Structured Cabling Systems

• Structured cabling is the wiring network to carry data, voice, multimedia, security, VoIP, PoE, and wireless connections throughout a building or campus.
• Structured cabling involves cabling, and the associated hardware, providing a comprehensive telecommunications infrastructure.
• It ensures efficient data and voice communication within buildings or campuses.
• Structured cabling includes standardized systems that works together with multiple components.

The Importance of Structured Cabling

• Structured cabling is easily scalable as networks grow.
• Cost efficiency reduces downtime and maintenance costs.
• Structured cabling accommodates new technologies using minimal upgrades.
• Standardization allows consistency and easier troubleshooting.
• Good organization reduces clutter and complexity, promoting a clean environment.

Components of Structured Cabling Systems

• The structured cabling system defined by TIA/EIA include six subsections.
• Horizontal cabling runs between telecommunication rooms, usually on the same floor, and cross-connects to telecommunication outlets.
• It's called horizontal cable, typically running horizontally above the ceiling or below the floor from the telecommunications room.
• It involves twisted pair cables (Cat5e, Cat6) or fiber optics.

Backbone Cabling

• The backbone system encompasses all cabling between the telecommunications room, equipment room, entrance facilities, and buildings.
• It connects different floors, buildings, or areas within a campus using fiber optic cables or large-gauge copper cables.

Telecommunication Rooms

• Telecommunication Rooms house equipment, which include routers, switches, and patch panels for centralized network management.

Work Area

• The work area comprises all the components between the telecommunications outlet and the user's workstation equipment or devices, like computer and phones.
• Multiuser Telecommunication Outlet Assembly (MUTOA)

Equipment Room

• It houses the telecommunication system, and can be one or take over the telecom room.
• It contains PBXs, servers, and mechanical terminators, differing from the telecommunications room because of the complexity of the components.
• Entrance facility: the entrance facility is where the outdoor cable connects with the building's backbone cabling, usually the demarcation between the service provider and customer systems.

Types of Pathways

• Cable trays are large open channels that are used for managing quantities of cables.
• Conduits are enclosed pathways, PVC or metal, that provides protection for cables.
• Raceways are surface-mounted channels for cables in office or commercial spaces.
• Ducts are large enclosed pathways, often used for underground or large building applications.
• J-Hooks are cable-supporting hooks used in horizontal pathways.
• Racks provide organizational support for vertical or horizontal cables.
• Pipes are temporary pathways used during construction.
• Wall-mounted pathways for cable management along walls in commercial spaces.
• Floor ducts are pathways built into floors to house cables in raised floor environments.
• Underfloor/overhead pathways are used in raised floor systems or ceiling spaces for organizing cables.

Copper Cables

• Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP).
• Shielded Twisted Pair (STP).
• Foiled/Unshielded Twisted Pair (F/UTP).
• Shielded/Foiled Twisted Pair (S/FTP).
• Screened Twisted Pair (ScTP).
• Super/ Shielded twisted pair (S/STP).
• They are common in LANs, supporting Ethernet protocols.
• Copper cables are less expensive than fiber cable and easy to terminate in the field.
• Solid cables are designed for both backbone and horizontal cable runs.
• They are used for runs between equipment rooms or from the telecommunications room to the wall plates.
• Solid cables should not be bent, flexed, or twisted.
• The attenuation is lower than that of stranded conductor cable.
• Stranded cables are used as patch cables between the outlet and desktop between patching equipment.
• The impact tool is used to terminate a wire in the patch panel.
• Flexible stranded cables have higher attenuation, so the total length of the conductor should be kept at least 10 meters to reduce signal degradation.

Fiber Optic Cables

• Single-mode for long-distance transmission with high data rates.
• Multi-mode for shorter distances, cheaper, used within a building.
• They use light as an information carrier.
• Fiber optic cables are the superior cable for applications requiring high bandwidth, long distances, and immunity to electrical interference.
• Commonly installed as a backbone.

Wireless Media Types

• WiFi operates up to 100 meters reaching speeds up to 3.5 Gbps
• Bluetooth operates up to 100 meters reaching speeds up to 3 Mbps
• Zigbee operates up to 100 meters reaching speeds up to 250 kbps
• Cellular operates up to 10 km(5G) reaching speeds between 1 to 10 Gbps
• NFC usually operates up to 10 cm reaching speeds between 424 to 848 kbps
• Infrared usually operates between 1 to 5 meters reaching speeds up to 4 Mbps
• LoRaWAN usually operates between 2 to 15 km reaching speeds between 0.3 to 27 kbps
• Satellite communications have Global coverage and reaches speeds between 1 to 2 Mbps
• WiMAX operates up to 50 km reaching speeds up to 40 Mbps
• RFIDs active tags can operate up to 100m reaching speeds between 100 kbps to 1 Mbps
• UWB usually operates between 10-50m reaching speeds up to 1 Gbps
• Z-Wave operates up to 30m indoors and reaches speeds up to 100 kbps
• Terahertz communications transmit data at short ranges and speeds higher than 1 Tbps
• Li-Fi communications transmit data at the range of the light source reaching speeds up to 10 Gbps
• mmWave communications transmit data at short ranges up to 100m and reaching speeds in multiple Gbps speeds
• WiFi 6 has similar ranges to WiFi 5 but is optimized for crowded areas and can reach speeds up to 9.6 Gbps.
• Free Space Optics transmit laser beams up to 1 to 2 km and reaching speeds between 1 to 10 Gbps
• Wireless USB transmits data between 3 to 10 m reachings speeds up to 5 Gbps(USB 3.0)
• TV White Space commonly transmit data a over several kilometers reaching speeds between 20 to 30 Mbps
• 60 GHz Wireless transmits data at short ranges up to 10 m reaching speeds up to 7 Gbps
• Ubiquitous Networking commonly transmits data at varying ranges and varying speeds
• 5G commonly transmits data at varying frequencies but speeds can reach beyond to 10 Gbps

Cabling Standards

• TIA/EIA-568: Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard.
• TIA/EIA-569: Telecommunications Pathways and Spaces.
• TIA/EIA-606: Administration Standards for Cabling Systems.

Cabling Categories

• Category 1 (Cat 1): Used for voice transmission at analog signals, does not support data transmission, obsolete status.
• Category 2 (Cat 2): Supports data transmission at speeds up to 4Mbps, used in token ring networks, obsolete status.
• Category 3 (Cat 3): Supports speeds up to 10Mbps, used in Ethernet networks, obsolete status.
• Category 4 (Cat 4): Supports data transmission at speeds up to 16Mbps, used in Ethernet systems, obsolete status.
• Category 5 (Cat 5): Supports speeds up to 100Mbps, used in early Ethernet systems, obsolete status.
• Category 5e (Cat 5e): Enhanced version of Cat 5 reduces crosstalk improving signal quality, supporting 1 Gbps speeds, current status.
• Category 6 (Cat 6): Supports 10Gbps speeds up to 55 meters reducing crosstalk, used in High-speed Ethernet networks, current status.
• Category 6A (Cat 6A): Supports10Gbps speeds over 100 meters with improved shielding to reduce interference, used in Data centers, high-performance networking, current status.
• Category 7 (Cat 7): Provides shielded twisted pairs (STP) and supports 10Gbps speeds over longer distances (100 meters), and is used in Enterprise networks, current status.
• Category 8 (Cat 8): Supports 25Gbps to 40Gbps over short distances (up to 30 meters), and is used in Data centers, current status.
• Fiber Optic (Single-mode): Uses a single strand of glass fiber, providing extremely high-speed data transmission, commonly used for Long-distance communications, current status.
• Fiber Optic (Multi-mode): Uses multiple glass fibers, supporting high-speed data transfer over moderate distances, used for Campus networks, current status.
• Coaxial Cable (Coax): A copper cable with a central conductor used to carry high-frequency signals for TV signal transmission, obsolete status.
• Shielded Twisted Pair (STP): Similar to unshielded twisted pair (UTP) with an additional shielding layer reduces interference.Environments status is current.
• Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP): A common type of twisted-pair cable that is flexible and cost-effective, for Ethernet networks, status is current.

Structured Cabling Topologies

• Star Topology: Centralized model with a central hub (switch/router) offering scalability and flexibility.
• Ring Topology: Less frequently used, it involves a loop network.
• Bus Topology: Older system where all devices are connected to a single cable backbone.
• Hybrid Topology: Combination of multiple topologies to meet different needs.

Installation Process

• Planning with site survey for understanding the network requirements.
• Cable Installation by running cables, terminating them properly.
• Testing and certifying cables for proper performance, speed, and connectivity.
• Documentation to keep records of cable pathways, patch panels, and wiring details.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting

• Regular Inspections ensure the cabling infrastructure is intact.
• Signal Loss is a common issue to Check for physical damage or poor connections.
• Interference is a common issue that requires verified shielding.
• Loose Connections is a common issue that requires secured cables connected to patch panels and switches.

Trends in Structured Cabling

• Higher Speeds and Bandwidth are moving towards 10Gbps and beyond,.
• Fiber Optic Dominance has growing adoption for backbone and horizontal cabling.
• Smart Building Integration: Automation, IoT devices, needing on cabling systems for control and communication.
• Green Cabling is aimed at reducing environmental impact and energy efficiency.