Data, Voice, and Video Cabling

I found Paul Rosenberg's, Data, Voice and Video Cabling, to be the perfect little companion to Jim Hayes's, The Fiber Technician, 3rd Edition. The material is presented in a fresh enough fashion that you'll actually stay awake when you read it.

This book is easy to read and covers most topics in a logical easy to follow format. I am a architect and needed a good starting point for understanding cabling installation and various types of low voltage wiring systems (voice, data, CCTV, security). The author emphasizes that this book is meant for practical application, but he does provides good coverage of basic theories without being like an engineering textbook. The discussion of how fiber-optics are transmitted was very helpful. If one already knows the basics, this book may not be useful but I found it a good overview of the subject.

I found this book to be written in a way that can be understood easily by the common "Joe". I've read many books on this subject and found that I wish I would have started with this one to begin with. It lays out the foundations of the infrastructure field in a descriptive and understandable way. Excellent choice.

I have been teaching fibre optics (Canadian Spelling for fiber) and communications for a number of years now, and I have read and used most every book available on the subject. I have been able to get something pertinent out of all of them. I have been using "Data, Voice and Video Cabling for some time now. The majority of the time my students are offered these books, not as a requirement of the course, but as a an option. (They are supplied during the course free of charge.) Recently a class involved in an extensive training course asked about Homework. I suggested reading the issued text books by the next morning. (Big mistake) The next AM, I was inundated with questions and ideas about communications cabling. Further, I sold 12 of the VD & V books immediately. Most of my people had spent many hours reading over and reveiwing all required reading. These students were all eminently qualified instructors in a Communications, train-the-trainer course. Many people assume that they can learn everything from books without the benifit of formal instruction. An unfortunate mistake. I have to deal with this attitude on a daily basis. However if you want to be close to this assumption, try this book. Always keep an open mind and try to refrain from the negativity.

This book is probably the best book on communications cabling I have seen. It covers copper cabling and fiber in different sections which makes it less confusing. It has lots of good pictures on how to actually install the cables.