This year’s hottest infrastructure
game changer is the ratification
of the IEEE 802.3bt
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
over 4 Pairs amendment.
or service outlets (SO) ISO for connections to devices.
The use of zone cabling provides a flexible infrastructure
to accommodate current and future MACs for
building devices.
“While the initial cost for a zone cabling design is
higher than for the traditional design because of the zone
enclosure due to additional connectivity in each channel
and pre-cabling between the TR and zone enclosure
for future connections, savings become realized when
January/February 2019 I21
for all IB applications and also require the installation of AC
power to these switch locations.)
Zone cabling, which utilizes a horizontal connection
point (HCP) as outlined within TIA-862-B and detailed
in the ANSI/BICSI-007 standard, is a cabling design
that allows greater flexibility for PDs that are typically
installed above the ceiling in plenum environments,
such as wireless access points (WAPs), security cameras,
fire alarms, speakers and many other applications (see
Figure 2). Zone cabling does not include any active
components and can be configured in both a centralized
and decentralized topology (see Figures 9-11). It is
important to note that ISO/IEC 11801 standards refer
to the HCP as a service concentration point (SCP), but
for the purposes of this article, HCP is used. According
to ANSI/BICSI-007, a zone cabling design consists of
horizontal cables installed from the TR to an HCP that
is typically housed in an enclosure located in the ceiling
space, on the wall, or below an access floor. From the
HCP, cabling is installed to equipment outlets (EO) TIA
FIGURE 2: Zone cabling utilizes a horizontal connection point (HCP) and allows greater flexibility
for powered devices, which are typically installed above the ceiling in plenum environments.
adding more devices or
performing MACs, as
this can be accomplished
between the zone
enclosure and the device,
eliminating the need to
install cabling all the way
back to the TR,” says Bob
Allan, global business
development manager,
Intelligent Buildings,
Siemon Company.
“While dependent on the
exact number of MACs
performed, a zone cabling
design where the zone
enclosure is fully
pre-cabled to the TR
and includes 25% spare
port availability reaches
its return on investment
within a two to
five-year span.”
Patch Cords
terminated plug
802.11ac
WAP
LED Light
Surface Mount Box
with outlets
24-Port Zone
Unit Enclosure
Surface Mount Box
with Outlets
Phone
HVAC Controller
Patch Cord
Patch Cord
Ceiling
Projector
Patch Cords
IP Surveillance
Camera
Digital Display
Plenum (air handling) space
Telecom Room (TR)