
Today’s Topics: Lessons from a Builder | Cisco Catalyst 2960-X Switch | What is Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing Technology? | News to Start Your Day
Happy Thursday!
Get a charge knowing that today is National Battery Day! Observed each year on February 18th, today serves to appreciate the convenience batteries provide to our everyday lives!! Fun Fact: Benjamin Franklin first coined the term “battery” in 1748 to describe an array of charged glass plates.
Whoa! Can you believe we are almost at the end of February already?!
For me personally, it has really flown by and has pretty much been a blur. There is never a lack of items to do and focus on here at CK, but as you know I have also been working on selling my house, packing, buying/building a new house, and just trying to live and stay sane in between all of that. To illustrate the speed at how fast life and things move, below is a pic of what the new house looked like on January 9th and then what it looked like yesterday when I went by for the pre-drywall inspection. My jaw dropped when I looked at the pics side by side and knowing it has only been 39 days in between the pics.

While I was there at the inspection yesterday the Building Manager for the community just happened to be in the neighborhood and stopped by and walked through the inspection with us. My agent was in shock that a builder would take time to do that and actually interact directly with the buyer. (He gave me his card and cell number as well.) She said in her experience that builders usually try to avoid the buyers and agents as much as possible. Haha! It was very interesting talking with him about the new house, how they are building it, and his views on the building process and after. Couple of things I learned and walked away with from the builder as we talked:
- Efficiency breeds speed and success – just because something moves fast doesn’t mean it is a bad job. The inspector was very impressed with the level of work that had been done. Build the process and then let the process do the job for you.
- Treat others the way you would want to be treated / Put them in “your” shoes – Don’t just try to put yourself in another person’s shoes to see how they might feel, put them in your shoes and let them experience how you would feel or what you would want out of the exact situation. If it was you experiencing or buying something, you would want it to be easy, go smoothly, and be the best possible.
- The job doesn’t stop when the house is finished – that is just the beginning of the job. When we provide a service, sell an item, or interact with a client/customer, it is all about relationship. The sell/service is just the beginning of the relationship. The real job comes after that with supporting, helping, and making sure the customer is happy with their decision for the long term.
I personally was blown away by the amount of time, and level of conversation, that the builder of a multi-million dollar housing agency took to have with me yesterday. That left a lasting impression on me as a buyer and as a person. The last thing my agent said to me was that we hit the jackpot with this builder. That’s probably the way every customer should feel when they interact with a business or company every time, if not they will find the jackpot somewhere else.
I know many of you are feeling the effects of the crazy weather that is plaguing most of the country. I pray that y’all are staying warm and safe. Hopefully, you will get some relief very soon.
Jason
Product Spotlights & Updates:

Let us introduce you to the WS-C2960X-24PS-L. This LAN Base Switch is a workhorse! It has 24 PoE ports, (12 PoE+ ports at 30 Watts or all 24 PoE ports at 15.4 Watts), all 24 ethernet ports are Gigabit, and it also has 4 SFP ports. We recommend the GLC-SX-MMD if you are in need of SFPs. This is also a stackable model that allows you to stack 8 switches together into something we coined the “octostack” – it kind of reminds us of the megadesk scene from The Office. You’ll need an optional stack module (don’t worry we carry them) in order to gain access to the stacking capabilities.
This Switch is perfect for all kinds of environments from a small branch office with a few phones, a few APs, and a dozen computers to larger campuses. This reliable and robust piece of equipment will be the envy of the other networking devices in your rack. Grab one or eight! It’s time to get your office connected!

What is Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing Technology? – CK Learning Center

No matter what kind of network you maintain, you always have the same demands: more speed, less cost, and larger capacity. For any network with heavy demands on data and/or distance, this always results in implementing fiber optics. This is a technology that grows and shifts every day, and it can be exhausting to stay on top of the mountains of information out there. To help with that, a few simple explanations of popular fiber optic tech can make your life a lot easier. In that effort, today’s lesson is on CWDM technology. It’s one of several fiber optic cable choices, and it can fill many roles.
What is CWDM?
The acronym stands for Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing. As the name states, it is a form of multiplexed fiber optics, so CWDM networks can send simultaneous, two-way communication. The term “coarse” refers to the wavelength spacing between channels. CWDM utilizes laser signals that differ in increments of 20 nm. A total of 18 different channels are available — with a wavelength range from 1610 nm to 1270 nm — and 8 can be utilized in a single system. Since each channel is capable of data rates of 3.125 Gbps, the aggregate ability is 10 Gbps for any CWDM cable.
Sometimes, it’s easier to understand the value of a piece of technology by comparing it to alternatives. In wavelength division multiplexing, DWDM (Dense WDM) is the other popular choice. DWDM has a wavelength spacing of 0.4 nm. That enables a denser packing of signals (hence the name) and can produce much higher data rates — up to 100 Gbps. The primary difference between CWDM and DWDM is that chromatic spacing. While DWDM can send and receive more information, the smaller differences reduce the tolerance of the signal and require far more precision in the laser design. This is why DWDM is much costlier per foot of cable than DWDM
Where is CWDM Best Used?
With high data rates, a low cost, and a good transmission range (up to 60 km), CWDM shines in many instances. It’s best at city-level applications. Many broadband internet providers build the bulk of their infrastructure on CWDM lines. Large campuses and data centers also benefit from integrating CWDM.
One of the often-overlooked advantages of coarse WDM is its compatibility with both GBIC and SFP connections. This makes it ideal for upgrading legacy systems that still use the older interface.
To summarize, CWDM is ideal for fast and long networks that don’t need more expensive speeds. It’s also ideal for a gradual upgrade of older systems.
The most important thing to remember is that you never have to marry a cable choice. Networks are living animals, and you’ll always find various niches within the design. CWDM can be your flexible line that keeps your options open, but you can still utilize other cable designs where the need arises.
This article is from the CK Learning Center.
Today’s News to Start Your Day:

- As of this morning, in the US, there are 9,354,057 active COVID cases, 18,597,664 have recovered and there have been 502,545 deaths.
- Amazon’s aircraft fleet is on pace to have doubled in size between May 2020 and June of this year. It’s one of several moves that signal a broader expansion of Amazon’s air cargo operations. The company recently posted job listings for maintenance managers and staff to oversee contractors, indicating Amazon Air is “one step closer to being set up to run like an airline.”
- Power outages in Texas from the winter storm reveal a broader crisis: Climate change is fueling more frequent and destructive weather disasters that are overwhelming existing U.S. infrastructure. Utilities have begun rolling blackouts to east pressure on strained power systems and meet the high demand for heat and electricity amid freezing temperatures. Extreme weather events caused 67% more major power outages in the U.S. since 2000, according to an analysis of national power outage data by research group Climate Central.
- Walmart’s fourth-quarter earnings missed Wall Street’s expectations, as it tries to turn pandemic gains into sustained momentum and higher profitability. The big-box retailer’s e-commerce sales in the U.S. grew by 69% and its same-store sales in the U.S. grew by 8.6%. Walmart CEO Dough McMillion said it will boost the wage of U.S. workers, raining the average for hourly employees to above $15 per hour.
- The United States needs to rapidly deploy Covid-19 vaccines and ramp up its surveillance before highly contagious variants take hold or the virus mutates again and makes the pandemic even worse, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. Three variants first identified in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil have given researchers some concern. The variant first found in the U.K. has proven to be highly transmissible and early data suggests it could be more deadly.
- Facebook announced that it will now debunk common myths about climate change, further leaning to the arbiter of truth role that the company once renounced. The company said it plans to rely on experts from George Mason University, the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, and the University of Cambridge to identify and debunk climate change myths. Facebook has introduced these information hubs and relied on them as a key part of its tactic to combat the widespread problem of misinformation on its services.