INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology
Prem Rodrigues,
Director of Sales
and Marketing
for Middle East,
India and SAARC
at Siemon
Overall, the integration of multiple systems,
enables information to be shared between
systems and utilised to improve overall
building control and management. As a
result, facilities can optimise operations
and maintenance. The overall building
environment is enhanced and customer
and employee satisfaction, health and
productivity is improved.
What are the advantages of remote
power delivery and what are typical
PoE-enabled devices connected to
the building network today?
The ability to deliver remote power over the
copper cabling infrastructure to IP-enabled
devices leads to substantial cost savings in
an intelligent building. First of all, it reduces
the number of power runs in the building
because the end device doesn’t need to be
powered locally from an AC power outlet
any longer. Fewer power runs mean less
installation work, including reduced material
cost and associated labour costs. And if less
material is being installed on day one, less
will have to be disposed of later on, reducing
waste and disposal costs.
Secondly, PoE creates substantial energy
savings, because fewer AC to DC conversion
losses lead to reduced power consumption.
PoE is also considered a Safety Extra-Low
Voltage (SELV) application with Direct Current
(DC) levels that pose no safety risk when
these systems are deployed or upgraded.
Today, more and more PoE-enabled
devices are connected to the network and
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INTELLIGENTCIO
include IP phones, security cameras and
access control devices, Wi-Fi access points,
RFID tag readers, POS machines, building
automation devices and LED lighting. PoE
continues to advance and higher-power
delivery applications are being developed.
The emerging IEEE P802.3bt Type 3 60W
and Type 4 90W PoE for example will
enable support of thin client, desktop, IPTV,
biometric sensors and larger mobile devices.
What is required from the cabling
infrastructure for optimum support
of PoE applications?
Building owners and operators are often
not aware that remote power delivery
leads to temperature rise in cable bundles
and electrical arcing damage to connector
contacts, which negatively impacts
performance. Therefore, the cabling
infrastructure needs to enable improved
heat dissipation and provide more
thermally stable performance at elevated
temperatures. Shielded Category 6A and
Category 7A copper cabling solutions are
best suited here. In addition, connecting
hardware should be fully compliant with
IEC-60512-99-001 standards that specify
the maximum allowable resistance change
that mated connections can exhibit when
subjected to insertion and removal cycles
under PoE load.
How can intelligent buildings
eventually enable the smart city?
Intelligent buildings form the foundation
of smart cities. However, a smart city can
only operate as such if intelligent buildings
are interconnected to each other in a
strategic manner. It is therefore necessary
that building owners and operators
(both public and private) commence
their intelligent building projects as part
of a larger ecosystem of stakeholders,
supported by a collaborative environment,
government backing and shared common
objectives. Intelligent buildings that are
designed and built in this way will enable
smart cities to develop more rapidly,
efficiently and successfully.
What solutions portfolio does
Siemon offer in support of intelligent
building initiatives?
With ConvergeIT Siemon offers a unified
intelligent building cabling solution
that combines Siemon’s proven quality
with advanced copper and fibre cabling
technology to create a structured cabling
system that converges critical data, voice,
video and low-voltage building systems
onto a single unified physical infrastructure.
ConvergeIT provides significant cost
savings and sustainability over the life of
the facility.
With remote powering applications
demanding more from the structured
cabling system, Siemon offers Z-MAX
shielded Category 6A and TERA Category
7A cabling solutions that are qualified for
mechanical reliability up to 75°C (167°F) to
ensure superior heat dissipation in remote
powering applications. Siemon’s Z-MAX,
MAX RJ-45 and TERA connectors comply
with IEC 60512-99-001 and offer a special
‘crowned’ contact geometry that places
arcing damage to plug and connector
contacts away from the fully mated position
to maintain reliable, stable connections.
In addition, Siemon’s Z-PLUG field
terminated plug offers an innovative
approach to connecting IP-enabled
devices in intelligent buildings. Z-PLUG
delivers custom-length cables that can be
terminated on site. They enable fast and
easy direct connections to devices that do
not require outlets and patch cords, such as
Wi-Fi access points, security cameras, LED
lights, distributed antenna systems, building
automation devices and other IP-based and
PoE-enabled devices. n
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