Structured Data Cabling

Networking and Data cabling

There is a lot more to Structured cabling system performance than just buying cable and connecting hardware.

In order to ensure full bandwidth potential, a structured cabling system needs to be properly designed, installed, and administered.

Complex issues impacting operational efficiency must be addressed in all aspects of your design to ensure optimum performance and improved return on investment. Ultimate service reliability is essential as downtime costs money, and new technologies must be embraced to maximise network performance, availability and business continuity.

Renowned for our specialist knowledge and expertise in data, network, and voice cabling, we also have a proven track record for delivering quality installations on time and within budget. Whether we are installing a single data outlet or installing a site wide network, we treat every task with the same attention to detail

Documents for Download

  Fibre DB Loss Calculator - What dB losses should your fibres fall below?

  Excel Structured Cabling system warranty 

Structured Cabling | Cabling System | Voice Cabling | Installations | Single data Outlet | Site wide network | Data cabling | Network Cabling

Some terms of reference are defined below:

• Horizontal wiring - all cabling between the telecommunications outlet in a work area and the horizontal cross-connect (also known as a floor distributor) in the telecommunications closet, including the telecommunications outlet itself, an optional consolidation point (or transition point) connector, and the horizontal cross-connect. Horizontal wiring, as the name suggests, usually runs horizontally (e.g. above suspended ceilings or below computer flooring) and does not go up or down between floors in a building. The maximum distance allowed between the telecommunications closet and the communication outlets is 90 metres, regardless of cable type. An additional 6 meters is allowed for patch cables at the telecommunication closet and in the work area, but the combined length of these patch cables cannot exceed 10 meters. The horizontal cable should be four-pair 100Ω UTP cable (the latest standards specify Category 5E as a minimum), two-fibre 62.5/125-mm fibre-optic cable, or 50/125-mm multimode fibre-optic cable.
• Vertical (or backbone) wiring - runs up through the floors of a building (risers) or across a campus, and is the cable used between telecommunications closets, entrance facilities, equipment rooms and buildings, including all cables, cable terminations, and intermediate and main cross connects. Backbone wiring runs between telecommunications closets, equipment rooms and entrance facilities on the same floor, from floor to floor, and even between buildings. The standards specify a hierarchical star topology for backbone cabling, in which all wiring radiates from a central location called a main cross-connect (usually the telecommunications closet). Each telecommunications closet or entrance facility is either cabled directly to the main cross-connect, or via intermediate cross connects. The distance limitations for this cabling depend on the type of cable used and the facilities it connects (twisted pair cable is limited to 90 meters).
• Work area - a building space in which operatives utilise telecommunications equipment. It includes all cable components between communication outlets (wall sockets) and end-user telecommunications equipment, such as telephones, workstations and printers, including the communication outlet itself. Work area cabling systems are designed to be flexible, but still require careful management. Standard structured cabling installation procedures should be observed when installing work area outlets, and cable terminations should be carried out using the same standard (T568A or T568B) throughout the system to avoid problems like crossed pairs which may arise if standards are mixed. T568B is the more commonly used standard in data applications. The standard requires that two outlets should be provided at each wall plate - one for voice, and one for data.
• Telecommunications (or wiring) closet - an enclosed area, such as a room or a cabinet, for housing telecommunications equipment, distribution frames, cable terminations and cross connects. In other words, all the hardware required to connect horizontal wiring to vertical wiring. This area will often also house auxiliary equipment, including network file servers. Every building must have at least one wiring closet, and the standard recommends one per floor. Specific closet sizes are also recommended, depending on the size of the service area. There must be sufficient space for service personnel to perform maintenance and carry out other duties, as well as for all of the required hardware. Lighting, power supplies and environmental conditions should also meet the requirements specified by the standard.
• Equipment room - the space that houses building telecommunications systems such as PBXs, servers, switches etc., and the mechanical terminations of the telecommunications wiring system. It is considered to be different from a telecommunications closet because of the complexity of the components it houses. An equipment room can either take the place of a telecommunications closet or be a separate facility. The functions of an equipment room may even be incorporated in a wiring closet. The equipment room provides a termination point for vertical (backbone) cabling that is connected to one or more telecommunication closets. It may also be the main cross-connection point for the entire facility. In a campus environment, each building may have its own equipment room, to which telecommunication closet equipment is connected, and the equipment in this room may then be connected to a central campus facility that provides the main cross-connect for the entire campus.
• Entrance facility - contains the telecommunication service entrance to the building, and may also contain campus-wide backbone connections. It also contains the network demarcation point, which is the interconnection to the local exchange carrier's telecommunication facilities. The demarcation point is typically 12 inches from where the carrier's facilities enter the building, but the carrier may designate otherwise.
• Cabling administration - this is a process that includes all aspects of premise wiring activities related to documenting, managing, and testing the system, as well as compiling and maintaining the architectural plans for the system.