CablesAndKits Blog

Today’s Topics: Roundtable-Style Good News | 3850 Switches | 5 Quick Tips for Motivating Others | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Wednesday!

January 27th is National Chocolate Cake Day…this is def a holiday we can get behind and support! This might be the one day of the year it is acceptable to have cake for breakfast. (well, if you are over 5 years old…haha!)

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It’s Wednesday, friends. The last Wednesday of January – so hard to believe. January is such a mixed bag for me. There is excitement because it is a brand new year of course. But I have to admit, after the activities at the end of the year get me out of my groove, I find it really difficult to get my routine rolling again. The more dreary weather and the abrupt change in pace from all the activity from December can leave me feeling a little down. It usually takes me until the beginning of February to start feeling like I’m back in the game. Anyone else there with me?

I was thinking through what to write about today, scanning mentally through recent events for inspiration, and I thought about a habit we have here at CK that helps us stay connected. We begin our weekly meetings with a roundtable-style good news and prayer requests time. To be honest with you, we probably take this time of connection for granted some days. I know there are times I struggle to come up with something to share, yet I know that sharing and listening to what is happening to others really does help me feel connected to the individual people here. Topics can range from things such as a new hobby or getting to have dinner with a loved one to news that a new baby is on the way (we heard this one this week). We also share more difficult things with one another by leaving room for prayer requests. What is shared can be more personal or can relate to work, and it takes about 1-3 minutes per person to share. So, if you’re not doing something like this in your business already, consider giving it a try. I highly recommend it, especially with how the new WFH environment makes relational interaction less frequent.

Until tomorrow,

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

Today we’re taking a look at the Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series WS-C3850-48U-S! This incredible switch is equipped with Cisco’s popular StackPower technology which allows for power-sharing and redundancy. This 1RU switch features (48) 10/100/1000 UPoE ports, a 176 Gbps switching capacity, IP Base software, and a 480 Gbps stacking bandwidth. We currently have this switch on sale, so snag yours now!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 1.27.2021

Today’s Topics: Enjoying the Moment | Economical GLC’s | All About 100G Transceivers | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Tuesday!

January 26th is National Plan for Vacation Day…on the last Tuesday in January, reminds us to plan our vacation at the start of the year for the rest of the year. The early bird gets to pack their bags and fly away to a little fun and relaxation!

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Wow! Where has this month gone? I mean it’s already at the end of January. This year is already flying by!

It seems as we get busier and busier time goes by faster and faster. Maybe it’s just that we are so focused on getting stuff done and we do not take the time to slow down and enjoy the moment or rest and relax that we “lose” that time and it seems to go by fast. I am not sure, it may be a combination of both.

I know for me, life has been non-stop already this year. Between all the items that I need to do here at CK daily, trying to wrap up selling a house, trying to pack up everything, trying to build a house, family health issues, my God-sons moving to Germany for two years, and everything else that goes on day to day, I am not sure of the last time I just sat down and relaxed or “enjoyed the moment”. I imagine a lot of it revolves around the house stuff, but I remember being “too” busy before I started trying to sell or build a house.

What are some of the ways or things you do to “slow down” or “enjoy the moment”? Cause obviously what I am doing is not working. Haha!

Jason

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

The Cisco GLC-T is a convenient and economical solution to achieve Gigabit Ethernet speeds using your existing infrastructure as this SFP provides full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet over Cat5e copper wire! Additionally, these 1000Base-T transceivers are hot-swappable and utilize an RJ45 interface. GLC-T modules are IEEE 802.3:2000 compliant and can operate at lengths up to 100m (328 ft)! Check out our options of New In Box, Refurbished, or CK Branded!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 1.26.2021

Today’s Topics: Childhood Birthday Celebrations | Powering WFH | Cable Management Best Practices | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Monday!

January 25th is National Opposite Day…does that mean instead of Monday it’s Friday?

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Let’s talk childhood birthday celebrations. Our youngest daughter is turning 5 (“a whole hand!”) soon, and we’re planning to take a few days to go camping. I’ve found winter birthday celebrations to be difficult to plan. We usually end up doing a trip for this child’s birthday. It is easier than trying to plan something indoors for kiddos under 5 and then worrying about who may be sick (and that was before our current conditions). Craig, myself, and our older daughter all have summer birthdays. The weather and more relaxed schedules make for easier planning in summer.

I’ve heard some neat solutions to non-ideal days of birth celebration times. Our old neighbors did a big costume party birthday celebration at Halloween, because the mom and daughter both had birthdays within days of Christmas. The mom’s parents had started it, so it was also tradition for their family.

What is your favorite childhood birthday celebration memory?

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

As many of us have transitioned from working in the office to working from home, we’ve had to find ways to power our devices so that there is no interruption to business! This is where products like the CP-PWR-CUBE-4 come in clutch! This power cube is a replacement power supply for Cisco CP-88XX, CP-89XX, and CP-99XX VoIP Phones. Check out our product page to see all compatible models. As usual, we have you covered whether you need Cisco original Factory Sealed or Refurbished. We even offer our very own CK Branded model as well!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 1.25.2021

Today’s Topics: Prayer for our Leaders | 1080P Webcams | Top 5 Reasons You Need a Firewall | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Thursday!

January 21st is “Get to Know Your Customer” Day, but it is also National Hugging Day (I guess that is gone with social distancing now) and National Squirrel Appreciation Day. Who knew?!?

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I thought we would pause our usual content this morning and take a minute to just be in the moment. I’m praying for our country and our leaders, and I would love for you to join me.

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

Today I am bringing back up a product we talked about last week, our brand new 1080P HD Webcam! This webcam was recently added to our product catalog and it has been a hit! This is perfect for all of your video conferencing needs! It works seamlessly with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Facetime, Skype, YouTube and more! It seriously has it all!

• 1080P Full HD quality for a clear, crisp, lifelike picture
• Built-in Noise Reducing Microphone to cut out the unwanted distractions from background noise
• 90° Wide View Angle to give you the wide view you’re looking for
• Plug & Play to make it easy to use! Ready to go in less than 1 minute!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 1.21.2021

Today’s Topics: WFH Yes/No Light | New Yealink Model | All about our Thermostats | To Err is Human…To Grow is Winning | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Wednesday!

January 20th this year is Inauguration Day. BUT…it is also National Cheese Lover’s Day and National Penguin Day. Celebrate in whatever way seems right to you!

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Yesterday I wrote about smart home devices and home automation. Today, I’m giving a {very official} award for most creative use of a smart device, a WFH yes/no light! The award goes to one of our team members, Cris.

Cris has young kids at home just like Craig and I do. As is common now days, the kids (and dogs, cats, wives, husbands and other familial wildlife) occasionally make an appearance on video calls. My little blond haired munchkin showed up in a chat recently, and Cris shared this pro-parenting tip: he bought a color-changing LED smart light and set it up outside his home office door. Red means do not knock or enter unless you’re bleeding and no one else can help, and green means I’m working but you can knock or say hello. I thought this was a pretty creative use of a smart home device, also very apropos to our current WFH culture.

Now If you try this hack and it doesn’t work, or if you simply must fight with your family, specifically your spouse, maybe you can do it “Fighting with Compliments” style. (I’ve watched this multiple times for the laughs!)

Hope you guys have a great Hump Day!

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

We’ve been talking a lot about Yealink phones since we just added them to our product catalog and today I wanted to highlight another amazing Yealink model, the SIP-T54W! This phone was designed for busy executives and professionals. It is an easy-to-use Prime Business Phone which features an adjustable 4.3” color LCD screen that can be adjusted for just the right viewing angle, Bluetooth 4.2, and built-in dual band 2.4G/5G Wi-Fi! It also has a built-in USB 2.0 port to allow for USB recording. Did I mention that it features HD audio and allows for super efficient installation and provisioning?! This phone really has it all!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 1.20.2021

Today’s Topics: Home Automation | All About GLC-SX-MM’s | Floor Dispensers w/video | What is a Console Cable? | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Tuesday!

January 19th is National Popcorn Day! Did you know that popcorn is the official snack food of the State of Illinois?

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Smart home devices are super popular these days. Unless you’re trying to avoid them, I’m sure you have one or two in your own home. An Ecobee or Nest thermostat? A Ring doorbell? Maybe a Furbo camera and pet treat dispenser? We enjoy using smart home devices ourselves. We’ve never gone as far as to have a smart home, but we’re working towards some really cool things right now. For years we’ve also been interested in home automation. [What’s the difference in home automation and a smart home?] Having played with some things like switches and receptacles years ago, we know we want to enjoy the convenience of having the proper “brain” for the system and scenes set up for our daily routine. I really want a Tony Stark-like setup, but I’m sure I’ll have to compromise.

It turns out choosing which controller and devices to control isn’t as simple as it seems. We (actually just Craig) have been working towards a home automation setup in the theater room and basement. He’s really into figuring it out, kind of going into mad scientist mode recently. He told me a few nights ago, after hours of working on a problem, that he wanted a break or a breakthrough, ha. There doesn’t seem to be a one size fits all solution or even a well-bundled package for basic home automation, so if you’re going to DIY it, it seems like you have to be willing to tinker. So far Craig is really liking Control 4 solutions. He’s also working on a possible home theater solution with something called a Raspberry Pi, which I thought sounded kind of delicious, but turns out it is a compact computer. I hope to learn more about it all soon.

Do we have any home automation experts connected here? Any advice for us in these early stages of tinkering?

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

Today we are featuring a CLASSIC! The GLC-SX-MM transceiver is one of those core, tried and true products that we all know and love! These 1G SFP transceiver modules offer tons of flexibility as they support 50/125, 62.5/125, and laser optimized 50/125 (OM3) fiber! They are an ideal solution for providing gigabit uplink capabilities in many Cisco switches, routers, and firewalls. In addition, they are hot-swappable so they are super easy to install – just plug-and-play! We offer this Cisco transceiver in a variety of conditions: Factory Sealed or Refurbished. We also offer our very own CK branded version so there is something for every need and budget! All of our transceivers come in anti-static packaging and look and function like new!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 1.19.2021