Electrical Contracting News (ECN) December 2016 | Page 32

SPECIAL FEATURE DATA CABLING ‘The newest version of PoE will allow for more than a three-fold increase in the amount of power transmitted through IP networks.’ Convergence in the office. The newest version of PoE, expected to be adopted in 2017, will allow for more than a three-fold increase in the amount of power transmitted through IP networks (up to 100W). IP networks will be able to connect and power devices such as TV monitors. It is vital that selected cables and bundles can manage the high levels of heat generated by the current flowing through the cabling. That could mean more ventilated pathways and cable management systems and baskets becoming more popular than trunking, for example. We may also see larger cross-sections for pathways, with bigger 30-32 Data Cabling – Nexans.indd 32 The increasing number of high speed wireless backbones will require Category 6A components to support consecutive generations of equipment. Increased wireless networking drives the need to use 2,5G, 5G or even 10G in the wired backbone. This helps ensure that when many devices are connected, available bandwidth doesn’t become so ‘diluted’ that it becomes unusable. Saving money on cabling might seem a good idea at the outset, but this will place serious restrictions on bandwidth, causing a lot of disruption later and undermining the total investment. The upfront cost of good cabling is, after all, just a fraction of what it costs to retrofit cables and other system components. spaces allowed for cabling. This is directly opposed to the commercial pressure to make pathways and spaces as small as possible. Large diameter cables dissipate heat better than small diameter cables. Lower resistance cables develop less heat and generally speaking, better categories of cabling are advisable.
 Looking ahead The Internet of Things and the related need for wireless access will drive an increase in the amount of Distributed Building Services cabling required in an installation. 11/11/2016 16:40