Imagine you have a large commercial installation to do. What if you could do half the work when you’re wiring everything? It’s very possible. You just use dual bonded cable. It’s a great way to save time. Dual bonded cable is a pair of cables that have been molded together so you can run them as one. It makes it easy to run cables from place to place quickly. Why wouldn’t you want to get through an installation faster?
A little deeper dive
Some dual bonded cables are simply RG6, while some also include a ground wire to make things even easier. Some carry electrical or network cable as well as coaxial cable. It all depends on your need. Don’t mistake dual bonded cable for messenger cable, which has a separate wire just for strength, or cables with bonded ground wire, which have a separate wire just for bonding. What you’re looking for is like what you see above, with two identical cables connected together.
Dual bonded cables were much more common in home installations in the 2000s when every DVR needed two cables into it. Today’s installations only require one cable per box so dual bonded cables aren’t seen as often in homes. They’re still common in industrial installs, because industrial and commercial dishes six outputs. With dual bonded cables, you only have to run three lines instead of six. You’re still using as much material and you’re still taking up the same amount of space, but it’s easier to manage and that makes the job go faster. It also helps keep better track of things because you don’t spend as much time tracing and labeling cables. When you think about it, it’s a pretty big win for the commercial installer.
Some other things to consider
Using dual bonded cables really does bring some benefits with it. In a pinch, most dual bonded cables can be pulled apart to make single cables without damaging them. By peeling them apart, you can redirect cables to two different places in the equipment rack. Also, using dual bonded cables encourages you to include spares in the trunk when you’re installing. Yes, I get it. Running four pairs of coax is expensive and that can make for some crowded conduits. But you’ll be glad you did it when your customer adds a cable modem, off-air antenna, or anything else that uses RG6 cable. You’ll also be glad the first time a cable fails. It’s rare, but let’s not kid ourselves. It does happen.
If you’re looking for the best RG6 cables, I’d appreciate it if you take a look at SolidSignal.com, the folks who keep the lights on here at this blog. They have a truly impressive selection of cables for pretty much every need and can even custom order the cables you want. Give us a call at 888-233-7563 and you’ll get a representative who is happy to help! If it’s after East Coast business hours, fill in the form below and we’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
