The terms “smart” or “intelligent” are synonymous when referring to
designing today and tomorrow’s commercial buildings. A smart
or intelligent building incorporates ICT-based systems, services and technology
to reduce operating costs, optimally utilize space, and improve energy
efficiency at all stages of its life cycle. And smart buildings are one of the fastest
growing segments in the enterprise market.
In fact, it has been reported by market researchers that the compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) for smart component solutions and services will grow
11-15% in the next four years.
Smart buildings require an intelligent infrastructure that can support
an integrated network of building systems.
The cabling infrastructure becomes the foundation of a smart
building. But a smart building is only
as smart as its infrastructure design and component choices. And because of the
diversity of applications and their requirements and locations, network
designers are looking at unique solutions, such as Paige’s long-distance
GameChanger Cable™ to reach these devices.
Smart Applications
For over 30 years the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry
has been designing and installing the cabling infrastructure for voice and data
applications. Data and voice structured
cabling easily became standardized to address generic requirements. Most installations were cookie-cutter designs
as the cable was pulled from the telecom room (TR) to work area outlets located
15” above the finished floor for connection to computers and phones.
Standards were put into place so that manufacturers’ cable and
connectivity could be interchangeable, versus previous proprietary systems.
IEEE-802.3 deemed that due to bandwidth requirements along with allowing
backwards compatibility, that four-pair copper cable be limited to 100 meters
(m) from the active equipment. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) introduced
power to be run alongside data within the same cable, which reduced the number
of cables to the work areas, but the distance to the device remained limited to
the same 100-meter rule.
IP cameras over twisted pair and fiber opened the floodgates for
additional devices to jump on the network through the Ethernet protocol. More network applications became IP-enabled,
including wireless access points, access control, lighting and building
automation systems. The good news is
that these applications when integrated with each other create a smart building
which leads to energy efficiency, resulting in a better environment for the
users and cost savings for the building owners.
The challenge of designing the cabling infrastructure for an intelligent
building is that the applications may have their own unique cabling and
layout. For example, some LED lighting
fixtures are connected directly with a point-to-point copper cable while others
are connected to a node and then daisy chained to the devices. Other challenges are that these devices are
not terminated to a work area outlet, but to a service outlet which could be in
the ceiling or even waist height, and many located outside the 100m limit. But where there are challenges, there are
solutions.
Smart Standards
Standard
bodies such as ISO, TIA and BICSI are addressing the unique requirements for structured
cabling to help the designers, consultants and contractors install systems to
build a reliable network. ISO/IEC 11801-6:2017 is the international standard
that specifies generic cabling within premises comprising of a single or
multiple buildings on a campus and is in sync with the North American TIA
standards from ANSI (American National Standards Institute). ANSI/TIA
published TIA-862-B-2016 Structured
Cabling Infrastructure Standard for Intelligent Building Systems to provide minimum requirements for intelligent building
cabling to support applications that use Ethernet communication, as well as
accommodate other protocols that are typically used between devices. Specific
content in the TIA standard provides guidelines for cabling types, topology,
design and installation best practices and test procedures. However, this standard follows the other
previous TIA cabling standards to deploy applications over the same generic
structured cabling topology used for telecommunications applications. The main differences are terminology, such as
equipment outlet versus telecom outlet, and distributor rooms to denote the
location of termination equipment, which might not always be in a TR. Also, there are exceptions for coverage area
topologies, such as a direct connection, as discussed in their Annex C. But, once again, the copper twisted pair
cable is limited to 100 meters.
BICSI delves deeper with
their published ANSI/BICSI-007-2017 standard, Information
Communication Technology Design and Implementation Practices for Intelligent
Buildings and Premises. This standard provides recommendations for
design and implementation of the cabling system, as well as specific building
system applications for any size building or premise. The BICSI standards
leverages the requirements by TIA and ISO but goes more granular into the best
practices for planning spaces, topology and media selection for the additional
building applications. In addition, the
BICSI standard recognizes that in many instances, the cabling infrastructure
and cabling selection may vary. According to the BICSI-007 standard, “Layout and selection of horizontal cabling should be
planned to incorporate the deployment of numerous building systems that may
utilize an IP network” In addition, BICSI-007 recognizes that “Some building
systems may require cabling other than balanced twisted-pair or optical fiber
because of system and application architecture or manufacturer
requirements. Horizontal cabling should
be planned to accommodate future equipment needs, which includes transitioning
from proprietary systems to IP-based structured cabling, increased system
bandwidth requirements, and the need to provide or increase power supplied
through communications media. Primary decisions for cabling type are often
based on manufacturer requirements, signal type, distance and location, power
requirement, and longevity of building occupancy.” Currently BICSI looks at all options and is
reviewing longer-distance copper cable options such as the GameChanger.
Smart Choices: Thinking out of the box
Since it’s a fact that the building applications out outside of the realm
of computers and phones and now encompass wireless access points, security
cameras and access control, to name a few, the distance will often be located
well outside the 100m limits from the switch or cross connections. Some designers consider a zone cabling layout (which is a horizontal
connection point between the telecom
room and the device), but even that alternative is limited to 100 meters. The
answer for smart contractors and designers is to implement the long-distance GameChanger
cable from Paige Datacom for both data and power.
Often it pays (or saves) to exceedthe standards. Many distances
for intelligent building devices from the active equipment are exceeded by
application-based cabling and requirements unique to the specific system. The
patented GameChanger cable more than doubles the distance of Category 6 or
Category 6A (shielded, unshielded or outside plant) out to 260 meters (850
feet). And in keeping with best
practices, as recommended by the BICSI standards which states, “Horizontal
cabling for intelligent building systems should be tested as part of the
building’s and premise’s structured cabling solution,” the GameChanger cable
can be tested with most industry field testers.
Check out more information on testing the GameChanger:
As the intelligent building systems expand and the
Internet of Things (IoT) continue to explode, more devices will require network
connectivity. In-the-know designers and
installers will think outside of the box in selecting the appropriate cabling
infrastructure to specifically address the application requirements and
endpoints. To see how GameChanger is the
smart choice for intelligent buildings, check out our resources and our white paper.
