Web User - UK (2019-06-12)

As well as looking more professional, a cable box like this one from

D-Line is moresturdy and safe than anexposed power strip

Weekend Project

Subscribe toWeb User atsubscribe.webuser.co.uk 12 - 25 June 2019 59

hand. Another bonus is they can be

reusedover andover again. A pack of

100 or so will onlycostyou around £5 on

Amazon and can be usedfor lots of

different tasks.For example,you can get

a set ofVelcro cable ties in different

colours and use themtokeep a drawerful

of cables individually looped, tied and

sortedbycolour – thusavoiding the

nightmare of power leads,stereo

jack-to-jacks, USB, Ethernet and HDMI

cables, andeverything else ending up in

one massive impenetrable knot.

Usecable sleeves

A cable sleeveis designedtowrap

around a group of cables, acting asa

containing pipe from source to

destination andstopping individual

cables fromcoming loose and getting

tangled up along theway. The sleeves

are usually made of neoprene (a

synthetic rubber material which is

bothstrong and flexible), andcome

with a zipper or aVelcrostrip down the

length soyou can open them up, put the

cables inside, and then seal them back

up.Theycome in different lengths(ones

with zips can’t be cut down butVelcro

they arestill visible, they look a lot better

and blend in more than acollection of

trailing black wires.

If you needtorun cables along the

floor, and can’t simply place them under

carpets (perhaps becauseyou havesolid

wooden flooring), then trunking – of the

typefound in offices andatevents–

might be the answer. These rubber

bumpers sit on the floor with the cables

running through them.Tr unking isn’ta

particularlyattractive solution, but it

doesstop power cables and the like from

becoming a trip hazard.You can also buy

skirting boards which havea channel on

the back that can hold wires, so theystay

hidden out of theway.

Cable box organiser

If you havea lot of power cables plugged

into a power strip or surge protector, it’s

likelytobe a bit of aneyesore,with the

various wires running off in different

directions. It’s also a potential dangerfor

curioustoddlers and pets who liketo

chew.A cable box organiser fits under or

over the power strip, soeverything is

much safer and looks tidier – the wires

come out of either end.The boxes should

also haveenough space insidetohold

power adapters, and any unused lengths

of cable.

Desktopcable clips

If your desk is anything like ours,you

probably havea number of USB cables

snaking across it.You cankeep these

organised and prevent them from getting

tangled upbyusing a simple cable clip.

This stickstothe desk or awall with the

cables secured in the slots. Cable clips

areavailable in different sizes, with gaps

for between two and five cables.They

can be bought in sets, soyou can mix

and match them asrequired.

Raceway channels hide wires that run up

walls

Spiral sleeves letyou poke cables in and outat any point

Trunkingstops you fallingover cables on

the floor

ones can), and ifyou havea cable that

needstoexit (or join) partwayalong,you

may be abletocut a hole in a sleeveto

feed a wire through.

You can also buy spiral wrap sleeves,

which look a bit like the spine on a spiral

notebook. Simply insertyour cables and

then wrap thecoil around them.This

doesn’t look as pleasingly tidy asa

neoprene sleevebecauseyou canstill see

the wires inside, but it’s much easierto

poke cables in and out along the path of

the sleeve. Theyare idealfor shorter

wires, andyou can cut longer sleeves

downtosize with scissors.

If you shop around,you can find the

type of cable sleeve you want in arange

ofcolours, which will help them fit in with

your décor.

Raceway channels and trunking

Wi-Fi and powerline networking have

thankfullyreduced the needfor trailing

Ethernet cables aroundyour home, but if

you needtohavecables running up or

along thewalls, thenracewaychannels

are anexcellent solution.These hard

plastic enclosures are designedto

contain andconceal cables and while