Can You Afford to Use Substandard Network Products?

Low-quality cable accessories and structural elements can threaten the performance and reliability of wireless networks. They might be less expensive but can also be less reliable over time. Substandard products ultimately perform poorly in the field and can lead to network performance problems in ways that aren’t initially obvious. Jeff Epstein explains more and provides examples in today’s blog post.

Substandards-compressedWould you buy a house from a builder who had a reputation for using bricks that crumbled after the first frost? Would you buy a car from a manufacturer who you knew used low-quality tires? What if they offered you a discount? Would it be worth the worry you’d have every time the temperature fell or the roads were slick? For most of us, the answer to these questions is a resounding “No.” Some things are too important to quibble over a small change in price. We know that the components in your wireless network are one of those “too important” things.

Low-quality cable accessories and structural elements can threaten the performance and reliability of networks. They might be less expensive but can also be less reliable over time. Substandard products ultimately perform poorly in the field and can lead to network performance problems in ways that aren’t initially obvious.

Being in the business for so many years, CommScope people have seen substandard tower frames, antenna supports, mounting pipes, hoisting grips, adaptors and other accessories become brittle, corroded and/or incapable of being loosened. Such problems might not sound bad, but over time can create significant safety and performance hazards in a wireless network. We have seen everything from antennas falling off cell towers to rusty bolts causing harmful RF interference.

Check out page two of our new brochure, “Substandard generics: can you really afford the risks?” demonstrating the results of low-quality products going through standard reliability testing to determine how well they would hold up over time. Needless to say, they didn’t fare very well.

CommScope puts our accessories and structural support solutions through testing which replicates harsh environmental conditions. CommScope stands behind the performance of these products through its customer warranties.

Whether you are buying a house, car or equipment for a wireless networks, you don’t want to have to worry about product reliability. The old adage of “you get what you pay for” still applies. When it comes to your wireless network, can you afford the risks of substandard generics?

Have you run into quality problems with “bargain” network accessories and structural elements recently? What happened?