Cable Inventory Manager

The Cable Inventory (Pro feature) feature allows you to create and manage a standardized list of cable types for your projects. By defining cables with lengths, units, connectors, and inventory SKUs, you can organize your connections and generate accurate cable reports.

Note

Please note that in the app Cables are different from Connections. Connections are the connections between gear, while cables represent an inventory item in your real world inventory.

Cables can be assigned to connections to add additional information to the connection, such as the cable length and inventory SKU, and keep track of inventory counts.

Adding Cables

To add a cable, click on the Plus button in the toolbar. This will open the Add Cable dialog. In this dialog, you can specify the following properties for the new cable:

• Length: Enter the length of the cable in either feet or meters. The length must be a positive number up to 5 digits with up to 2 decimal places (e.g., “5”, “7.5”, “10”).
• Unit: Choose the unit of measurement for the cable length (either feet or meters).
• Connector: Select the type of connector for the cable from the dropdown list. Selecting Fiber will enable the Fiber Type field, where you can specify the type of fiber.
• Fiber Type: If the connector type is set to Fiber, you can choose the fiber type from the dropdown.
• Inventory Quantity: Specify the number of cables in your inventory. This will be used to track how many cables of this type you have left in stock once you start assigning them to connections.

New cables are automatically named based on their connection, length, and unit (e.g., “RJ45 - 10m” for a 10-meter RJ45 cable).

To learn more about the different options, please refer to the Cable Inventory page.

Table Sorting

The table will sort cables in a logical order to make it easier to find the cables you need. The default sorting is:

1. Connector (alphabetical order)
2. Unit (feet before meters)
3. Length (from shortest to longest)

If you choose to sort by a column, your selection will apply first, before sorting by the above.

Editing Cable Properties

You can edit cable properties directly in the table by clicking on any field. Cables have the following properties:

• Name: The display name for the cable; by default, this is automatically generated based on the cable’s connector type, length, and unit (e.g., “RJ45 - 10m”). You can change this name to something more descriptive if needed.
• Length: The cable length (positive numbers up to 5 digits with up to 2 decimal places, e.g., “5”, “7.5”, “10”).
• Unit: Choose between meters or feet from the dropdown.
• Connector: The type of connector used for the cable (e.g., RJ45, XLR, Fiber). This is a dropdown list of available connectors.
• Fiber Type: If the connector is set to Fiber, you can specify the fiber type (e.g., Single Mode, Multi Mode) from the dropdown.
  • Note: This column is only visible when at least one connector type is set to Fiber.
• Default: Specify whether this cable will be used automatically as the assigned cable for new connections.
  • Note: Only one cable can be set as the default cable at a time per connector. If you set a new cable as default, the previous default cable of that connector will no longer be marked as default.
• Inventory SKU: Optional part number or stock keeping unit to easily identify the cable in your inventory.

Tip

When you change a cable’s length, unit, or connector type, the name automatically updates to match the new specifications.

Note

SKUs must be unique within your cable inventory. Duplicate SKUs are not allowed.

Removing Cables

To delete a cable or cables, select the cables you wish to delete by clicking on their checkboxes. Then click on the Trash button in the toolbar. This will delete the selected cables.

Caution

You cannot delete cables that are currently assigned to connections in your project. Remove the cable assignments first, then delete the cable from your inventory.

Copy and Pasting Cables

You can copy and paste cables within the Cable Inventory Manager. This is useful for quickly creating similar cables without having to re-enter all the details. To copy a cable:

1. Select the cable or cables you want to copy by clicking on their checkboxes.
2. Click the Copy button in the toolbar.
3. Click the Paste button in the toolbar to create a duplicate of the cable.

Note

When you paste a cable, it will have the same properties as the original, excluding the default status. The pasted cable will not be marked as default even if the original was set as default.

Generating the Cable Count Report

Clicking on the Cable Count Report button in the toolbar generates a connection report that shows the total number of cables in your inventory, grouped by cable length.

It shows similar information as the Cable Inventory Manager but with the full power of GearConnect’s reporting capabilities, allowing you to filter, sort, and export the report as needed.

This report will be generated with the following settings:

• Report Type: Connection
• Visible Columns:
  • Connection
  • Cable Name
  • Cable Length
  • Cable Unit
  • Cable Inventory SKU
  • Cables Used
  • Cables Remaining
• Filter: All cables in the inventory
• Group By: Cable Length
• Sort By: Cable Length
• Unique Rows Only: Yes

Viewing Stock Levels

You can view the stock levels of your cables in the Cable Inventory Manager. The Inventory Quantity column shows how many cables of each type you have in stock. This number can be edited by you and defaults to 100 when you add a new cable.

When you assign a cable to a connection, the Used column will automatically update to reflect the number of connections using that cable. Similarly, the Remaining column will show the difference between the Inventory Quantity and Used.

The Used column will turn yellow when you have used more than half of your inventory for that cable, and it will turn red when you have used all of your inventory. This helps you keep track of your stock levels and know when to restock.

Tip

You will also receive notifications as you assign cables to connections and your stock levels change. This way, you can always stay informed about your cable inventory.