MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ, June xx, 2020 – Paige DataCom Solutions, the developer of the GameChanger™ Cable, a cable designed to significantly exceed the reach of traditional category cable, announced a new version of the cable to support the special requirements of hazardous locations. These locations are defined in Article 500 of the National Electrical Code (NEC), where explosive or ignitable gases or vapors are present under normal operating conditions.

"This brings a new, important and much more affordable option to installations typically requiring very expensive solutions," said David Coleman, VP of business development for Paige. “For those applications classified as Hazardous, this really is a game changer. With the CI/D1 rating this armored cable allows installers to skip the expensive and time consuming installation of rigid pipe, and with a reach that goes well over two times traditional cable, this can save a significant amount of time and money,"   Additionally, this version of GameChanger is ordered cut by the foot and can even be factory terminated, eliminating the potential need to purchase a standard cable length that is far lengthier than the installation requires.

Paige’s GameChanger cable delivers 1Gb/s Ethernet and PoE+ up to 656 feet (200 meters) and 10Mb/s Ethernet and PoE+ up to 850 feet making it an ideal pairing for explosion proof cameras, WAPs and other edge devices. This cable eliminates intermediate IDF requirements and the need to install repeaters, power supplies and other equipment, which are costly and introduce additional points of failure.

This new GameChanger cable for Hazardous locations can support a broad range of industrial applications, including petroleum refineries, aircraft hangers with fuel servicing, gasoline storage and dispensing areas, paint shops and facilities, utility gas plants, chemical plants, and alcohol/cannabis production facilities.

An independent performance evaluation completed by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) evaluated GameChanger cable technology and verified that it delivers 1 Gbps performance and PoE+ over 200 meters. GameChanger cable is also supported by the field performance testing solutions of leading vendors, including AEM, Fluke, Ideal, Netscout, Softing and Viavi.

For more information on GameChanger cable from Paige DataCom Solutions, visit https://www.paigedatacom.com/gamechanger.

About Paige 

Paige, formerly known as Paige Electric, boasts over 10,000 customers from 10 offices across the globe. Paige manufactures and distributes a diversified set of electrical wire & wireless products, connectorized cable and accessories to the Asset Protection, Datacom, Illuminated Sign, Industrial OEM, Irrigation, Landscape Lighting, Precision Agriculture, and Submersible Pump markets. Paige is employee-owned, from factory worker to CEO, and has more than 200 employees. Visit Paige at www.paigeconnected.com.

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Ever since the dawn of IP cameras being attached to the data network, combined with the capability to add power over the same infrastructure through Power over Ethernet (PoE), the role of the low-voltage contractor has changed.  And, as more and more previously disparate building systems, including A/V, lighting, HVAC controls and fire safety, are now integrating through the IP network infrastructure, their responsibilities have expanded to include system designer, integrator, installer and application troubleshooter. 

Converged systems create intelligent buildings, which result in lower capital and operating expenses while providing a more reliable and cost-effective management system for all the integrated systems. As the applications merge, so do the professional resources.   Integrating intelligent building systems work best when there is a collaboration between all services – architects, building owners, facilities, IT contractors, designers and installers. This shift brings to light the importance for electrical contractors to understand the impact on their business and the value to partner with low-voltage installers.

Old World vs. New World

We think of electricity as being around much longer than low-voltage telecommunications cabling, but their paths have run in parallel. Electricity is thought as coming into existence with Thomas Edison’s discovery of the light bulb in 1879, but two years earlier, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.  Around the same time, an unknown Connecticut mill worker, Thomas Doolittle, devised a way to make the first hard-drawn copper wire strong enough for use by the telegraphy industry, in place of iron wire. In 1881, Lucien Gaulard of France and John Gibbs of England arranged the first successful alternating-current electrical demonstration in London. 

It took another 100 years for the first unshielded twisted pair (Category 1) to be manufactured.  It consisted of two insulated copper wires twisted around each other to eliminate crosstalk and used for telephone wire.  Category 3 in the early 1990s was the first of the four-pair twisted pair cable with simultaneous transmission with a data rate of 10 Mb/s.  Category cables evolved (up to today’s Category 8)  to meet demanding high-bandwidth applications and increasing data speeds.  

Electricians banded together early as organized unions to protect the workforce. In 1891 IBEW was formed and 10 years later, NECA emerged.  IEC (Independent Electrotechnical Commission) was formed in 1904 to secure the cooperation of technical societies to consider the standardization and ratings of electrical machinery.  This is not to be confused with Independent Electrical Contractors (also IEC), founded in 1957 with a goal to promote activities that enable the electrical industry to be conducted with the greatest economy and efficiency. IEC works closely with the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI), the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) to develop the NEC and reviews standards created by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL).  For electrical wiring, it’s understood that the National Electrical Code (NEC) is the basis for licensing of electricians.  And the NEC code is enforceable by law because it is written for safety – people and equipment. 

Because low voltage includes low-wattage power, which is defined not to exceed 90W, the installers observe a different set of rules.  Collectively cabling standards, which are best practices, are created by many associations to assure that errorless data is transmitted, and low-voltage cabling does not incur signal interruption or excessive voltage drop.  

Low-voltage cabling standard bodies include IEEE, ANSI, EIA, TIA and BICSI – each with a different function. IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards) provides documents that established technical criteria for electrical and transmission performance.  EIA (Electronic Industries Alliance), formed in 1957, was an American trade organization for electronics’ manufacturers that developed standards to ensure the equipment between them was compatible and interchangeable. They merged with TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association), which consisted of 60 contributing organizations including manufacturers, end users and consultants. In 1991 the first published standard, TIA/EIA-568, defined structured cabling system for commercial buildings and between buildings in campus environments. Since then, several revisions have been created to keep up with cabling types, performance characteristics, cable installation requirements and methods of testing the installed cable.  Today, EIA no longer exists, and these standards are updated under TIA’s working group, TR-42.  BICSI standards are also written by manufactures, end users and consultants to provide guidelines for the design and installation of cabling systems by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals. BICSI standards are focused on all manners of industry verticals such as healthcare, data centers and intelligent buildings.  ANSI (American National Standard Institute) provides a framework for standards’ development and quality conformity assessment systems for many different industries. Both TIA and BICSI standards are accredited by ANSI.

With the merging of data and power over IP cabling for building systems, a merger of professions and cooperation between low-voltage and electricians need to take place as each bring benefits to the reliability of the systems. Unlike licensed electricians who follow the written codes under NEC, low-voltage licensing varies from state to state and can even be different within states from county to county and city to city. Each contractor must check the state and the specific locality where projects are being designed and installed.   

Handle with Care

Besides the physical differences of electrical and low-voltage cabling, there are some major differences between installation means and methods.  One of the biggest differences between structured cabling and electrical wiring is the fragility of twisted-pair copper and fiber optic cabling.  It’s easy to destroy or degrade the performance of the cable if they are not handled right or follow best installation practices.  Some of these include the maximum pull tension, bending the cable too tightly (fiber will break), and kinking the cable.  Poor installation practices can result in the data and power not being transmitted and ultimately system failure.

Also, there is much caution to be taken for over bundling the cable in pathways, especially when both data and PoE are running through the same cable as higher wattage (heat) can degrade the performance, especially with smaller cable gauge sizes. Best installation practices for pathways include adhering to fill ratios for the different pathway and cable types.  

Distance is also an important factor since standards recommend not to exceed 100 meters for copper cabling but are exceptions (check the manufacturers’ specification sheets for installation and operating temperatures and check out our GameChanger™ that exceeds performance and distances for Category 6) 

There are also rules of separation between telecommunications and electrical cables as higher voltage on electrical cables can create unwanted signal interference that affect data cables.  Lastly, when terminating a four-pair cable, an untrained technician does not know that the different color scheme of the insulation over the copper conductors must match the scheme on the connector.  An improperly terminated cable will fail a wiremap test which also attributes to system failures.

The Main Squeeze

There are degrees of competency between professions.  As disciplines continue to converge, electrical contractors with structured cabling installation experience and education will have a strong edge over their competitors without low-voltage knowledge. With the intelligent building evolution, electrical contractors can benefit themselves and their customers by getting an education in ICT and partnering with low-voltage contractors.  Proper training and accreditations are available through trade associations, such as BICSI, and training from manufacturers, who can provide specific system warranties.

The ICT profession has grown from cabling system design and installation to encompass project management, system testing and commissioning.  Since technology is constantly evolving, savvy low-voltage contractors keep ahead of their competition by consistently taking courses to gain new insight and to expand their offerings.  Low-voltage contractors realize the importance of staying relevant, and in doing so find the proper training and certification programs available to them. Available resources in the market include hands-on design and installation classes, certification training, technical conferences, virtual training and webinars.  

For electrical contractors to get into the low-voltage trade means a fundamental mind shift to become more of a customer service company, spending more time with the client and learning the technology. As the degree of separation closes in, future opportunities are for the taking for both electrical and low-voltage contractors who cannot become complacent over old world technology and do take advantage of cutting-edge training and education outside of their niche.  

With the entire world currently under “stay at home” orders, everyone who is classified with “non-essential” jobs are now working from their homes or not working at all. In doing so, everyone is realizing the importance of the “4th Utility” — the Internet. Just like flipping on a light switch or turning a faucet on for water, network connectivity is an expected deliverable. 

Can you imagine if this pandemic occurred 20 years ago when high-speed Ethernet communication was not established? The paradox of online communication has just been ratcheted up. Internet — both wired and wireless networks — are coming under immense pressure to deliver reliable connectivity as schools and businesses have shifted their day-to-day operations out of the workplace and into homes. Think of the media rich and mission critical applications, which have become part of everyone’s daily routine – video conferencing, streaming videos, online learning, news reports, telemedicine, shopping online, to name a few.

Infrastructure is an essential element in all our lives as it is everyone’s link to the world. While the nation may be on the cusp of slowly re-opening, the cable contractors and suppliers are answering the demand for the installation of more network connections, for both commercial and private use. 

Challenges and Solutions for Wi-Fi

Technology evolution waits for no one. As we are sitting on the edge of 5G, which will double the speed of 4G, and the next generation of Wi-Fi standards, wireless devices have become critical lifelines. Once students go back to school and businesses reopen, the public will be demanding more connections in every space and in every environment. With the evolution of higher speeds and bandwidths, network system designers are facing a big challenge to deliver this technology over the existing Category 5e/6/6A copper infrastructure.

Here are some trends and challenges in wireless technology identified by the Dell’Oro Group Ethernet Switch study:

• Wi-Fi has exceeded the capacity and data rates of wired networks.
• There is an estimated 6x growth in mobile data traffic (2017-2022).
• More than 5.6 billion 100BASE-T and 1000BASE-T switch ports have shipped in the last 20 years with another 2.4 billion ports expected by 2022

The Ethernet Alliance, which consists of more than 45 manufacturers and suppliers has banded together to enable widespread deployment, evolve specifications and facilitate interoperability for 2.5G/5G BASE-T and beyond. WiFi-6 (IEEE 802.11 ax) will require upwards of 10 Gb/s speeds creating a Gigabit bottleneck in the infrastructure from the switch to the device.

*Image Source: Cisco

While the switch manufacturers are developing active equipment to provide both power (Power over Ethernet) and multi-gigabit technology over all four pairs at higher speeds, contractors are faced with providing connectivity and pathways out to these devices. Providing connectivity to many locations past the standards’ based 100-meter rule can be a daunting design nightmare because many wireless devices are located in remote areas -- across campuses, parking lots, warehouses, airports and sports arenas. 

So how are we seeing installers deliver the most cost effective Multigigabit WiFi? The answer is simple. It’s called “lengthonomics” – extending the cable distances without having to install additional telecom rooms or intermediate enclosures, which are cost-prohibitive and not physically feasible. The patented GameChanger Cable™ is the solution as it can more than double the distance of standard category cables (shielded, unshielded or outside plant) up to 260 meters (850 feet) for a fraction of the cost without requiring additional connectivity. The GameChanger cable supports all four types of PoE – from Type 1 which provides 15W from the powered source equipment (PSE) over two pairs all the way up to Type 4, which provides 90W from PSE through all four pairs.

How is this achieved? The GameChanger outperforms typical category cables due to increased gauge size (22 AWG), carefully designed twisting and incorporating specialty materials optimized for long-distance Ethernet applications from the switch to the device. So even when the switch is upgraded, the GameChanger meets evolving technologies.

With increasing multi-gigabit data rates, the newest wireless industry standards recognize that two cables should be pulled to each WAP to provide enough data and power (PoE). By installing two GameChanger cables, not only do they support higher bandwidths and further distances but also address future densities and additional applications. Having the cable in place in the ceiling makes future connections fast and easy. And, GameChanger pulls and terminates just like any other category cable. 

Planning is the most important aspect of the infrastructure for every real estate. Too often, many criteria for future-proofing the network is minimized due to lack of foresight. The three essential pillars of planning the infrastructure includes: 1) install as much conduit for future provisioning to be able to add robust connectivity 2) factor in as much cabling as needed for current and future applications, and 3) always make sure there is enough power in the telecom room for future active equipment changes to be able to push the signal as far as possible to the devices. Wireless pathways are underestimated in the design phase but GameChanger makes it easy to add cable runs while satisfying both data and power requirements now and in the future.