Certified structured cabling

Structured cabling is a system of wires and connected hardware that creates a comprehensive telecommunications infrastructure serving various uses. It encompasses elements such as the power grid, local computer network, telephone lines, alarm and surveillance systems, the system of access control, security systems, and more.

Structured cabling installations typically include

• Entrance facilities;
• Backbone pathways and cables;
• Work area outlets;
• Equipment rooms;
• Telecommunications closets;
• Cross-connect facilities;
• Multi-user telecommunications outlets;
• Transition points and
• Consolidation points.

Structured cabling prevents wire tangles by keeping the system tidy and organized, which results in fewer downtimes and less room for human error. Structured cabling also contributes to an improved IT infrastructure. It’s a valuable investment that helps organizations experience high ROI potential.

Some advantages of structured cabling systems include efficiency, redundancy, future usability, and flexibility.

The main structured cabling standards are ANSI/TIA-568 and ISO/IEC 11801.

In 1991, TIA & EIA published the first version of the commercial building telecommunications cabling system, ANSI/TIA/EIA-568 or TIA/EIA-568. The ANSI/TIA-568-C standard addresses:

• Subsystems of the structured cabling system;
• Minimum requirements for the telecommunications cabling;
• Installation methods and networking practices;
• Connector and pin assignments;
• The life span of a telecommunications cabling system technology;
• Media types and performance specifications for the latest backbone cabling;
• Connecting the hardware performance specifications;
• Recommended topology and distances;
• The definitions of different cabling elements.

The ISO/EIC is the international standard that regulates structured cabling systems within an IT network. The ISO standards are strictly reviewed every five years.

Section 11801 deals with all the general standards for network cabling in commercial buildings, covering data, voice and video services, and copper and fibre optic cabling specifications.

There are four noteworthy international organizations developing standards in the telecommunication field:

• IEEE, institute of electrical and electronics engineers;
• UL, underwriters laboratories;
• EIA, electronic industries alliance;
• TIA, telecommunications industry association.

A structured cabling network consists of the following components:

• Entrance facilities: an opening on the wall where the cabling is entering the premises. The cabling enters a room where other devices are deployed (network connection points, patch panels, equipment racks, hardware connectors, power supplies and protection devices for grounding, shielding and lightning protection).
• Equipment room: the area where entrance cabling connects to the internal building wiring infrastructure. The equipment room must be environmentally controlled, so the temperature and humidity are maintained according to equipment vendor specifications;
• Backbone cabling or riser cabling: the vital link between entrance facilities and telecommunication devices, equipment rooms, and different carrier spaces;
• Telecommunications room and telecommunications enclosure: environment-controlled spaces. Hardware in these areas terminates horizontal and backbone cables. These locations are also where local cables (jumpers or patch cords) are used on patch panels to cross-connect different cables. ICs or MCs might also be installed here to provide additional connection resources;
• Horizontal cabling is for serving the telecommunication resources to the users’ workspaces. The horizontal cabling runs from a user’s device to the nearest Telecommunication room. The maximum approved cable length for horizontal cabling is 295 feet;
• Work area: the final point in the structured cable system. A wall outlet or jack connection should connect the telecom network to the user’s device

There are seven principles of structured cabling:

• Versatility, considering when the structured cabling design should apply which types of connectors for the telecommunication equipment;
• Extensibility, prescribing connectivity options for potential new devices;
• Structuring, which stipulates the existence of clearly distinguished functional subsystems;
• Reliability covers the steps to avoid signal distortion and considers the redundancy of major system components;
• Compatibility, requesting the ability to use any standard network cad equipment, analog and digital telephone exchanges;
• Redundancy, which prescribes that structured cabling should be designed for more jobs than there currently are in the given organization;
• Standardization, prescribing that a structured cabling system should be carried out in accordance with applicable standards (international, european, american), such as ANSI / EIA / TIA 568, ISO/EIC, and others.