A customer in Portland asked me why I still run coax when everything is moving to fiber.

I was finishing a job at a new apartment building, and the building manager said he'd heard from residents that coax was 'old tech' and a waste of time. It made me think about how we explain the value of our work. Do you guys get this a lot, and what's your go-to answer for explaining why coax isn't dead yet?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamesf412mo ago

Gotta ask, is the alarm system argument that strong? Most new security gear I see runs on PoE over ethernet now, not coax. It feels like we're keeping a whole cable type alive for a few old systems that are getting replaced anyway.

lopez.quinn2mo ago

Your "old tech" comment misses that coax is still the backbone for most security and fire alarm systems in those buildings.

martinez.kim2mo ago

Oh man, @lopez.quinn, that's a solid point about coax... it reminds me of the time our building's alarm went off for three hours straight because of a bad cable. They really do just keep running until they break.