FEATURE: CABLING STANDARDS
C
ommissioning and operating a
new cabling system that complies
with contemporary standards can
be a complicated process. Businesses
need to concentrate on the basics of
their infrastructure ensuring they stay
competitive with their rivals. In a world
of increased expectations the speed
of technological change is faster than
ever. It’s all too easy and costly to fit a
cabling system that becomes obsolete
much quicker than anticipated.
It’s important to remember that your
system is only as strong as its weakest
link. That’s why Intelligent CIO spoke to
three experts with industry insight to get
the lowdown on the best way to avoid
problems and get the best possible
system in place.
PAUL CAVE, TECHNICAL PRE-
SALES MANAGER, EXCEL, MAYFLEX
Perhaps one of the most
overlooked elements of
Information Technology
is also one of the most
overlooked and under-
appreciated. How well
your cabling infrastructure
performs has a massive
impact on the speed of your
network and your ability to
please your customers. We
spoke to three experts to find
out the best way to ensure
you get the cabling system
you deserve.
www.intelligentcio.com
“The key thing
is to ensure is
that the system
is installed
by a trained
and certified
integrator
(by the
manufacturer)
and installed
following the
installation
guidelines of the
manufacturer.”
How can those looking to install new
cabling infrastructure ensure their
cabling meets future standards?
As cabling dictates how fast a
network can operate, is there a
particular standard those installing
cabling infrastructure should look for
in terms of speed?
To ensure the best performance we
always recommend that all customers
should specify that the system should be
installed and tested to ISO 11801. The
reason this should be done rather than
using TIA for example is that there are
much higher test limits for Category 6A;
2.5dB on NEXT and as much as 4.7dB
on the ACR values.
All new applications are developed to
operate over ‘Standards Compliant’
cabling therefore the safest way is to
specify a cabling system that has been
verified to meet the standards by an
independent body, such as Delta or ETL,
as part of an ongoing programme.
What and why is the recommended
category of cabling required to meet
modern standards?
All standards going forward have
stated that the minimum requirement
is Category 6, with a recommendation
that all future installations should be
Category 6A. Category 5e is effectively
obsolete now. The basis for this is all
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