computer people are fine human beings, but they do a lot of harm in the ways they "help" other people with their computer problems. Now that we're trying to get everyone online, I thought it might be helpful to write down everything I've been taught about helping people use computers.
First you have to tell yourself some things:
Nobody is born knowing this stuff.
You've forgotten what it's like to be a beginner.
If it's not obvious to them, it's not obvious.
A computer is a means to an end. The person you're helping probably cares mostly about the end. This is reasonable.
Their knowledge of the computer is grounded in what they can do and see -- "when I do this, it does that". They need to develop a deeper understanding, but this can only happen slowly -- and not through abstract theory but through the real, concrete situations they encounter in their work.
Beginners face a language problem: they can't ask questions because they don't know what the words mean, they can't know what the words mean until they can successfully use the system, and they can't successfully use the system because they can't ask questions.
You are the voice of authority. Your words can wound.
Computers often present their users with textual messages, but the users often don't read them.
By the time they ask you for help, they've probably tried several things. As a result, their computer might be in a strange state. This is natural.
They might be afraid that you're going to blame them for the problem.
The best way to learn is through apprenticeship -- that is, by doing some real task together with someone who has a different set of skills.
Your primary goal is not to solve their problem. Your primary goal is to help them become one notch more capable of solving their problem on their own. So it's okay if they take notes.
Most user interfaces are terrible. When people make mistakes it's usually the fault of the interface. You've forgotten how many ways you've learned to adapt to bad interfaces.
Knowledge lives in communities, not individuals. A computer user who's part of a community of computer users will have an easier time than one who isn't.
Having convinced yourself of these things, you are more likely to follow some important rules:
Don't take the keyboard. Let them do all the typing, even if it's slower that way, and even if you have to point them to every key they need to type. That's the only way they're going to learn from the interaction.
Find out what they're really trying to do. Is there another way to go about it?
Maybe they can't tell you what they've done or what happened. In this case you can ask them what they are trying to do and say, "Show me how you do that".
Attend to the symbolism of the interaction. Try to squat down so your eyes are just below the level of theirs. When they're looking at the computer, look at the computer. When they're looking at you, look back at them.
When they do something wrong, don't say "no" or "that's wrong". They'll often respond by doing something else that's wrong. Instead, just tell them what to do and why.
Try not to ask yes-or-no questions. Nobody wants to look foolish, so their answer is likely to be a guess. "Did you attach to the file server?" will get you less information than "What did you do after you turned the computer on?".
Explain your thinking. Don't make it mysterious. If something is true, show them how they can see it's true. When you don't know, say "I don't know". When you're guessing, say "let's try ... because ...". Resist the temptation to appear all-knowing. Help them learn to think the problem through.
Be aware of how abstract your language is. "Get into the editor" is abstract and "press this key" is concrete. Don't say anything unless you intend for them to understand it. Keep adjusting your language downward towards concrete units until they start to get it, then slowly adjust back up towards greater abstraction so long as they're following you. When formulating a take-home lesson ("when it does this and that, you should try such-and-such"), check once again that you're using language of the right degree of abstraction for this user right now.
Tell them to really read the messages, such as errors, that the computer generates.
Whenever they start to blame themselves, respond by blaming the computer. Then keep on blaming the computer, no matter how many times it takes, in a calm, authoritative tone of voice. If you need to show off, show off your ability to criticize bad design. When they get nailed by a false assumption about the computer's behavior, tell them their assumption was reasonable. Tell *yourself* that it was reasonable.
Take a long-term view. Who do users in this community get help from? If you focus on building that person's skills, the skills will diffuse to everyone else.
Never do something for someone that they are capable of doing for themselves.
Don't say "it's in the manual". (You knew that.)

13/01/2016

09/08/2015

As of this writing, Windows 10 has been installed on a breaking recvord of 18.5 million devices.And in case you've been living in a cave, the verdict is in: "Windows 10 is the new Windows 7.