A Round-Up of 2023 Smart Building and Data Center Blogs You Read Most

The end of the year brings an annual tradition for Belden: We like to review the blog topics that have been most important to you over the past year. This helps our in-house experts understand what you enjoy learning about and what types of knowledge they should continue to share about their decades of real-world, hands-on experience, as well as their work with standards committees.

Last year, blogs about new Class 4 systems were overwhelmingly the most popular. This year, the topics that matter most to you are widespread: from fiber termination and cable combing to data center security.

If you haven’t read these blogs yet, now’s a great time to see how these trends impact installers, integrators, consultants, data center managers and end-users.

Take a look at the topics that ranked highest in 2023—and enjoy your end-of-year reading!

Most-Read blogs published in 2023: smart buildings and data centers

1. The Best Way to Manage Terminations in Fiber-Dense Settings: DCX System

This blog was the final blog in a series about Belden’s evolution of cross-connects: from the original GigaBIX Cross-Connects to our FiberExpress Ultra-High-Density System (UHD), the FiberExpress (FX) ECX Enterprise Closet X (ECX) and our most recent cross-connect innovation: the DCX System. This blog explains the trends driving more fiber connectivity and describes how the DCX System is designed to support this growth by handling large numbers of fiber connections while ensuring simple operations and maintenance.

2. Data Center Security from the Outside In

To optimize data center security, a layered approach is best. If the first layer of defense is breached, then the attacker has to go to work on the second layer, making harder for an unauthorized person to gain access. If you want to learn more about the four security layers to consider in your data center security strategy, then start by reading this. The blog als0 explains the benefits of relying on multiple levels of control for physical data center security.

3. To Dress or Not to Dress: Cable Combing for Category 6A Cabling

Our experts often receive questions about cable combing, especially for Category 6A cable. Writing this blog gave Belden the chance to explain the history of cable combing, why it was done and how it changed with the advent of Category 6A solutions. So … should you comb your Category 6A cables or not? Read this popular blog to find out.

4. Application vs. Cabling Standards: What They Are & How to Test

When most industry professionals think about standards, they think about cabling standards—specifically ANSI/TIA-568. It defines the minimum performance requirements for twisted-pair copper cabling in a variety of applications. But application standards can sometimes be used as guidance instead, such as when you need to extend the distance of twisted-pair copper cable beyond the typical 100 m distance limitation. This blog explains the differences between application and cabling standards.

5. Are You Ready for the Era of Private Wireless Networks?

Poor indoor mobile connectivity can no longer be overlooked, which is why private wireless networks have been gaining in popularity. As data consumption over carrier networks increases, owners are choosing private wireless networks to save money, enhance privacy and security, and control their own bandwidth distribution. Read this blog to learn more about what private wireless networks are, why they’re gaining in popularity and how they improve poor indoor mobile connectivity.

Most-Read blogs of all time: smart buildings and data centers

These blogs were published before 2023 and now top the list of most-read blogs since 2012, when the first Belden blog was published.

1. 11 Types of Networks Explained: VPN, LAN & More

For another year in a row, this blog tops our list of most-read blogs of all time. It’s been No. 1 in our annual round-up for quite a while. First published in 2016 and later updated to include new information, this blog is your guide to understanding the different types of networks being deployed today, including PAN, LAN, WLAN, CAN, MAN and more.

2. APC vs. UPC: What’s the Difference?

This blog continues to climb our list of most-read blogs, this year coming in at No. 2. It compares the differences between ultra-physical contact (UPC) and angled physical contact (APC) singlemode fiber connectors and when to use them. Written in 2014, the blog has since been updated to answer common questions we often receive about fiber connector loss.

3. Deciphering RJ45 Color Codes

This blog tops our list of most-read blogs for the first time! It outlines the different colors of Ethernet cable pairs—blue, orange, green and brown—and explains how color coding works. If you want the inside scoop on RJ45 and the differences between T568A and T568B wiring standards when it comes to color codes, then consider this your primer.

4. 3-Phase Power—Why it Matters

Written more than 10 years ago, in October 2013, this piece still tops the list of most-read Belden blogs. It was updated in 2019 in response to requests from readers that we include more information about 3-phase wiring and 3-phase Wye. The blog also describes why 3-phase Wye is being used more often in data centers. If you want to better understand 3-phase power, this is a good place to start!

5. 5 Big Wireless Challenges: Signal Loss, Movement, Reach, Densification and Multipath Fading

With so much happening in the world of wireless, and initiatives like 5G, CBRS, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E on the horizon, this blog reminds readers about the inherent challenges involved with deploying a reliable wireless network. Here you’ll explore five major wireless challenges—from attenuation to reach—and learn how the industry is addressing them.

Consider Belden your education resource

As we help you simplify your digital journey, we also want to make it easy for you to find reliable, unbiased information about data centers and smart buildings.

As long as you continue to read our blogs, we’ll continue to write them. Thank you for sharing our content and staying connected to Belden by asking questions, requesting feedback and telling us about your ideas. If there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss in 2024, then we’re all ears. Or you can speak to one of our experts.

Related resources:

• Our Most-Read Smart Buildings, Data Center and AV Blogs in 2022
• The Smart Buildings, Data Center and AV Blogs You Read Most in 2021
• The Belden Blogs You Liked and Read Most in 2020