Technical Articles

As a service to our customers, CableWholesale.com has begun a monthly series of informative technical articles, each one focusing on a particular technology. Our goal is to help our customers get better acquainted with the often confusing cables, connectors, and standards to be encountered out there.

Make The Right Connection	Aug 2010
This article examines signal types, cable interfaces and the connectors that support them.
Fiber Optics - An Overview	June 2010
Fiber optics make up the backbone of telecommunications and the Internet. This article examines fiber optic operation, history, cabling types and more.
HDMI v1.4	Apr 2010
The release of HDMI version 1.4 could cause some real confusion. We break all the changes down for you.
Security Cable And Wire	Mar 2010
Often overlooked and undervalued, fire alarm and security cable provides the framework for protecting your home or office.
Cable Ratings and Materials	Feb 2010
It is easy to get lost in the sea of acronyms, part numbers and other markings when it comes to cables. Here we discuss some of these.
USB 3.0 - SuperSpeed USB	Jan 2010
Getting to know the new version of Universal Serial Bus.
The Great PC to TV Connection - Reloaded	Dec 2009
Two years later, and it's still the number one asked question: "How do I connect my PC to my TV?".
DisplayPort Divulged	Nov 2009
Here we talk about the lesser-known monitor cable and it's purpose.
Quality Quirks	Aug 2009
By far, the most frequently asked question we get is, "Is this a good quality cable?" Learn all about cable quality here.
The Venerable VGA	Jun 2009
The world of VGA can be confusing. There are so many different terms flying around. We will attempt to alleviate some of the confusion.
Jowling About Jackets	Apr 2009
Here we talk all about the different types of jackets found on various cables, including what the writing on cables is all about.
USB Cables Revisited	Mar 2009
In this article we modernize our original USB article by talking about a few things that weren't around back when we wrote the first one.
How to Make A Patch Cable	Feb 2009
Here we change up the format a little and give you a how-to article. We'll show you how to make your own ethernet patch cable. While it's recommended you use professionally made cables, we offer this advice anyway.
Home Theater	Jan 2009
This technical article will help explain what a home theater is and how it can be set up.
Coaxial Cable	Dec 2008
This article shows you what it means for a cable to be a coaxial cable.
HDMI Cables	Nov 2008
HDMI is a great technology with many facets. We will go over some of the features of HDMI cables.
The Technical Side of Power Cords	Oct 2008
There are more to power cords than meet the eye. This article gets into some of the real technical bits about everyday electrical power cords.
The Mysteries Of Surge Protectors	Jan 2008
This article gives you the ins and outs of surge protectors and helps you choose the one that's right for you.
Wireless Home Networking How-to	Dec 2007
This article builds on last month's Home Networking How-to article, showing you how to use wireless technologies to set up a home network.
Home Networking How-to	Nov 2007
As broadband internet connections gain popularity, more and more people are finding it necessary to connect multiple home computers to one internet connection. This article will walk you through that process.
The Great PC to TV Connection	Oct 2007
Connecting your computer to a television, even HDTV, can be confusing. This article spells out exactly what products to use based on your computer and television types.
All About Audio	Aug 2005
There are so many different audio connections out there now; how do you know which one will be the best to use? This article will aid in understanding the different types of audio connections, audio formats, and where they are used.
A View of Video	Dec 2004
Focusing on the different types of video connections available to us for computer and home theatre components, this months article will address common video conversion problems and solutions.
Cables Clarified	Sep 2004
This month, we return to our most basic product: cables. While there is certainly a wide variety of cables and standards out there, all cables share certain properties, and a good understanding of cable construction and technical designations is always helpful.
Wireless Workout	May 2004
Why would a company called CableWholesale.com send out information about a technology that doesn't need cables? Wireless networking is a fantastic way to connect home computers, and it's advantages are easily recognizable, but this technology is not for everyone.
Serial ATA Simplified	April 2004
Just like a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a computer is only as fast as its slowest component. These days, the hard drive is the slowest commonly used component in most computers. IDE hard disks, while very common, have crippling limitations, and will very soon be replaced by a new technology called Serial ATA (SATA).
SCSI Unscrewed	Febuary 2004
The complete story of SCSI is so massive, it's simply not possible to present all the details in an article such as this. In an effort to organized this article in a reader-efficient manner, it's been broken into two parts based on the questions the reader would like answered.
Home Theatre Systems	December 2003
With the advent of the DVD player, having true at-home theatre-quality sound production has now become a reality. This technical article will help explain what home theatre is and how it can be set up.
Networks Untangled - Part 2	November 2003
This month, we're going to take a more practical approach, and show you how you might want to set up a home or small office network.
Networks Untangled - Part 1	October 2003
All networks, no matter how simple or complicated, have one and only one goal: to connect two or more computers together so they can talk to each other. So, how do they do that?
USB Uncovered	Sepetember 2003
Here we sort out the various problems enountered in dealing with USB devices, cables, and connectors.
DVI Demystified	August 2003
This first article helps to demystify the new DVI (Digital Video Interface) technology, which is becoming more widespread as computer monitors and high-definition televions move to an all-digital format.