Guidelines To The Structured Cabling
Jun 10, 2023
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Technology and telecommunications are essential for almost every company, regardless of their size or industry. An integral part of a company's network is its cabling infrastructure, which binds everything together and determines its operational speed. Network administrators often hear that their network is down due to cables, and research shows that up to 70% of network issues are caused by low-quality cable systems. Insufficient cabling infrastructure leads to reduced performance, increased maintenance, unreliable networks, and decreased productivity. Considering that the average lifespan of a cable system is only 10 years, it is crucial to deploy the cable system accurately from the beginning and equip it with reliable network equipment.
Is there a solution? Installing a structured cabling system will help you stay ahead of all technological advancements so that you have the proper infrastructure to support emerging technologies.
1. What is a structured cabling system?
It is not a bunch of messy wires (that's too common!). Instead, it is an organized and tidy system that follows the regulations and standards of commercial cabling, ensuring higher security, safety, efficiency, and future-oriented capabilities. As the name suggests, this "structured" cabling approach provides a single mixed-media network system that can handle all data traffic, such as voice, data, and video.
Structured cabling can be broken down into several components, with the most basic ones being cables, switches, patch panels, and backbone cables, which can then be combined into a subsystem. Six subsystems make up a complete structured cabling network:
Entrance Facilities: In a structured cabling system, entrance facilities are the physical points where building cabling begins and telephone company or internet service provider cabling ends. In other words, these are the points where the facility or premise company is now responsible for cabling.
Equipment Rooms: Equipment rooms are rooms that house any equipment or system integration points. You typically find switches and routers for structured cabling here.
Telecommunications Rooms: Telecommunications rooms have termination points for backbone cabling and horizontal cabling, including fiber optic cables or patch cords.
Backbone Cabling: Backbone cabling consists of actual cables that run throughout the entire system. It can be the cabling between horizontal cross-connections and intermediate cross-connections or between intermediate cross-connections and main cross-connections.
Horizontal Cabling: The horizontal cabling in a structured cabling system connects the telecommunications rooms to the outlets or work areas in the facility. It is usually the cabling that connects office computers and prevents data loss.
Work Area: The work area is where end-user devices are located. It is where devices such as computers, hosted telephones, or Wi-Fi-enabled devices plugged into wall outlets in the work area are connected.
2. Why is a structured cabling system important?
A meticulously designed and perfectly installed structured cabling system provides the wiring infrastructure that delivers exceptional performance and offers you additional flexibility to accommodate mobility, additions, and changes. It maximizes system availability and proves the reliability of the cabling system in the future.
Cost-effectiveness is one of the most cost-effective and timely decisions you can make for your business by having a comprehensive design and proper installation of structured cabling system technology. It enables routine actions, additions, and changes to be faster and more efficient, with tangible and intangible advantages. Increased productivity, faster rollout of strategic company applications, and more efficient troubleshooting features and capabilities will help any business achieve greater success.
Adaptability and scalability are considered in the construction of structured cabling system technology. Typically, such systems can support very high and precise bandwidth. Being able to upgrade your telecommunications system requirements without major overhauls to your current cabling technology can save your company a significant amount of time and money. Moreover, when your business outgrows the scale of your current building, it is much easier to transfer your cabling system technology and reinstall your network infrastructure than to relocate a complex old cabling system.
Reduced downtime is challenging to identify and resolve errors in a messy cabling system. Additionally, a disorganized cabling system is most likely to cause confusion and mistakes during the initial setup process. When the situation arises and your telephone lines fail, troubleshooting the correct hardware will take more time if the staff needs to untangle a bunch of messy network cables. When the infrastructure is easier and faster to repair, your voice and data cabling systems will be more efficient and reliable.
Well-organized structured cabling systems are extremely systematic and effortless to use, making them the most efficient method to implement in your workspace. Structured cabling systems are easy to manage and maintain, and they are also an initial one-time investment that can bring profits to your company in the coming years.
Support for multiple systems and applications: Fiber-optic structured cabling works in synergy with other systems and applications, creating an ideal business environment. Nowadays, many businesses operate in multiple locations, which can complicate conducting business meetings in such environments. By adopting a structured cabling system in your organization, you can easily streamline the complexity brought by different locations. The system provides you with VoIP software that enables remote business meetings.
In addition to well-known VoIP software, structured cabling systems also support security camera systems. With a surveillance cabling system, you can monitor various activities of your company from any location.
Investment for the future: While conventional cabling systems primarily cater to current business operations, fiber-optic structured cabling systems focus on the future. This feature makes fiber-optic structured cabling systems stand out among similar products. Additionally, the system has high bandwidth, making it more convenient to support your company's growth.
Retaining existing customers and continuously acquiring new customers are concerns for every organization. Investment in structured cabling systems for data and voice provides space for instant and continuous communication with all consumers. With prospects of winning new customers and retaining existing ones, structured cabling systems are indeed a project for the future.
3. What regulations and standards are there for structured cabling?
Over the years, cabling has undergone many changes. Until the early 1990s, cabling systems were typically proprietary, vendor-specific, and less flexible. However, with the development of cabling installations, proprietary systems have given way to flexible, open solutions that can be used by various vendors and applications. This change has been brought about by standards-based structured cabling systems. This acceptance is driven not only by customers but also by international standard organizations, thanks to collaborations between many telecommunications providers and these organizations.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization): This is the primary international standard organization for telecommunication systems.
IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission): This is an organization that certifies the electrical performance of components. Together with ISO, IEC has developed the ISO/IEC 11801 (Generic cabling for customer premises) standard.
CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization): CENELEC has developed the EN 50173 standard, which is used in certain European regions. It essentially regionalizes the ISO/IEC 11801 standard.
AS/NZS (Australian/New Zealand Standards): AS/NZS has developed a similar standard called AS/NZS 3080.
CSA (Canadian Standards Association): CSA has developed CSA T529, a standard similar to ISO/IEC 11801 widely used in Canada.
3.1 ANSI/TIA-568.D Cabling Standard
ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is an organization to which other organizations and standard bodies report and through which they report, including TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) and EIA (Electronic Industries Alliance).
TIA and ANSI jointly develop communication standards for commercial premises, including ANSI/TIA-568.D (Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard). Initially released as ANSI/TIA-568 in 1991, it was later released as ANSI/TIA-568A in 1995, followed by 568B. The most recent updates are ANSI/TIA-568.C and the current ANSI/TIA-568.D standard set. Its purpose is to plan and install structured cabling systems in commercial buildings, specifying a generic telecommunications cabling system that supports multi-product, multi-vendor environments. In other words, it provides a common baseline for the design and installation of telecommunications cables and connecting hardware in commercial buildings.
3.2 ISO/IEC 11801 Edition 2 Standard
ISO/IEC 11801 is known as the Generic Cabling Standard for customer premises. Its purpose is to provide a worldwide standard for the design, installation, and management of telecommunications systems in commercial buildings. All other standards that follow are adjusted based on ISO/IEC 11801 specific to their respective regions.
4. Why is certification and obtaining a 25-year warranty important?
Reliable network infrastructure is directly responsible for the productivity, service efficiency, and expansion of modern businesses. Each network's copper and fiber optic telecommunications lines are critical components that should not go untested. Certification is the most thorough testing of network cabling, ensuring that the cabling system meets strict performance and installation standards. By certifying wired networks, faults can be reduced. Some benefits include:
Elimination of substandard materials and processes.
Cable certification is cheaper than repairs.
Cable certification and recertification future-proof the infrastructure.
Uncertified cabling equals stranded capital.
Reducing waste is a good policy.
Certified cables are more valuable than uncertified cables. We always want to get the maximum value from our investments. When looking at copper and fiber optic cable plants, one of the best ways to get more value is to ensure that it comes with a long-term replacement warranty directly from the cable manufacturer. Only through cable certification testing can you obtain full manufacturer warranty coverage. If you cannot prove compliance with certification test results, your cabling will not be fully covered by most manufacturers' warranties.
Obtaining a fully certified manufacturer warranty should be seen as an insurance policy against future power outages caused by any physical cabling defects. Once a cable plant is put into production, even a brief interruption lasting just a few minutes can have a significant impact on an organization from an operational and profitability standpoint. Depending on the type and duration of the interruption, companies can lose hundreds to thousands of dollars in revenue. Running with fully guaranteed copper and fiber optic cables is an additional layer of protection against sudden power outages due to improper cabling manufacturing or installation.
Certification and comprehensive warranties for copper and fiber optic cables are beneficial not only for end customers but also for cable installation contractors. Contractors are no longer obligated to support the quality of their cabling. Instead, having a manufacturer-backed warranty eliminates any risk related to physical cabling defects that installation contractors may encounter down the road. Therefore, if any faults are discovered in the cabling in the future, the cost of replacement will be covered by the manufacturer. In the end, both the end customer and the structured cabling contractor will benefit. This is why proper certification testing for comprehensive warranties is so important.
COBTEL's 25-Year Warranty
COBTEL's 25-year warranty provides recipients with the assurance that the COBTEL cabling system they install will deliver the performance and stability necessary to meet their long-term network requirements. The program offers a 25-year standards-based system performance and application guarantee, applicable to all certified and registered COBTEL cable links in an installation project.
5. What does the 25-year warranty cover?
Standards - The 25-year warranty will demonstrate that the cabling system complies with the latest relevant ISO and ANSI/TIA standards.
Products - The 25-year warranty will certify that the covered COBTEL products have no defects.
Installation - The 25-year warranty will verify that the cabling system has been installed by qualified COBTEL installers.
Performance - The 25-year warranty will guarantee that the cabling system can operate for at least 25 years.
